The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-08
NERVE OF AN ENGINEER.
DAN INQUIRE IN MANY WRECKS,
BUT MEYER FLiNCHED.

Was the Only Person who Escaped Unhurt
from the Ashtabula Disaster-Helped to
Dig More Than 200 Bodies Out of Nari-
GUS wrecks-Killed at Last by Mustang.
PI1TsBuRG. Oct THE other day l spent
a few hours by the grave OF my old friend and
running mate Dan Mcclure. the once famous
engineer OF the Lake Shore rood, said Jimmy
Finch, the one Legged switchman In the Penn
sylvania yards last night Dan Mcclure was
the ncrviest the most reckless and withal the
luckiest man who ever pulled throttle. He was
tangled up in not fewer than forty different
wrecks in his time. yet he never lost so much as
a thumb nail. No other engineer in the history
of railroading ever killed half many people
or rather pulled trains where so many people
were killed as did old Dan, He himself dug
out and assisted in getting more than 200 dead
bodies from his wrecks yet he never had his hat
more than knocked of. He was Of the en-
gineers pulling the train which went down at
Ashtabula that awful Friday night when about
10 people killed. He was one OF the four
who escaped and the only man who got away
without scratch.
After all this run OF what may be termed luck
Dan met most untomantic death. While fond
ling a little Mexican mustang in the barn lot
OF friend at Eric after Of his fast runs day
Dan was kicked by the brute and died in ten
minutes l knew Dan we'll; it was In one OF his
wrecks that lost my leg; so when l was UP in
Cleveland few days ago l gathered up some
Of the old boys who used TO run on the line with
him and went out 10 the cemetery and
snapped yarns about poor old Dan.
"FIe was a little why fellow who didn't know
what fear was That's the reason he held the
fast run between Cleveland and Erie so long.
l guess if he hadn't fondled that colt he might
have been running the flyer yet for believe that
Dan Mcclure couldn't be killed in railroad
wreck During the years that he had this fast run
he came through some of the most awful wrecks
but you couldn't shake him. Mcclure would
jam into something one day and have a few peo-
pie killed, but the next day would see him shoot
ing along the same spot at killing speed Once
you get engineers nerve ratified and he might
as we'll stop down off the running board for he
is no good and il docsn' usually take more than
two or three good wrecks TO rattle the best Of
gineers: but Dan never finched. Often when We
would be bounding along at his frghtfu speed
I would glance at him and he would smile at me
and give the throttle another witch He said
he was not born 10 be killed on the railroad and
guess he knew. for he certainly did come un-
scathed out of some tight holes.
| in those days under the regime Of President
| Amasa Stone Of the Lake Shore Road all tho fast
passenger engines were named Very early
|
named her Socrates and he always stuck To tho
| name He didn't carry the same engine all tho
| time by any means for no would often send her
into the scrap pile: but when he mounted another
engine for his regular runs he would announce
! that II was a new Socrates The best engine
| he ever had the ono he considered the luck
| lest machine the one he handled the night
| he pulled lead engine in tho fated train which
: went down into Ashtabua Creek TWAS double
/ header and behind the Socrates was the Rambler.
They had long train and behind time.
4 Everybody knows the story Of that wreck. which
! numbered among the victims p. P. Bliss, the
| sweet singer.
THE heavy train swung round tho curve onto
! the bridge with Dan hanging almost halfway out
| OF his cab-window. Slowly they crept across
! until the cowcatcher Of the Socrates was within
! two engine Lengths of the further end Then Dan
| felt something give. He felt the Socrates sink.
| The Socrates bounded like rubber ball and broke
! her couplings, shooting away from the heavy
Of a second after Dan had felt the bridge sink un
der him.
almost before She was brought to dead stop Dan
where the Rambler and tho train lay crushed
on the rocks. almost 100 feet below His
fireman was badly injured in jumping from the en-
CINE from fright after she had cleared the bridge.
Dan, however always kept his head, and ne was
the first to reach the train below. In the dark,
ness he clambered down the steep bank. and
worked at getting the bodies out of the wreck.
He had feen in some ugly smashes before, but
this one, II was thought, would send him TO a
. shiiter or yard engine, where engine drivers who
thought this figured without old Dan. Within
two days he was tearing along with the flyer as il
the Hshtnbua wreck McCuire advanced a theory Y,
which was laughed AT then, but since his death il
Was aS Sd BY the sE'
rents Of air meeting at the mouths Of two ravincs
ending there II had been comparatively still
the over part Of the heavy bridge, and this is now
believed to he the fact
"Old Dan was surerstitous TO a certain deg rec
He would not get out on the road If he didn't feel
: ght, and more than once thus TrcmonLon saved
HIN from ugly n wrecks Sc; Od Ia,ito9d men about
Lace, who ran the opposite run from Mcclure.
Dan would take the flyer out to Erie one afternoon
along the road with the up train Dan had laid
of one day, and he went down the following after
noon to get his engine out for the run. He en-
countcred Lace, who, too had laid of. Dan
looked over his engine and sad he didn't feel
right so he asked Lace 10 take the run out for
him. and in return he would carry laces train
over the next afternoon. Lace leased Mcclure
not LIT about being ARA d, q Of his shadoy and
| Macs eng ne and started down,
| THE boys at the roundhouse never before saw
Dan so nervous as that evening. Instead of
| staying uptown with his family as WIS his Gus
tom he 10 tered round the place, and seemed
greatly rel eyed when he heard from Ere that
|
old engineer had felt that something was 10 hap
pen 10 that run, and he had feared 10 pull out,
and the next days event showed that he was moi
| mistaken.
Mcclure got away on Laoe's run the follow,
ing afternoon in good spirits and miles out ON
the road footed tho whistle gAyly TO Lace as he
shot by him. lie never saw Lace alive again. AT
Collinwood about hvo miles out of Cleveland
were the Lake Shore shops Several hundred
hands were employed here and il was tho custom
for the boys u step to tho window each after
| noon TO sec the flyer go by Lace and MCtili-
| always went through ColliuwoOd at frightiul
! speed, giving blast froG their whistles Al the
| boys who WATCHED them. This afternoon Lace
| appeared To- be under greater hcAdway tnan c'cI
| before. and h. hit an open switch with a crash
| that could be heard for miles and went into u long
| TO" of cas- - I. 'Sldi
How many persons were killed in this wreck
| do not remember can yet see the death OF Lace
however in my dreams The heavy mail cal
next To the engine passed up over the tender ant
cut the eng lneers head of clean If done with
| a knife His fireman, too, was crushed 10
Jelly. while many otheIs were killed OF manned