The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1897-07-31
ON AQUAKING RAILWAY.
AT FULL SPEED WITH THE TRAc"'
CURLING UNDER THE TRAIN.

An Engineers Experience on the Night OF
the Charleston Observation-Disclosures
ut Fifty Miles m Hour to sidetrack
His Train When the Shocks Began.
There are few locomotive engineers
alive to-day who have had more
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 long, steep grade at the
rate Of fifty miles an hour. The en-
gineer had to reach a small station
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
livesedepended on his getting safely
into the siding before the headlight Of
the other train hove in sight. Sud-
lily the earth shook, but the rum
lg noise accompanying the shock
!. @.drowned in the roar of the speed
train. Without the least notice
the hck under the train began to
quiiyer and move, while the locomo-
tive trembled like deer at bay. The
engineer thought that the engine had
Jumped the track and was running
arong over the crossties. The train
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 New York Sun cores
pondent his story.
cit was 9:25 on the night Of August
81, 1885," he said, "when I 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 8 breath Of
air stirring. Ny train started on time,
but soon afterward We were de]ayeda
few minutes. My orders read to side
track at Ten Mile for down passen-
| ger excursion train TO pass. When I
! got to a point q mile and half from
the station I found that I 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 I realized that had a
race against death. The track ahead
of me, however, was clear. Every
nerve in me was strained, for I knew
what would be the consequences if
ran in half minute late. [ 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 tbs cross
ties. looked back once and saw thai
the coaches were following all right, but
the next instant I knew it was ar
earthquake. The track under me wa'
jerked to one side and then to ths
other. Hooked ahead and the brigh
glistening on the top of the shiny raj
) could not be seen. A second glance
showed that the rails were moved on
of their original position and were il
: the exact shape Of horseshoe. TIL
, engine would twitch and squirm, bu
it held to the rail, and the movemen
l of the whole train was very much lik
< that of snake crawling over the sand
s "When I saw how the rails had con
. tracted I tried to stop the train. I az
e piled the brakes, and Immediately Ii
e engine jumped the track. It was lik
0 a whirlwind to me. The cab on til
J. engine was broken off, and the top {
v the cab was thrown thirty feet, bottol
d upward. Arnold, the colored fireman
Q went with it and had a close shave, bv
! escaped unhurt.
), ''It is almost impossible for me
If describe my feelings while on thu
= rocking engine, speeding over roug
$ track at the rate Of fifty miles an hou
q The speed was not slackened by tt
u winding Of the track, but the engir
9f was flying to the right one second al
y to the left the next, and getting ov
n the ground so swiftly that it took 9
T. my strength to keep myself in by hol
q ing on to the lever. The engil
re seemed to groan.
y "When we were ditched I W
thrown into the soft mud and pinn
down by part Of the engine. Anoth
Il shock came about this time, and
~ buried the engine lower in the loo
- sand. This made it harder for me, b
u fortunately I was not burned Il
~ scalded. The third shock came, q
a down went the engine again in t
ID sand. Icould not move limb, a
~ the heat from the furnace near
rair]v. made nv skin fall AWAY. A