The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-03-08
A RUNAWAY ENGINE.
How Gravel Train Stopped it on
Down Grade.
New York SUM-

(New York SUM-
In the spring of 1890 while was run
ming the gravel train on the Pecona
mountain said the fat engineer. I'VE
were on the gravel pit switch one dav.
"hen the telegraph operator brought me
a dlSpatch from the superintendent read
ing something like this:
- Conductor and Engineer Extra "A
Pit; Engine 169 is running away down
the mountain closely following No. l. the
f tSt western EXPRESS Get in between
NO l6S was a new compound Iocomo-
tive l knew it would be no easy thing
pit switch against her. but that wonlGn' t
s SSIsg R Rer TO 5gnP the track as the
by a split switch with the points facing
west. The runaway engine coming down
the mountain would dash through the
rails The 1863 had much larger driving
wheels than the class Of engines then
hauling passenger trains, and If she left
Pecano two miles behind No. l She
PROBABLY make up mile in the seven
mile run down to the gravel pit From
Pecano down 1t was a general down grade
Tor about twenty-five miles and unless
sonnet hing got between them No. 1853
reached the bottom 1 didn't see where
was going to have much of a show
with the small drivers of A, but it was
worth try at any rate,
g g o
when No l WhiZzed by the gravel pit
switch, we slipped out right behind her
In the excitement our conductor forgot
to cut our engine off from the cars of
sand, and when t glanced back as We
pulled out on the main line and saw 1 had
seven loaded gravel cars tagging on be-
hind me, 1 used some pretty hot language.
and going to try to catch a runaway. We
could hear the flying 1863 rumbIing
through the cuts coming down the noun
tain after us.
About four miles below the gravel pit
switch the down grade eased off, and for
mile or so was trifle against a train
going west. If l could keep ahead of 169
till she struck this piece 1 thought it
would Slackem her speed sufficiently to
allow me to let her come up against us
and climb back over her running board
were against this plan However | knew
that if the big machine did ram US we
fellows orr the engine would have more
chance to get out alive than if we only
had light engine and 169 ran into our
tank.
''I jerl1ed the throttle of my engine wide
open after We were fairly d. the main
track, and the small drivers of "A seemed
to leap from the rails, but notwithstand-
speed the runaway engine was rapidly
gaining us. / had to watcn The flying
engine behind and No. l ahead. and l de-
termined that If We got too uncomforta-
bly, near the passenger train would stop
my engine, -S.1z.o oil and let things take
care of themselves.
'"The last time 1 glanced back it seemed
to me that 1863 was almost onto US Then
we shot around a sharp curve, and she
was lost to view When we we're nearly
around the turn I heard something crash.
and / thought sure 1863 had caught our
rear end L shut my eyes expecting that
the whole combination would so down the
bank the next instant We kept on going,
however. and when we struck straight
track again | looked back over the train
to see what had cracked
O. o %
Il discovered that soft sand was falling
from the last car and piling ZIP on the
track behind at a rapid rate. The dump
ing apparatus on the car had come down.
not being able to Withstand the terrific
shaking caused by our speed. and we
were strewinS the sand along between
the rails
When 169 struck these piles of dirt she
slowed up perceptibly. This gave me an
idea. L called the fireman to take charge
of the a, and taking a monkey wrench
/ hustled out on those cars. one by one
loosened the dumps so that the sand
fell.
You see we were using old coal dumps
TO haul sand and gravel in. thus doing
away with "A lot of shoveiinS. When we
wanted to unload the cars, we'd just I'M
fasten the dumps so that the sand fell
from them in piles, not deep enough to
seriously damage 100 when she struck
progress These piles of sand on the
track acted wonderfully as a brake and
when l had emptied the last car, the big
compound was scarcely moving.
signaling my fireman to slow I'D our
train, / dropped off and had no difficulty
in getting on the tank of 1863 when she
passed me. 1 found her throttle partly
opened. but it was enough to let her gain
sufficient Roadway from the yards to
carry her TO the top of the down, where
she ran under her own momentum
The men soon removed the piles of