Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1898-03-26
ENGINEERS CLOSE CALL.

"Theres Q wreck up beyond on IVES
ton" shouted the doctor, awakening me
shout half.past five in the morning by pound.
Ing on the wall that separated his room from
mine. "Do you want to go!"
The doctor was the railroad surgeon. The
wreck, he said, was caused by washout,
and the wreckins train was waiting to take
% to the scene.
Three miles beyond Weston, ehere the
road strair items out on long down grade,
was the wreck. The heavy through freight
train had gone through culvert about three
o'clock that morning. The lookout who had
been riding on the engine had seen, In the
glare Of the headlights above him, the CLEAN
Of the rails across the little gully at the
bottom Of the hill, and the gully itself run.
ming half full Of water. He had seen the
cross ties In their places. and he thought
the track was sound. What he did not see
was that the cribbing Of ties on which the
track had been laid across the gully had
been washed out.
II he had been standing on the ground he
might have noticed the sag Of the track
where the cribbing had gone; but the rock.
ing OF the engine disturbed bis vision. The
engineer and fireman in the cab behind him,
straining their eyes over the track ahead,
saw no more than he, and the big train
smashed into the gully. The engine got
nearly across before the track gave way.
Then the strain broke the coupling and
the first Of the freight cars Owed under the
engine and blocked up the gully. The en-.
zine sank back on the wreck, and the box
ears jammed themselves into the locomotive
N Q hopeless tangle.
When the trainmen recovered from the
shock and ran forward to zee what was the
matter they found Keefer, the lookout, ly-
Ing on the bank Of the gully with broken
leg. He never knew how he got there, but
he must have been pitched backward a.
the engine went down rear end first. Cos
tello, the fireman, was pinned into the cab
By the roof Of the box car. Billy Hayes, the
hi cab window and was caught by the leg
between the injector and the drive wheel.
Il was about ten o'clock when we reached
The wreck, and Hayes had been suffering
Desperate agony for seven hours, but be |
had not fniched or shown q sign Of weak. !
sning, the men told me, in al that time. |
And, although he knew Il must yet be |
Aours before he could be taken out, II In.
Assd he could ever be got out at al, he kept |
, stout heart.
The heavy guard over the rear drive-wheel
AaA besn twisted up and In toward the In.
|sctor. Hayes was caught by the wreck,
md for few minutes after the accident It
Aad poured stream Of boiling hot water
N his back.
He told his mates how he was caught, but
hey could not help. They had no tools for
Iaeh work a. must be done to release him,
md the beat thay could do was 10 stand on
he bank Of the gully and shout encourage.
nent to him. They had sent for help, and
Until the wreckers came there was nothing
% do but wait.
While they waited new peril rose, which
zone had foreseen, and which proved anew
he courage Of Billy Hayes. The wreck
nd fallen In such q manner that it acted
y wing-dam across the gully, and the
nsn watching on the bank noticed that the
Eater was rising rapidly. Hayes saw IL,
90, and thought that II Il would only rise ,
,ieh enough Il would ease little the pain
{ his scalded back.
nc about him, and saw In the gray light
{ the dawn how thick and yellow with
sud e was. Steadily and with amazing ,
witness the water rose. Then one Of the ,
Hatchers on the bank saw what made the
carts Of them all beat more quickly with &
be sudden realization OF new danger. Z
he water was rising below the wreck, al.
,ost a. rapidly a. Il rose above Il.
Than they understood. Il was not the J
An Of Wreekaes that was swelling the G
ally stream; e was ths nsw Good from
y nightis rain. The nslds had bssn soaked
% b ths hsaSy rainfall, and L seemed - II
l IL water that had fallsn that night
Il T. Be carried OF BY that gully. The
Irsam rose above Hayes waist, and the :