The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-02-05
CHASED BY DYNAMITE.
SOME HAIR-RAIsING STORIES TOLD
BY VETERAN ENGINEERS.
PeriIs of the Transportation of High
ExpIOsives-WId Rides Down the
Mountains Followed by Runaway
Cars Loaded With Dynamite.

cars Loaded With Dynamite.
Washington Letter In st. Louis Globe
Democrat.
The gathering of prominent railroad Of
fcials in this city, brought about by the
hearings before the congressional COM
mittee on the ant-scalping BILL has re-
suited in a great many stories being told
regarding railroad life whenever these Of
fcials come together in groups at the
big hotels uptown. While one of these
groups was INDUCING in the after-dinner
smoke, the resolution adopted by the
House last session, and still being held
UP in the committee rooms of the Senate,
calling for an investigation into the mode
Of shipping high and low explosives as
freight on steamship and car lines, came
up for discussion. The points in the res,
olution were argued pro and con, and
great deal of discussion INDUCED in, term
mating in a general approval of the bill.
Then the talk drifted toward story-tell-
ing, in which dynamite and ordinary gun
powder figured as important parts.
THE one feature of the bill that 1 OBJ
ject to-" said a prominent official, who
had worked his way up through the diff
ferent grades of trainman, sis that
which declares loads of powder or other
explosives must be separated by three
cars not loaded with explosives. Now,
suppose there are five carloads to be ship
ped. That will make up a train of seven
teen cars; as now transported over the
railroads the five cars would be hauled
,f t1o
er. 1t has been demonstrated that three
fourths of the explosions on railroads of
this kind of freight have been caused by
conclusion. The smashing of cars will
produce friction, resulting in sparks fly
ing as from flint, and the disaster fol-
lows.
I'm cases like these the trainmen know
where to look for trouble, and govern
themselves accordingly. In the event of
five cars loaded with high explosives be-
ing on one train under the new law,
there will be no telling at what point the
fun will begin. 1 have seen cars ten
lengths back from run-in smashed AS
badly as those directly at the point of
collision. Imagine a crew of trainmen
trying to get away from five cars of pow
der scattered all along the train. 1t
would be a case of roofing under ground
or being distributed around the neighbor-
hood in bits.
How about that car of powder you fell
lows tried to steal in IT, Bob?'' called out
a little gray-haired official over near the
window. You were with the boys on that
trip, and 1t wasn't a very dull one, either"
so were you, If my memory serves me
right" replied the first man designated as
Bob" why don't you tell the story your
self. Too bashful Ell? All right, old boy,
I'll do my best to interest you, although
it makes me chilly whenever l talk about
that foolhardy adventure.
well, as Jim says the trip wasn't very
dull, and he's right, dead right. When we
went into that great strike everybody be.
came excited, and l must admit we mixed
things up for the different companies and
the men that went back on us. This. Won
will remember brought out a call for the
militia, and, being hot-headed we conclud-
ed to fight. But our arms were few and
the ammunition less
"One of the men just In off the lino
said there was car load or two of gun
powder this side of Cumberland. The
militia had just been ordered out. and we
were fighting mad. Six of us stole an en-
CINE, which wasn't very hard to do. and
we set out to steal a car of ammunition
Well, we knew the road and soon found
a car One was enough for us. After
getting il out on the main track we start
ed for Baltimore and on the way there
concocted scheme to whirl il into Cam
den station and blow things to pieces in
case the militia was found in charge.
I'VE were young and tough then and
fighting against tougher odds. A bottle OF
whisky was passed around, and we all be-
came jolly over our great plot. Then the
man at the throttle became reckless. and
over the rails we were soon spinning like
mad. Then came a down grade for about
mile. and our speed increased. The car
behind us rocked like cradle, and we
all sang songs i'm reckless bravado
In rounding sharp curve the coupling
link or pin broke between the tender OF
the engine and the car, and in a second
we were twenty feet away from the car
The man that was at the throttle lost his
head, and. instead of gently picking the