El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-02-07
A MIRACULOUS ESCAPE.

A MIRACULOUS ESCAPE.
The most thrilling dime novel tells
no more exciting story than that of an
occurrence which happened at Chill
switch OF the Katy IN the Indian Ter
ritory At that place a Katy flyer ran
over a burning trestlc, passing over
Just in time to escape disastrous
wreck.
The story of the miraculous escape OF
the train from disaster is thrillingly
told by cnductor o. S. Darlington
who had charge of the train. I'VE were
coming south. making perhaps fifty
miles ar hour saiG Mr.. Darlington,
as quoted in one of our exchanges,
when we passed Chickie-Cockie the
train was making schedule time on
comparatively level track. Just north
of Chill switch. we struck the down
grade in what is known as Chilli hill.
Here there is n slight grade down hill
to the trest1e over a little creek En-
gineer II. G. Royce was at the throttle.
and fifty miles was about the running
record of the train. A forest fire had
been raging in that section. and the
air was thick with smoke. but the fire
did not appear to be near the track.
Down Chill Hill the track curves
slightly to the left, and the engineers
seat being on the right OF the engine.
prevented him seeing the trestle over
the creek just ahead. The fireman
was putting in fire. and there was no
warning that the bridge was on fire.
Before he knew it. Engineer Royce was
almost on the burning bridge. There
was no timenor chance to stop. and
the only chance to save the train was
to put it over the burning trestlc IL
possible. as quickly as possible, and
the train sped over Iige lightning. AS
c0r oc thn 1cfc ell ho
trestle the emergency brakes were ap-
piled. and in an incredibly short time
the train was stopped. perhaps three
hundred yards from the trestle. AS
quickly as possible the train was run
back TO the burning trestle and very
short time was consumed in getting
back. and by the time we arrived at the
trestle the fire was so hot that We could
not get within several feet of it. 1t
was virtually burned up within eight
minutes after the flyer passed over it.
Seeing there was no chance to stop
The fire or save the trestle, snt flag
man back up the road to stop all trains
coming south. and proceeded ahead to
stop all northbound trains. The tres
tie is about thirty feet long and
stretches over gulch about twelve
feet deep and had we been five minutes
later. or possibly one minute later.
nothing on earth would have saved us
from the most appalling disaster that
ever happened. The train was loaded
down. There was about $50 passen-
gers aboard and at the rate of speed
we were running. it is horrible to con-
template what would have happened
had the bridge gone down.
When the passengers realized the
danger they had just passed it was a
pathetic scene. and there was many a
prayer of thankfulness that the train
got safely over just in the nick of
time.
Chill switch has been an unlucky
spot for me, but I nod consider it a
lucky place, fer it was nothing but
sheer coed fortune that carried the
train across the burning bridge and
saved it from disaster. In 1854, the
engineer of the train I was running
misunderstood orders and ran into a
dining car and wrecked it at Chilli. but
fortunately no enc was hurt Four
years ago. my engineers watch stop
ped. and he pulled out to meet No
further down the read. thinking that
he had plenty of time, but again good
fortune prevailed and on a long
stretch Of track the two engineers saw
each other in plenty of time to stop
their trains before they came together.
and few days ago my train killed
section man on the same spot"
The fire was caused by forest fire
which had ben raging furiously in that
section for several hours. When the
trainmen reached the fire is was i'm
possible to do anything toward extin- |
it as the bridge was giving
way when they got back to it. 1t was
a miraculous escape
WOMEN RAILWAY OFFICIALS.
Sometimes railroad companies de-
part from all rules and traditions and
make innovations that, to say the
least. are rather startling" said an old |
Kansas City railroad man recently. in
4 conversation with a reporter.
It's only a few years since the
Pacific saw the sudden COL
apse of what seemed a very promis-
ing experiment. yet now it has another |
and in this case. too, the results SO
far are very satisfactory.
Ten or dozen years ago old Char
lie Crocker.' as he was Familiarity call
ed by almost every employee of the
southern Pacific, as reward for a
daring and merit orious
act. prevailed on the directorate of the
Southern Pacific to educate a young
girl. She had lived almost all her life
in the mountains of New Mexico. with
almost no associates except her father
an engineer. and his fireman. She was
a railroad girl from top to toe. and her
knowledge of railroad craft enabled her
to avert what would have been a most
frightful wreck. Her reward was an
education such as few girls in her sta
ton in life ever obtain. Everything