New-York tribune., 1899-07-08
BOYS TRY TO WRECK TRAIN
NARROW ESCAPE OF WASHINGTON EN-
PRESS AT WEST CHESTER.
DISTRACTIONS WEDGED ON THE TRACK
AND REMOVED JUST IN TINE BY
SECTION HANDs-THREE YOUTHS
ARRESTED

ARRESTED.
Had II not been for the prompt action Of Sec
ton Foreman John Falby. of the New-York.
New-Haven and Hartford Railroad, many peo-
pie would probably have been killed by the
wrecking Of the Washington Express in the
West Chester yards at $3.50 o'clock on Thursday
afternoon An iron bar had been wedGed across
the tracks by a gang Of five boys. and there was
only fraction OF a minute between the re-
moval OF the bar and the dashing by OF the
train
The Washington Express of the New-fork
and NewHaven Railroad is known throughout
New England as the Congressional Express.
II usually has about seven Pullman coaches'
but Thursday there were nine coaches. owing 10
the press Of travel Large numbers or peope
returning to the South after spending 'ne
Fourth Of July holidays in the North were on
the train. and every berth and stateroom was
engaged
It is the custom Of boys who go up In the
country to pick cherries at this time of the year
TO walk along the tracks. There was large
number of boys out on Thursday. John raipy'
n section foreman. and gang Of men were AT
work in the West Chester yards repairing
track. About quarter Of mile away
number Of boys were playing on the track
Falby had occasion TO go at a distance from
where the men were at work 70 get drink OF
icewater from pail that was placed In the
shade Of a tree While drinking his attention
was attracted to the boys up the track.
ATTENTION ATTRACTED BY THE BOYS
There was something about the actions or
the boys that attracted the attention or falpy.
He dropped the tin dpper and walked toward
the spot where the boys were gathered. ana as
he did the boys ran away. Falby was ABOUT
10 turn back to where the section nands were
working when. as he says. curiosity 10 see
what the boys were up to- prompted MN 10 go
10 the place. He walked leisurely along, When
he heard family in the distance the warning
whistle Of an oncomng train. Knowing that II
was the Washington Express and that II was
on the track which he was walking rainy
hurried. Then 1t struck him that the boys ne
saw were fooling this same track ana ne
FASTENED onward
When he reached the place he found that an
iron bar feet long 2Ih inches wide and weigh
ing forty-fve pounds had been placed across
the track in such a position that 1t would have
thrown the train from the track one END OF
the bar was wedged in under the rail. ana
driven so hard that it entered the earth Tor
about two feet. on either side Of this end were
stones and heavy iron braces driven INTO the
earth up next to the sleeper 10 hold IL IN placs'
The iron bar. or "spreader.' as II Is cRlleu
from the fact that Il is used for spreading ralIs.
was placed diagonally across the track so that
when the locomotive struck it the bar would be
further braced by the sleeper and iron braces
IL rested on The rail that the iron bar rested
on was the joint. A small crowbar vas
driven down close to the larger par. ana PieCe
Of iron rail endwise braced this bar so that the
obstruction was almost immovable, and ap-
peared to be part Of the track itself.
Falby tried to move the iron rail holding the
a ficlin CT 9
bulge II. In the mean while, the whistle and
roar of the express were becoming louder
FALBYs FRANTIC ATTEMPTS.
Falby knew that If the train struck the OBJ
struction a frghtful disaster would follow. He
pulled and tugged AT the iron rail. and finally,
with the aid Of another broken rail. managed to
get IL loose The Washington Express was
nearing and the rattle and dust Of its flight
could be seen by Falby. He tried to move the
"spreader." but he could not bulge it. Luckily
several Of his men who had noticed his absence
had walked along the track TO where he was.
Falby saw them, and beckoned and yelled fran
tically for them.
The fastly moving train was near at hand.
The men picked up rail and. using IT as
battering ram. showed aside the bar. Scarcely
had the iron bar dropped between the tracks
and the men jumped on either side Of the track.
when the Washington Express dashed by SO
near was Falby and the men who had helped
him to remove the "spreader" that they came
being drawn under the wheels or the tram
and their eyes were filed with dust. The men
were dazed by the narrow escape and for
moment sat down bewildered. Two Of the men
who northbound local track were so
much hewildered that they were nearly run
down by a freight train.
After the Washington Express had Numbered
by, and when the men had fairly recovered their
composure. they examined the track and iron
bar While the bar had been battered aside 1t
was bent and hard to remove. owing 10 the
force with which It had been driven into the
n
move the "spreader."
As soon as this done Falby, accompanied
by one Of his men went to the Westchester
police station and reported the matter to Cap
tain Dean. The captain assigned Detectives
Dillon and Morton to the case and they at once
went n the Westchester yards and began walk
ing up the track. They searched all through
Pelham Park. until finally they a couple OF
boys coming out OF AbhOtts Woods. which
skirts the track. and 60 on the track The
boys began to throw stones when the detectives
approached. AS the detectives were in civilian
clothes the boys did not know they police
men, and they became impudent
THE BOYS RESISTED ARREST.
The detectives placed the boys under arrest.
but they had tussle to do It. One Of the boys
fought and had 10 he dubbed. They were taken
to the Westchester Police Station and placed in
separate cells and closely questioned. At first
they denied all knowledge Of the affair Then
they admitted that they saw some boys tamper-
ing with the track. but said they were in ad-
vance Of them and were not part OF the crowd
The boys said they were James Hanngan. ff-
teen years old. Of No. 800 Robbns-ave and
James McMann. ~ One hundred and forty
ninth-st and the Southern Boulevard The boys
told the police that they had gone up the road
10 pick cherries. At One hundred nd twenty
ninth-st they fell In with a lot Of boys whose
names they did not know, who were on a like
expedition.
The boys were taken to the Morrsania police
court yesterday morning and arraigned before
Magistrate Flammar. There they told the same
story Of the cherry picking and their ignorance
OF the names Of the other boys.
This is a most dastardly act" said the MaRIs-
trate 1T is the most outrageous thing | have
ever heard Of | Will remand you To jail until
next Sunday morning"
AFTER THE OTHER LADS