Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1898-10-26
FAST TRAIN RUNS Wild
Engineer Dead on Erie Express With
His Head Crushed In,
HUNDREDS OF LIVES IN PERIL
Fireman Stops the Train After q
Dangerous Climb Around the Lo-
connective - Engineer Probably
Killed by a Mail Crane,

Jersey City, Oct. 26.-When the Chi
cago express of the Erie arrived in
Jersey City. many Of the several hun
dred passengers drew a sigh of relief at
their safe arrival. They had had an ex-
perience such as none of them ever
wanted to go through again.
While the train was rushing along
between Binghamton and Susuuehanna.
distance OF % miles, at a speed of a
mile a minute, the locomotive had no
guloing hand at the lever. Henry Kins-
ley, the engineer. was dead. His body
lay In an inert mass in the cab, and
his nerveless fingers were no longer at
the throttle.
The top of the engineers head had
been cut off, from the eyes and ears up,
probably by a mail catching crane. The
fireman, Walter Cowgirl, did not know
OF the frightful peril of the train until
Just before Susquehanna was reached.
Shortly after the train left Bingham
ton the fireman noticed that the train
was apparently running Wild Althoue h
the fireman knew that a quick run was
to be made, he marveled at the unusual
speed. Faster and faster went the To-
connective, and the fireman grabbed the
cab railing to keep his footing.
AS he was on the left side of the cab,
where a fireman Is always stationed,
and could not see over the boiler, Cow
gill shouted to the engineer.
The roar Of the train and the wind
drowned his voice. AS the moments
passed Cowgirl became more and more
alive to the peril of the situation. He
could not imagine why Kinsley was ct
ting the locomotive run faster than
ever before
Cowgirl said that the fires needed at
tention, so he picked his way carefully
to the furnace doors. The locomotive
was now rocking like ship in storm.
When the coal had been replenished,
Cowgirl became more and more alarm
ed. The train was approaching Susque-
hanna and yet showed no slackening OF
its wild career. No whistle was heard,
although Susquehanna was but a few
miles away.
Alive to the Danger.
Now fully aroused to the fearful sit
uation, the fireman crawled carefully
around to his side of the cab again. He
called across the boiler to Kinsley with
all his might, but the thunder Of the
train made his efforts seem like whis-
pers. Then, resolved to see what the
trouble was at all hazards, Cowgirl be-
gan to climb around the locomotive.
Clinging to the hand rails, he made
his way to the running board to the
front. Three times he was nearly thrown
off as the locomotive lurched violently,
and the strong wind made it worse.
mi rrfll vi HI 11yoN oil 20
the other side toward the engineers
side of the cab. The fastest he could
70 was very slow because of the diff
Guilty in clinging to the plunging loco
motive. Cowgirl knew that if he were
swept off the train would have been
dashed to destruction.
So with a strength and desperation
born of the situation he picked his way
along. The flying locomotive was al
most in the Susquehanna yards, where
trains stood on the tracks.
After a struggle that seemed like
hours Cowgirl at last reached the other
side OF the cab. There he saw the body
of Engineer Kinsley lying motionless or
the floor Cowgirl leaped to the lever
and threw it far back. Then he re-
yersed the locomotive.
He threw on the airbrakes. The mo-
| mentum Of the train was such. now
ever. that for several seconds the
wheels hung, and the train slid on. II
| continued for a short time that seemec
like eternity to Cowgirl, but at last the
locomotive slowly came to stop. The
train and its passengers were safe.
Fireman Cowgirl is 30 years old. H'
was modest over his achievement, al
| though treated as a hero by the pas
sengers. Engineer Kinsley lived in sus
ouehanna. He left widow and family
and was so years old. He was regard
| - .,,r,y, os rol'ahle and skillful man