The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-01-11
RAILROAD NEWS.
Two Boy Tramps Discover a
Broken Rail.
Coming From Colorado Over the
Rock Island.
FLAG THE TRAIN
Officials Recognize the Act OF
the Boys
And Raise Them a Purse and
Pass For Home.

This is story of how two youthful
, tramps saved life and property by dis
covering a broken railroad rail and
tagging train just like boy heroes in
stage melodramas have done for years.
The boys are named Will and Ed, and
the name their father gave them is
Duncan. They are brothers aged 16 and
IA respectively. They We're tramps be-
cause they went broke" hunting for
gold in Colorado and wanted to get
back home to their home in Peoria, Ill.
They walked from the gold territory in
to Denver and out of Denver over the
Rock Island roadbed through Colorado
and into Kansas, stopping at farm
houses or sleeping in hay stacks just as
opportunity offered at night. What
they ate they begged along the way.
Last Sunday morning they were still
tramp1ng over the Rock Island roadbed
and were few miles west OF Phillips
burg, Kan, when the little star act
that changed their fortunes occurred. A
long freight train eastbound came along
and the two boys courteously loaned it
the right of way. They had gone but
short distance after again taking pos
session of the roadbed when they dis
covered that under the long line of
heavy freight cars one of the rails of
the track had given way leaving dan
gerouS gap in the line of steel.
The brothers stopped tramping and
held a caucus at the broken rail. They
reasoned that the gap would prove dis
astrous to a train passing over it, and
decided that the burden of action was
with them. While one boy remained at
the track the other hurried to the near
est farm house and asked for an old
piece of red cloth. The kind-hearted
mistress of the particular farm gave
him the remnants of a red lawn dress
she had worn when a girl.
With the discarded lawn the boys
made their way back some distance
and, tearing the cloth in two, manufac-
tured flags by the aid of stout tree
branches. The improvised flags they
planted in the ground at either side of
the track. With this accomplished the
brothers resumed their tramp over the
roadbed, thinking to flag any train they
might chance to meet before they ar
rived at the next station.
The boys reached Phillipsburg with
out meeting a westbound tram, and told
the story of the broken rail to the Rock
Island employees there. An eastbound
passenger train was due IN Phillips
burg within an hour and a section fore
man and gang of wOrkmen hurried to
the spot to repair the damage before
the arrival of the train. They found
that the rail was in such shape that it
would have derailed a train, and after
putting in a new rail they returned to
Phillipsburg and reported the fact. The
agent at Phillipsburg telegraphed the
offices in this city and received orders
to issue transportation to the two boys
as far as possible on the Rock Island,
and information that transportation
from the Rock Island point to Peoria
would be waiting them on their arrival
| in Kansas City.
The passengers of the eastbound train
We're told of the occurrence when the
train reached Phillipsburg, and a sub
stantial purse was made up for the
brothers. The Rock Island employees at
| the station increased the amount, and
| the boys left Phillipsburg with enough
| to pay all the expenses Of the trip to
their home in Peoria