The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-02-17

A Lackawanna. freight train rar
away Saturday night about o'clock
coming down from Clarks Summit
and rushing like a hurricane around
curves, along the edge of precpitous
embanknents and through two rail-
road yards, dashed into a caboose
which it reduced to splinters, and
brought up against retreating loco
motive, with a crash that piled ur
wreckage, which was not cleared
away for twelve hours.
There were eight men on the run
away train, but they escaped with
scarcely a scratch Two men en-
ployed on another train, however, sus-
tained injuries. They We're among the
four men in the caboose that was
struck They Jumped at the approach
of the runaway, but did not get far
enough away to escape the flying
wreckage. One of them, Charles
Staulpe, of Washington, n. j., had his
skull fractured and may die. The
other, Thomas Cannon, OF Hacketts-
town, N. j., sustained a cut on the
back of his head. He will be about ir
a few days. Both are at the Moses
Taylor hospital.
The train was No. 80, fast freight
running between Buffalo and Hoboken
1t was made up of two engines, thirty
five refrigerator cars and a caboose
The head engine, No. $50, was in charge
of Engineer Daniel Vaughan and Fire
man Walter Rainey, of this city. Or
the second engine. No. 2i1, We're Engi-
neer Samuel Hall and Fireman Ed
ward Hand, also of this city. The con-
ductor. Richard Stack, and the three
brakemen, Michael Cronin, John Fin
ley and Austin Cannon, are all of Hall
stead.
GRADE Is HEAVY.
Between Clark's Summit and Chin
chilla, according to the statement OF
one of the train hands, ten minutes
We're consumed This is a distance OF
less than three miles 1t was therefore
after Chinchilla was passed that the
train was lost control of. From Chin
chilla into Scranton, a distance OF
about five miles, the grade is very
heavy. Chinchilla had been scarcely
left behind when it was evident to the
train hands that the train was getting
away from them. Brakes had been SET
by hand on ten or more of the for
ward cars, in conformity to a standing
rule, so that in case of necessity they
could be tightened up quickly. The
signal for hand brakes was given and
these brakes were put on as hard as il
was possible to put them. Despite this
the speed kept increasing and more
brakes We're set. Still the train con-
tinued to gain speed and it was not
long before it was realized that it was
impossible to control it.
When every eXpedient had failed, the
two engineers pulled the whistles and
kept them sounding continually. The
head brakeman, Michael Cronin, could
not make his way back to the caboose
and had to ride on top of a swayine
box car. He stretched at full length
face downward and clung to the run
ming board with both hands. Middle
Brakeman Cannon, after all the brakes
had been set crawled down from the
top of the train and got into the
caboose with Conductor Stack and Real
Brakeman Finley. 1t was almost sure
death to jump. There was nothing tc
do but wait and trust in the slim
chance of the train avoiding q collls-
ion and keeping the track, until the
train would be stopped by the ascent
of the grade on the other side of Scran-
ton.
HEARD FOR MILES.
The screeching of the two engine
whistles, accompanied by the roar OF
the flying train, could be heard for
miles, and, when in view, there could
be seen line of sparks the length OF
the train, caused by the friction of the
brake shoes on the rapidly revolving
wheels.
In the Cayuga yard, the main tracks
are used for switching purposes, at
times. On the track, on which the run
away was coming, was a coal train
that had just been made up. The
screeching whistles of the runaway was
heard, and what they portended was
quickly realized. The coal train was
backed with all haste into a side
branch. The switch was scarcely back
in place before the runaway dashed
past.
Word was telephoned ahead to Scran-
ton from the dlspatcher's shanty in the
Cayuga yard and, in the less than
three minutes that elapsed from the
receipt of the message until the run
away reached the Scranton yard, Off
Gals and workmen rushed hither and
thither making IA clear path for ii
through the net work of switches and
cross-oVers from one end OF the yard
to the other.
Passenger train No. which goes