Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-12-25
A TIMELY WARNING.

The narrow escape made by the train
crew and passengers on the Southern
Tuesday night at the trestle few
miles east of this city on the Southern
railroad should prove a timely warn
ing to the operators of railroads. 1t is
almost miracle that the train remained
on the trestle. Had it gone down it is
not at all likely that a single person on
board the train would have escaped
death.
The facts in connection with this case
are simply these. the trestle where the
effort 10 wreck the train was made is
about LOCO feet long and of an average
heighth of probably eighty feet. About
twenty minutes before the passenger
train ran onto the trestle a freight train
going east passed over the structure.
Twenty minutes later when the passen-
ger train came along it was found that
a rail had been taken up and moved some
twelve inches out of line; the engineer
had no means Of knowing that such was
the case; he could not see, and the fact
that only twenty minutes before that
time freight train had passed safely
over the structure doubtless gave him
confidence that everything was all right.
Not until his engine was humping on the
cross ties did he have any warning that
arrangements hsd been made for the
murder Of himself and his entire train
load Of passengers.
1t is certainly a wonder that under
such conditions the brave engineer did
not completely loose his head. If he
had no doubt all would have been lost.
To a kind Providence and brave engi-
neer the Southern railroad is indebted
for having escaped enc of the most hor-
rible accidents imaginable on the occa-
sion mentioned. To the same source the
passengers on that particular train owe
their present existence.
We think now that the matter has
been brought to the attention of the oper-
ators of railroads in such a forcible man
ner that in future watchmen will be kept
on duty at all hours at such places. it's
unfair and unjust to the travelling pub
lie to have trains loaded with human be-
ings driven in the dark onto long and
high trestles and bridges without know
ing beforehand that all is well.
We can't understand why every rail-
road would not prefer to take this pre-
caution at the moderate expense the road
take the chances as it was or is the Gus
tom on the Southern to do, judging from
the facts connected with the Tuesday
night affair. Had that train gone down
Tuesday night it would have resulted in
a cost to the Southern road OF an amount
ample to have kept watchmen at all its
trestles and bridges in Alabama for prob
ably a half q century, to say nothing of
the loss of human life it would have
caused.
q Whether the roads will in future guard
against another such occurrence or not
we are unable to say. If they do of their
own free will, all we'll and good but the
very fact that all of them have not done
so up to this time, we think, authorizes
our Legislature to take the matter up and
require that the proper precautions be
taken. Such action could not be objected
to by roads that now take the precaution
and will in future take it because of this
warning, and those roads not disposed to
take warning, If there be any such, should
be required by law to do so.