Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1897-08-05
ON A QUAKING RAILWAY.
AT FULL SPEED WITH THE TRACK
CURLING UNDER THE TRAIN.

There are few locomotive engineers
alive to-day who have had mole
thrilling adventure in cab than the
man who pulled trainload of passen-
gers out of Charleston, S. c., on the
night Of the memorable earthquake,
nearly eleven years ago. The throttle
was wide open and the train was dash
ing down a long, steep grade at the
rate of fifty miles an hour. The en-
gineer had to reach small station n
short distance ahead and sidetrack to
allow an excursion train for Charles
ton to pass. The local was behind
time and the engineer knew that 500
lives depended on his getting safely
into the siding before the headlight of
the other train hove in sight. Sud-
| denly the earth shook, but the rum
bling noise accompanying the shock
was drowned in the roar of the speed
ing train. Without the least notice
the track under the train began to
culver and move, while the locomo-
tive trembled like a deer at bay. The
engineer thought that the engine had
| jumped the track and was running
blOllS oNtl tllC tlOo9bltS. nt
rolled on for half mile before being
ditched. Engineer Charles H. Burn
was the only person injured, and he
would have escaped unhurt had he
jumped. He remained at his post,
| however, as if glued to the seat. His
mind was so intent upon reaching the
side track that he could give little
thought to the earthquake. Mr.. Burn
recently gave a New York Sun cores
pondent his story.
''It was 9:25 on the night of August
81, 1886" he said, 'when L mounted
the train in the railroad yards here
and got orders to pull out to Summer
vile, thirty miles distant. The
weather was hot, with not breath of
air stirring. My train started on time,
but soon afterward we were delayed
few minutes. My orders read to side
| track at Ten Mile for d down passen-
ger excursion train to pass. When
| got to point mile and q half from
the station L found that 1 had only
two minutes to make the run and have
| the switch clear for the other train.
The chances were, too, that it would
| be on time, and J. realized that had n
race against death. The track ahead
OF me, however, was clear. Every
nerve i'll me was strained for I knew
what would be the consequences if I
ran in half a minute late. 1 was in
this condition and flying over the
final stretch, with the throttle wide
| open, when the first tremor of the
earth was felt. My first impression
was that the engine had jumped the
rail and was shooting over the cross
ties. looked back once and saw that
the coaches were following all right, but
the next instant knew it was an
earthquake. The track under me was
lerked to one side and then to the
other. l looked ahead and the bright
gllstening on the top of the shinyrail
could not be seen. A second glance
showed that the rails were moved out
of their original position and were in
the exact shape of horseshoe. The
engine would twitch and squirm, but
| it held to the rail, and the movement
of the whole train was very much like
that of a snake crawling over the sand.
''When L saw how the rails had con-
tracted tried to stop the train. L ap-
piled the brakes, and Immediately the
engine jumped the track. 1t was like
whirlwind to me. The cab on the
engine was broken off, and the top of
the cab was thrown thirty feet, bottom
upward. Arnold, the colored fireman,
went with it and had close shave, but
escaped unhurt.
1T is almost impossible for me to
describe my feelings while on that
rocking engine, speeding over rough
track at the rate of fifty miles an hour.
The speed was not slackened by the
winding of the track, but the engine
was flying to the right one second and
to the left the next, and getting over
the ground so swiftly that it took all
my strength to keep myself in by hold
ing ON to the lever. The engine
seemed to groan.
when we were ditched I was
thrown into the soft mud and pinned
down by part of the engine. Another
shock came about this time, and it
buried the engine lower in the loose
sand. This made it harder for me, but
fortunately [ was not burned nor
scalded. The third shock came, and
down Went the engine again in the
sand. L could not move limb, and
the heat from the furnace near me
tairly made my skin fall away. A loi
of frightened colored people came rush.
ing by the train, running they knew
not where, and L begged them to get
me out
'Tain't no use, white man, cried
one old fellow; your time done up
now, and we is all gwine down toged.
der. Goodby.'
''The earth continued to tremble dur.
ing the night, or at least until O'Clock
in the morning, when L was taken out
OF the wreck. have been on the road
for thirty years, but never expect to
go through another such experience as