The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-03-24
PROVED HIS THEORY.

"Carefulness.' said an old locomo-
tive engineer, lis the watchword Of
railroad men, but there are occasions
when prompt action in crisis results
disastrously. In the early ffties 1
was running passenger engine on a
line that is now part of the Boston
and Maine system. The advantage
of being watchfu1 was made apparent
to me several times while I was in
the freight service, and 1 had accus-
toned myself to be ready at all times
for any emergency that might arise.
In those days we did not have heavy
steel rails, rock ballast and the other
modern improvements that make rail
way travel so safe and comfortable as
as now. One of the greatest sources
of danger was the comparatively light
iron rails. In extreme cold weather
broken rails were not uncommon, and
many bad wrecks were caused by
them.
Zone night in January, 1855, l
was hauling the Montreal express
from Concord, N. H., to White River
Junction. Itwas very cold, and there
had been considerable snow, but the
road had been kept open with plows,
and there was no difficulty in making
time on my division. 1 had left Con-
cord rs minutes late and was doing
my best to make it up. Near Canaan
we passed over the summit of the
ridge that divided the upper two
thirds Of the road into two slopes,
each of them having at its steepest
part grade of about 90 feet to the
mile. Once started on the down
grade we made up time rapidly. We
were running probably as miles an
hour-good time for those days
when there was jar and a grind, and
my side of the engine sagged for an
instant. I knew instantly what the
matter was, and 1 reversed my en-
gine. My hand had scarcely grasped
the lever when, after succession of
crashing blows, the grinding ceased,
and the engine righted itself. Icould
t EsAjsa % siss 5Ss 4dsi saTi saI d & e
as ! looked back, l saw the rear end
of the baggage car leap out from the
track and strike the bank on my side
of the road.
Every car left the track. The
rear end of the baggage car turned in
toward the bank, forced the one fol-
lowing it out, and two cars were
thrown down the embankment, which
was about rs feet high. Four per-
sons were killed outright, and many
were badly injured. The indications
were that there had been fracture of
the rail, and the shock and weight on
the unsupported ends when the for
ward wheels of my engine reached
them caused short sections to break
off. making gap of perhaps four
feet. The intense cold had taken the
temper out of the iron and made it
extremely brittle.
when l studied the position of
the cars after they stopped and the
general features of the accident, an
idea came to me, and it was with con-
siderable apprehension that 1 made
my report to the officers Of the road.
Much to my surprise, however, was
commended for stopping my engine so
promptly. My own opinion as to
stopping my train quickly was that I
had caused the wreck and the conse-
quent casualties, and I resolved that
if 1 ever struck broken rail on a
straight track again 1 would not re-
verse my engine. had before me
the fact that my engine, its tender
and the front wheels of the baggage
car had passed over the break with
out being diverted from the straight
line in which they were moving. 1t
was after the front wheels and before
the rear wheels of the baggage car
had passed over the break that the eff
feet of reversing the engine was ex-
ercised. My theory was that the jar
from the back pressure of the engine
had caused the cars to sway, or, as 1
believe it is explained scientifically,
to seek relief from pressure in the di-
rection of the least resistance, so that
in the case of my train the pressure
made the rear end of the baggage car
and the front end of the next car
swing in toward the bank, with the
result that the wheels, when freed
from the rail at the break, were forced
to one side and did not remount the
rail again at the end of the break, as
those on the forward part of the train
had done. The front end of the sec
ond car plunging against the bank
and the additional shock caused by