Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1895-01-03
RAILROAD NEWS.
Matters From Here and There Concerning the
Great Corporations and Their Men.

There was narrow escape from
what might have been tremendous,
" disastrous accident on the Norfolk
& Western railroad bridge at Shep-
herdstown about 6 o'clock Christmas
morning. A freight train, in charge
of Engineer Fisher and Conductor
Lucas, broke in two in the cut on the
Maryland side of the river The rear
part of the train ran back and stopped
in the middle of the bridge. When
the engineer discovered the loss of a
part of his train he went back to find
it. He found it sooner than he ex-
pected, and there was smash on the
bridge about hundred feet in the air.
A carload of pig-iron met the shock
and saved the train from tumbling
over. Several cars were disabled, but
the train-hands and section men went
to work with will and in a short
time had the track cleared. No one
was hurt, but the whole crew got if
teen days holiday. A day or TIVE
afterward thirteen cars of a freight
train were derailed just above the
station at this place. Train No, 4
was delayed three hours by the wreck.
Last Saturday morning about Z
o'clock just as the Brunswick work
train entered the new tunnel at
Harper's Ferry fully twenty tons Of
rock dropped from the roof of the tun-
mel in front of the engine. There was
not time to check up, and the whole
train was derailed when the engine
bumped into the boulders. Nobody
was hurt, and the big force of men on
the train quickly got the track:
cleared.
The annual report of President
Hood, of the Western Maryland Rail,
road, shows that during the past year
the receipts were 81, 203,l74.34 and
expenses $7S4,784.95, leaving net
earnings $4l8,389.39. The Western
Maryland Railroad owns or operates
258 miles of track, exclusive Of sidings
The road has 48 locomotives, 81 coach
es, l parlor car, l postal car, Is bag,
gage cars, 3 express cars, 746 freight
cars, l snow plow.
All the passenger conductors and
brakemen and baggagemen and e1,
pressmen on the Norfolk & Western
Railroad have recently been equipped
with belts in which revolvers are car.
ried. The revolvers are very fine ones
of SO calibre and are kept in the hand
lest position. The recent train rob-
berries are responsible for the arming
of the force.
The Norfolk & Western Railroad
has too many passenger crews on this
division, and in order that better time
can be made by those who are at work
one crew is to be transferred back to
the freight service. This will crowd
out some of the freight men, of whom
there is also all over-plus.
The RaiIWay Age estimates the new
railway mileage built in the United
States in 1894 at 1919 miles, as
against 1885 In 1898 and $3.50 in
1890. West Virginia built so miles,
Texas 81, South Carolina SO, Ohio "a,
Pennsylvania l29.
Ellsworth Munson, popular pas
senger brakeman of the Norfolk &
Western Railroad, and Miss Mary
Sheehan were married in Hagerstown
last week.
The Norfolk & Western Railroad
Company has contracted with the Cen
trail Car Trust Company of New Jersey
for building 500 box cars for 5000, 900.
A B. & o. passenger coach was de-
stroyed by fire while standing on the
track at Hagerstown the other night.
The B. g. o. Railroad will run a
popular excursion to Washington next
Thursday.