The Winslow mail., 1897-08-21
PINIoNED BY a WOODEN LEG.
Why the Railway Engineer Made No
Outcry When Caught in a Wreck.

Outcry When Caught in a Wreck.
Every other day when the st. Louis
limited pulls into the Union station or
the Chicago express No. starts out
over the Panhandle the honest face of
Jacob Rumbaugh may be seen in the
cab window of engine No. 100 waiting
for the little arm of the dwarf sema-
phore that means go whenever it drops
from a horizontal to a slanting posi-
ton.
Engineer Rumbaugh is better known
| as Peggy" from the fact that he has
an artificial limb. Years ago While flr-
ing he went under the engine TO do
some work and a careless engineer
started the locomotive and one of the
pondecous wheels passed over his leg
| below the knee. crushing it 50 badly
that amputation was necessary. In the
old days, when this incident tranSplred,
accidents were the rule instead OF the
exception on the Panhandle, as they are
at present. and if a train got over tha
road without being derailed or smash
ed up in a collision the trainmasterS
the exuberance of their swelled heads
forgot to perform their duty, and the
next train was sure to meet with a ca
lamity. After Mr.. Rumbaugh had re-
covered sufficiently to be able to get
about ON a wooden leg he went back
to firing again and was soon given an
engine He has been running ever SQnce
ON the road and has made an excellent
record. The fact that he was appointed
to run the engine hauling the fast st.
Louis limited No. when that train was
put ON the road to compete with the Big
Four Knickerbocker special shows the
high confidence he maintains with the
officials, and as that train has never
met with a serious accident since it was
started to running between this city
and Oennison no other argument IS
needed to show that the confidence
placed in Mr.. Rumbaugh was not mis-
placed.
Before he began running passenger
train he had some startling adventures,
the most remarkable of which was a
wreck at the Bloomfield tunnel, where
his engine and train were derailed and
the wreckage piled high against the end
of the underground passage. So COM
plete was the wreck that the fireman
had to go through the tunnel and come
back over the hill to find what had hap
pened, and then he was Mortified to lind
Rumbaugh pinned down under the de-
bris and held fast by the leg. The sur
viving members Of the crew gathered
around and began to express sympathy
while rendering assistance, but the Old
man said "Never mind, boys, it's only
the wooden leg anyhow, and there IS
plenty of material left to make another
one" The fact was that 'Peggy's"
wooden leg was caught, and they soon
sawed the leg off and liberated him, and
he was found to be unscathed. There
is not q better engineer in the United
States than old man Rumbaugh. He
can make the schedule time without
trouble, never transgreSSeS a rule and
is at all times gentlemanly and cOurte-
GUS to those with whom he comes in
contact. His home is at Dennison, but
he gets to Pittsburg every other day,
and during his spare minutes here can
be found in the vicinity of the Union
station or at his boarding house. He is
respected by all the other engineers,
who admire the old man for his many
excellent qualifications. = Pttsburg
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