Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-05-09

MllIoTd CENTER VI, is a crossing OIL
the Indianapolis division of the Big
of the divisions of the Pennsylvania.
At that point now there is an Inter
locking pant and the trains on the diff
ferent roads do not have to wait for
each other But in the old Bee line
days each company had separate Of
flee and the Bee line office was n clear
ance office for that road--thnt is. no
train could pass there without clear
ance card from the dispatcher at Dell
aware. One night fast freight was
held ut Delaware until the operator
could hear something from train No.
%. eastbound. fast express train. SO
the operator called up Milford Cente,
md the operator there answered bac
that No. % was not in sight. He w;
told to hold that train until the de
layed freight could get by. The freight
started out and in a short time came a
message from station east of Milford
that No. 90 had been allowed to pro-
coed. and Milford Center answered
that the train had not arrived there.
This nearly froZe the blood in the veins
of the operator. Here were two trains
rushing toward each other and one OF
Thorn. No. q. flied with passengers.
vas lost. Could he stop either before
they met? An his skill and speed were
MAMMA VIA t1aG MY lliS lclEl was SICK
Mt the horror of the impending danger.
Suddenly he sprang up and shouted.
No. % was on a sidetrack three miles
from the freight train and an awful ac-
cident was averted. But how did %
get by the clearance office? Very
easily. The Pennsylvania operator saw
the train coming and threw the target
for her. supposing all was clear. as the
Bee line operator had the proper sig
he, pa t>N
and the conductor Of trnin e had mtg
taken the Pennsylvania operator for
the es1ploye OF his own company and
went on by The conductor OF the faat
freight was Joe AlcT'arlan. now q pas
Eenger conductor on the DEWEY &. Rio
Grande.
The Ohio and Mississippi was not run
IN as careful! name: as Is its successor.
me baltimore and Ohio Southwestern,
nd In its early history u good MANY
tcctdents took place. Employed by tho
company was n telegraph operator-a
Dung. bright fellow. who has since
l'ecame n high officer on IL western
TOAD. one day a mixed freight md
passenger train left the west end of the
load for Cincinnati, and right after 1t
amo a special train. The regular st.
Louis fast express Was pounding along,
u JUS way. through some unaccount-
VILE lapse of mind. the special was
Ent ahead of the mixed train, and the
latter wac forgotten. The specinl was
lulded safely past the St. Louis ex-
ress, but nothing was heard of The
liked train-it was lost. and the oper-
tor forgot to ask about it.
All at once came the word on the tel
tgraph tape that the mixed train had
Just left certain station. The oper-
t.or. pale as death. got UP from his
thair. and said to the superintendent
whose office was In the same room.
Il an going. 1 cannot be here when
It happens
When what haprens2' exclaimed
| ,rishmcnt.
They viii be together in six min
ltcs.'
Sure enough. lie had hardly left the
tui!ding until there came news of q
errible accident. The lost train ana
The st. Louis express met on a curve.
! "veral people We're killed, and thou
tands of dollars worth of property vas
! .stroyed.