The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-07-12
A QUAKING RAILWAY
At FULL SPEED WITH THE TRACK
CURLING UNDER THE TRAIN.
Engineer Burn Relates His Experience ON
the Night of the Charleston Earthquake.
Running at Fifty Miles an Hour When
the Shocks Began.


There are few locomotive engineers alive
today who have had a more thrilling adj
venture in cab than the man who pulled
a trainload of passengers out Of Charleston
on the night of the memorable earthquake
The throttle was wide open and the train
was dashing down long, steep grade at
the rate of 90 miles an hour. The engi-
neer had TO reach small station short
distance ahead and side track TO allow an
excursion train for Charleston TO pass
The local was behind time and the engi-
neer knew that 500 lives depended on his
getting safely into the siding before the
headlight of the other train hove in sight.
Suddenly tho earth shook, but the rum
bling noise accompanying the shock was
drowned in the roar of the speeding train.
Without the least notice the track under
the train began to culver and move, while
the locomotive trembled like deer at bay.
The engineer thought that the engine had
jumped the track and was running along
over the crossties. The train tolled on for
half a mile before being ditchCd. Engi-
neer Charles II. Burn was the only person
injured, and he would have escaped UNI
hurt 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 gave The Sun
correspondent his story.
"It was :25 on the night Of Aug. 81,
1886, " he said, "when mounted the train
in tho railroad yards here and got orders
to pull out to Summerville, 30 miles dis
tant. The weather was hot, with not IA
breath of air stirring My train started
on time, but soon afterward we were de-
layod a few minutes. My orders read to
side track at Ten Mile for down passen-
| ger excursion train TO pass. When got
| to q point mile and a half from the sta
ton, found that 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 real
! lied that had n race against death. The
track ahead of me, however, was clear.
Every perye " me was strained, for ]
knew what would be the consequences II
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 i'm
preston 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
The track under me was jerked to one
side and then to the other l looked ahead,
and the bright glistening on the top of the
| shiny rail 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 a horseshoe. The engine
would twitch and squirm, but 1t 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. / applied
the brakes, and Immediately the engine
jumped the track. 1t was like whirl
wind to me. The cab on the engine was
broken off and the top of the cab was
thrown 30 feet, bottom upward. Arnold
the colored fireman, went with 1t and had
O close shave, but escaped unhurt.
at is almost impossible for me to de-
scribe my feelings while on that rocking
engine, speeding over rough track at the
rate of 80 miles an hour. The speed was
not slackened 10y the winding of the track,
but the engine was flying to the right one
second and to the left the next and get
ting over the ground so swiftly that II
took all my strength to keep myself in by
holding on to the lever. The engine
seemed to groan.
"When we were ditched, was thrown
into the soft mud and pinned down by
mart of the engine Another shock came
about this time, and it buried the engine
lower in the loose sand This made II
harder for me, but fortunately was not
burned or scalded. The third shock
came, and down went the engine again In
the sand. could not move limb, and
the heat from the furnace near me fairly
made my skin fall away. lot of fright
ened negroes came rushing by the train,
running they knew not where, and beg
ged them to get me out.
GO 'Tain't no use, white man, cried one
old fellow. Your time done up now, and
we is all gwine down togedder. Goodby'
"The earth continued to tremble during
the night, or at least until 8 o'clock In the
morning, when l was taken out OF the
wreck. / have been on the road for 81
years, but never expect to go through
another such experience as on that night
. of the earthquake. Nothing but the mercy
of God saved me and the train"
, The wreck Of Engineer Burns train oc
, CURED on the South Carolina and Georges
! railroad ten miles from Charleston. Al
, almost the same minute two other wrecks
, took place, and the only deaths were those
, of the firemen on both trains. At Horse
! Creek the heavy commotion of the water
In pond close by the railroad caused the
pond to overflow and wash away the rail
, road. The train stopped soon after getting
! in Engineer Reynolds swan out ano
landed high in the branches of tree. The
! fireman in trying to reach limb was Kill
ed.
The passenger train that left here early
In the afternoon for Augusta, Ga, mel
with an accident between Graniteville ant
I Langley A large pond 10y the railroad
track broke away and submerged the roat
under the train. The engine left the tract
in jiffy, and in the smashup the fireman
was killed The train remained on TIN
: track, and the passengers escaped withou
a scratch. All along the road the rail
were distorted into horseshoe shape, bu
, the engine driven by Burn was the onl.
one that went half a mile over the rougl
and winding rails.-Charleston Cor. Ney
York sun.
Unwarranted Inference.
"That was my cousin George was on