The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-07-07
Railroad Mans Experience.

as my block was turned, and I knew
tered the depot to get out Of the heat.
Going to the operating table 1 looked
out of the window just III time to see
the sand train go around the curve. a
half mile below the depot
Imagine, IL you can, my feelings
about that time. There was Johnson
coming with a. loose engine and trying
to make all the time i was possible for
him to make, and there was The sand
train going right into the face of this
wild engine. Two trains between the
two stations on the crookedest track In
the whole state of Iowa and no way for
one to know that e other was there.
What would be the result? knew that
there was not place between Quarry
vile and A., where one engineer
could see the other engine 200 yards
ahead of him. AS these things passed
rapidly through my mind, L could see
visions of broken iron and wood and
could hear the sound Of cries and groans
from those who were imprisoned beneath
90 the wreck. 1t was terrible. 1 stood as
one in a. dream. I seemed paralyzed.
What could I do? Nothing
II rushed out of the depot scarcely
knowing what I was about, but trying
the wreck AS l stepped out upon the
platform, I saw the Ctle tnree-wheeled
car which I used for putting out my
switch lights. 1 put it on the track as
quickly as 1 could. Would l be able to
reach the sand train before Johnson's
engine would strike it? If So l might
prevent the wreck, for then the tiagman
might go far enough ahead to signal
Johson. The sand was being unloaded a
mile and half below the depot. The
effort, while it seemed futile, was well
Worth the attempt, SO l started.
Fortunately for me the track from
QuarryVille to A, was down grade
and l would be able to make far more
1peed than were I to work against the
power of gravitation. I put every ounce
of muscle l possessed in the propelling
of that car. The faster the handles
moved the faster l tried TO make them
move. l seemed as If I was flying
through the air and yet 1t seemed to
take me long time to reach the work
train. When l was within half a mile
OF the train, l heard Johnson whistle for
q crossing, which knew to be less than
two miles away. Could 1 beat him to
the work train or would 1 arrive in time
to see the wreck? 1 bent to nv task
with a determination to save the lives
of those on the two engines If 1t was
possible. l was fairly flying over the
rails when l realized a new danger
The little car would stand no greater
speed. 1t was jumping on the rails and
threatened every moment to leave the
track and precipitate me in the ditch
below. If L won the race it must be
With the speed that I was then travel
ing. L came around a sudden curve and
there within 100 yards was the train.
and less than a. mile further down. the
road could be heard the sound of John
sons engine coming at the rate OF
forty miles an hour. Springing from the
little car 1 rushed ahead to the engine
and cried out:
Johnson is coming from A with his
engine. Flag him or he'll run into
you
"a fagman started down the track as
fast as he could run and it was another
race for life. If he could reach the
curve, fifty yards ahead. before johnson
reached 1t, the engine could be stopped
before a wreck would occur. If he
couldn't, the engine could not be stoppsd
in time to avert the wreck. 1 shall new
er forget my feelings of anxiety at that
time as I watched that man racing for
the curve. He must have run very rap
idly and yet it seemed to me that 1 never
saw man move 80 slowly. But he
reached the curve just in time. He waved
the red flag, there was the scream Of a
whistle, the sound of brakes and the huge
engine stopped not dozen PAGES from
the sand train. The race for life had
been won-the wreck had been averted.
Explanations, of course, were In or
der. White, the conductor of the sand
train had seen the block. but thought
that 1t was out, because Johnson was
in the quarries on the east side of the
river, and as 1t was getting late he
thought to get past the quarry switches
and unload his sand without interfering
with Johnson. When he learned how
near he had come to wrecking his train
he felt greatly frightened. I think the
matter was never reported to the officials
as nothing was done in reference to it.
1t was nothing to me, 30 I did not say
anything about it. and I am sure White
did net report the matter. Johnson was
not injured in any way, so he kept still.
and to this day, I think, tho train dis
patcher does not know that White run
the block at Quarryville, nor how near