Mexico weekly ledger., 1893-06-29
The Jaws of Death.
HOW A WELL-KNOWNC C. & A. ENGlN.
FER SAVED A TRAIN LOAD
OF PASSENGERS.

SlTlS. aucliIldil 10 III IOWhs liz
is a witness in a case now pending
in the Circuit Court wherein the
widow of a dead engineer is trying
to o damages from the Chicago
& Alton Railroad.
Many of the older citizens remem-
Der Engineer Adelman, he having
lived in Mexico while this town was
a division point of the Alton. He
is now walking with a cane, being
only recovering from the effects Of
the terrible wreck at Larrabee siding
in February, 1892, over a year ago.
At that time he was holding the
throttle of the engine that pulled the
west-bound flyer between Chicago
and Kansas City. 1t was not long
before daylight when Adelman's
engine approached Larrabee alta 80
mile-an-hour gait. There was a
freight standing on the siding and
the switch was wide open. Adelman
looked and saw the headlight of the
freight on the siding. He thought
he was all right, and his engine shot
straight ahead, but instead of keep
ing to the main track there was a
quick lurch to the right onto the
switch. Adelman felt the swerve
and knew what was the matter. He
showed that he was one of the few
men who know their business. Right
ahead was the other train; one hun
dred and sixty-five feet of smooth
and level track lay between-that
was all. One train stood like the
Chinese wall-the other was going
forward as swift and sure as the pow
er of steam and the brain of man
could make it 60. Ali between was
a little space-a very little space,
and a little time, a second or two.
1t was a question of how quick it
was possible for one mans brain and
hand to act. There were men and
women, the gray haired veteran and
the lisping babe-scores of them
in the coaches behind the engine.
Nearly all were asleep. Their safety
depended on Adelman. For twen-
ty-ive years he had ruu an engine.
He had never had an accident due
to his carelessness. He had often
planned in quiet moments (for he is
a thoughtful many what he would
do in such a time. l said time-it
scarce deserves the name, for it was
the smallest division of time-it was
a second. He had planned it, I say.
In that second he put all of those
plans into swift execution-so swift
that the mind can scarcely grasp the
thought. There was a space of 1865
feet; there was a speed of so miles
an hour. The passengers felt two
grinding shocks. The first was
when Alderman reversed his engine,
sanded the track, applied the air
brake and blew the whistle-all in
165 feet the second shock was when
the great engines embraced each 9TH
er and were fused into one tangled
mass of old iron, rearing and falling
back, as it were, locked in each 9TH
er's arms. And Adelman went if-
to that place of death with his hand
the throttle. He felt in that frac-
ton of a second that he was clasping
hands with Death. There were two
men on each engine. OF the four,
Adelman, was the only one who lived
through that day. The passengers
were unscratched-he had saved his
train. For two hours he lay by the
track, his left leg broken in two
places and his head and body a mass
of cuts and bruises. He refused all
until the others were cared
for. Since then he has spent months
In the hospital. B.