Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1893-09-30
A PLUCKY OPERATOR

The following sounds well whether
it is truth or romance: Miss Ransom
was the telegraph operator and sta
tion agent On little road called the
Columbia and Port Deposit division
of the Pennsylvania line. This road
Rugged the banks Of the Susluehanna
River from end to end, and there
wasn't spot on the enGire division
on forty miles that wasn't almost
sure death to leave The rails Wrecks
occurred on an average of once a
week and were always followed by
severe fatalities. The station she
was located at was near immense
limestone Quarries wherein some half
hundred Italians were EMPLOYED
About 100 feet above the station was
a 100-foot treStle spanning small
stream at ordinary times, but on the
day referred to by the Washington
Star it was greatly swollen and very
swift as it emptied into the river at
that point. A blast had Just been
fired of unusual force and an i'm
mense rock landed directly on the
trestle, tearing it apart in the center,
the swift water washing away the
debris and leaving gap in the rails
of about twenty-five feet The river
was very high at that point and the
small boats that were handy could
not be propelled against the swift
current. The nearest bridge on the
little sUream over which the trestle
was stretched was some three miles
distant. Miss Ransom saw the mis-
chief done by the rock and immedi-
ately rushed out and told the Super
intendent of the Italian gang to send
man or go himself around the wreck
and stop train that was due from
the North in about half an hour.
The Superintendent was an Italian,
with a smattering of English, but
who failed entirely to see the gravity
of the situation. The only wire that
ran along the road had been broken
with the trestle, so that no cOmmuni-
cation with the North could be had.
Miss Ransom tried to tell the Italian
the true situation but he only smiled,
and with a shrug of his shoulders and
a grimace walked back into the
quarry and resumed his overseeing.
Miss Ransom hesitated but min
ute to ask if any one in the crowd could
swim, and receiving negative an
swer, decided, with the aid of plank,
to try crossing the river The Ital
ians in their impetuous way tried to
persuade her not to attempt the
swollen waters, but with the decision
Of true heroine who realized the
danger the oncoming train was in, she
cautiously pushed the plank into the
water and with quick movement
followed it. The brave girl had en-
tered the water some distance above
the broken treStIe in the hope of
gaining the opposite shore some dis
tance before that point should be
reached, as to be carried out into the
river meant almost certain death.
The Italians encouraged her with
shouts of praise, but endeavor as she
would to work her way out of the
current in mid-stream but little head
way was made. Down the stream
the brave girl was carried with a
swiftness that told palmer than
words that her struggles were fruit
/ less As she neared the broken tres
tie inch by inch she worked the plank
over toward the northern side, and
as she was within few feet of the
structure she abandoned the plank
and struck out with one forlorn hope
of reaching it unaided. Her fore
sight and strength proved stanch
qualifications AS she was being
carried by the projecting splintered
trestle Miss Ransom gave one last
long sweep Of her arms and was en-
abled to grasp heavy piece of tim
ber
Slowly and laboriously the heroine
worked her way out of the water and
up through the trestle, as her strength
commenced to show signs OF waning,
and finally reached the top. For
only a few seconds did she hesitate
to gasp her breath and regain strength
when the noise of the coming train
could be heard and a few seconds
later dashed into view. The wild
gesticulations of the brave girl caught
the attention of the engineer almost
instantly. the brakes were applied
and the train brought to a standstill
right on the curve in sight of the
broken trestle. Without culver in
| her voice Miss Ransom told the en-
gineer of the mishap and in a mat
ter-of-fact way, without any embel-
lishments, related her experience in
trying to prevent the train from GO
ing through the broken trestle into
she river. The dozen or so passen-
gers on the traia sere dumbfounded
by the girls matter-of-fact bravery