The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1898-11-09
A SWEEPING WASAOUT.
How an Entire Railroad Disappeared Ia
Night In Kansas.

How an Entire Railroad Disappeared Ia n
Night In Kansas.
OF the washouts that occurred in
my ten years of railroad building in
the west the most complete and sweep
ing was that of the Mcpherson x Lyons
railroad in Kansas In 1870 said a civil
engineer to n reporter III WAS while
We were building this twenty flve-mile
branch of the Atchisnu that | was di-
vision engineer in charge Of the west
ern end. We had begun work in
March at the Mcpherson end. and II
Was necessary that the road should he
completed, with the trains running in
to Lyons. by the LIST Of June or 500, 600
IN bonds would be forfeited Although
the grading WAS very heavy, With deep
cuts and long, high fills the 10th OF
May saw the ruadbed finished from one
end to the other and the track carried
nearly to Lyons.
Up to that time during all the con-
| struetion not Il drop of rain had fallen,
but on the night of the 10th thunder
| 1t began at midnight and was over be-
fore day break. but while II lasted 1t
was as il the bottom of the sky had
fallen out and let the water drop all ut
once. Hut had no Idea of how much
water really had fallen until on going
out of doors in the morning | saw what
had been a dry creek bed ever since
my coming to Lyons. VAS n river, full
from bank to bank. and running like Il
| mlllrace. That set me of IN hurry
to look at the track but there was no
track To be found There We're rails
| and ties where the track had been but
the roadbed that had been beneath was
gone. The prairie. after the long
drouth, had become as hard as "A pave
ment. SO that 1t took Hp none of the
rain that had fallen, and the rush of
water from Il great watershed covering
townships had come against the road
bed. The opening at pile bridges, 100
feet long. intended ms waterways, had
been az nothing To carry the water of
and the roadbed had gone simply
melted away
We'll. all this WAS a heartrending
had looked ON their work. GA this road
aa finished But the trains had to be
running Into Lyons In ten duya or the
S50.00 In bonds would be sacrificed.
and We set to work to repair the dam
ages. The Atchison read was behind
hn k.
sinews Of war; the bridges were stand
Ing the cuta in the roIdhed nude. and
the contractors gangs stiH at hand.
won't say that 1t was a very finely con
| strueted road at that stage but | rode
| out OF I.yons on June | Oh the first
train, for we had got there after all"
swell Girl Nurses iflucis ItHby.
An elderly negress was thrown from
a Broadway cable ear at Thirtleth
street. In New York through the fail
ure of the conductor to walt for her Ia
get off She had an iS-months-old
baby In her arms She Rugged the
baby to her breast when she fell.
A carriage had been rattIInR along
/ DtUIHu illt fdulf car anu w UfH llt
colored woman rolled into the gutter
| a young woman. dressed Ia a Hight be
RULED gown, jumped from the carriage
and caught up the baby The ear
stopped and the passengers climbed
out. The women all ran for the baby.
cry and began to laugh with bg-eycd
good nature
The young woman who waa carrying
IL began to cry She told her coach
man to go for doctor. She walked
up and down the street. and the chat
tering crowd OF women followed her.
The coachman returned with Dr. W c.
Gilday Of lS0 West Thirty-aixth street.
An ambulance was called from the New
York Hospital and Dr. Parker, the
surgeon, and Or. Gllday dressed gap
Ing wound on the colured woman y
head
Meantime the black baby sat on the
yQupg woman's arm and made demon
STATIONS at her hair with its tiny black
hands The young woman would
laugh with the baby, and then, glanc-
Ing at the crowd around the ambulance.
she would cry
The ambulance rolled away and
somebody went up to policeman who
had been collecting material for his re-
port VI the accident and said
Where's the baby"
The young woman who had shown
such lively Interest in It was not TO
be seen Her carriage was not In
sight, The policeman was frantic.
Scouts chased up and down the street.
One OF them found the volunteer nurse
with the baby In a confectionery store
trying to make 1t swallow u spoonful
OF ice-cream soda Both she and the
| baby seemed to be enjoying them
selves. When asked, somewhat alb
ruptly, why she had carried the haby
off she answered simply
why, N was going to begin to cry
| Then, for the first time, she seemed TO
realize that she was In Il crowd OF
amused apd curious strangers. She
put the baby into the policeman arms.
ana hurried to her carriage. which was
| waiting around the corner.