The Indianapolis journal., 1903-11-01
FACE TOFACE WITH DEATH
FfREMAN's STORY OF A RUNAWAY
TRAIN IN A COLORADO PASS.
Strenuous Feat Of Two Enginemen
when Ii Came to the Point of
jumping or Not Jumping.
Colorado Springs Telegraph.

looking the grim monster in the eye at such
close range that rather than hold the gaze
one will take as an only chance something
that seems to put the end Of things for this
world ony a little further away, is not an
easy thing to describe.
A good many persons have wondered how
II feels TO 90 out into space from the cab OF
a locomotive going at the rate Of anywhere
from forty to fifty miles up because Of
conviction that the chances Of life are great
er by taking such a leap than by remaining
on the seat OF the cab and taking chances
with the machine. To make such leap into
q level or grass-grown right of way is some
thing that would make an ordinary man
hesitate somewhat. but great many have
made IL and made il successfully. To make
such leap out Of a runaway engine that is
descending a stretch of track such as the
Midland has down Ute pass, however, taxi
ing chances on landing against granite
bowlcer or the side Of a mountain, against
q rock-ribbed tunnel over the side OF a
precipice over which could go and
live, IL is even little more strenuous, but
fhis is the feat that Engineer Frank Watts
and Fireman James Brandebery performed
at o'clock last Monday morning. and both
men are still alive to tell the tale.
stop the train dawned upon Engineer Watts
soon after crossing the safety switch below
Cascade. As is well known to persons IA
miliar with the operations of this road,
every train that comes down Ute pass, re-
gardlesS Of how late ii may be- stops at
Cascade for inspection. The running gear Of
the train Is inspected, the brakes are ex-
amined and tested and four different men
have to sign book that says the train is
In shape to make the descent OF the pass
safely before the engineer is allowed to pull
downward journey.
AS further safeguard against runaways
she company has safety switch built on
the side of the mountain about half mile
below Cascade, and before any train can
have the main line to make the descent the
engineer must whistle for the track. when
Uncle Jimmy" Taggart, one OF the best
known characters of the mountain around
this vicinity, turns the switch and opens the
main line IL the engineer fails TO whistle
for Tor this switch his train runs up the side OF
forth on the switch and the main track un-
I'll II comes to a stop In the bottom of the
Sag
STARTLING DISCOVERY.
Freight No. AZ last Monday evening passed
Inspection at Cascade and secured the main
track at the safety switch. Ii was not long
thereafter. however. that Engineer Watts.
In recharging his airbrakes. made the hair
raising discovery that his train was beyond
his control. His brakes were not of suffi-
cient power to withstand the powerful
weight OF his sixteen cars of gold ore and
lead and silver bullion, and there was no
reasonable expectation that the train would
remain on the tracks through the first tun-
mel or the eight that lay between him and
level track. If IL should by any miracle pass
the first tunnel, the next curve-and there
were curves everywhere down that stretch
OF track-would probably precipitate the
train over the side or the embankment to
destruction.
Fireman Brandebery, as he tells the story
now, says: 'The train was inspected at Cas-
<ade by the regular inspectors and every
thing appeared to be in perfect trim. The
last safety switch was passed with the train
under perfect control, stealing slowly and
safely down the mountain side. 1t ran as
usual until had covered about three
fourths of a mile. when the engineer thought
he'd better recharge his airbrakes. There is
a certain amount of loss of air in running
the train, and IL Is necessary from time to
time to recharge the brakes.
IF this Is not done, the brakes Will lose
their grip on the wheels. This recharging
process requires nearly three minutes and.
with the terrible weight of the train we
were bringing down this time. gave us a
terrific impetus When the brakes had been
recharged the engineer applied them, but
xhere seemed to be little effect. He applied
them again and again. but il was Of no per-
ceptfole effect whatever. You may imagine
that we were feeling mighty uncomfortable
Just then and we had to decide pretty quick
what we were going to do We simply sized
up the situation as best we might and de-
cfded that we had a chance only by Jump
ing from the cab. and a small chance at
that. and that the rest of the boys on the
train had only the same chance that we
had When we made up our minds to make
the leap. we had stayed with her three
quarters Of a mile and knew that she was
wild and that every second lessened our
chances. Watts made the leap ahead of me.
When he jumped wo were on straight
stretch of track, and he was fortunate
enough to strfi<e the ground on a gravel
slide He went at least twenty-five feet fiat
on his stomach. and | thought still less OF
my own chances when he had made the
leap. / think 1t was about twenty seconds
later that / followed him. | hit bank OF
disintegrated granite. on the upper side OF
the track. I rolled over and over for about
thirty feet. and how my head kept In con-
nection with my body is something l Viii
farther down the embaIfkment all the time,
and that II didn't stop was going under
the wheels of the train. sure l grasped and
reached for something 10 stop me, put
caught nothing. When I realized that had
stopped sliding and rolling my head was
swimming and everything was black as
night before me.
SOMEWHAT DAZER
II couldn't tell until after the whole train
had passed whether had been ground up
beneath IL or not, but knew that was not
dead In few seconds. although they
scciueu uOufS, TedLZeu tndI the Train ndu
gone. and / sat up. There was Watts about
sixty feet behind me. also sitting up and
looking at me. don't think I cried, but it
was not because 1 didn't want to. In a mo-
ment we remembered that the engine that
had helped Us down from Leadville was fol-
lowing and we tagged it. From that point
down TO Man.tou We made a slow rum ex-
pecting to find the train piled up IN some OF
the canyons along the way and to have TO
carry the remains OF the rest of the boys
down to Colorado City with us. We were
forty-five minutes making the run to Colo
rado City. Our surprise at finding that there
had been no hurt in the wreck that we
found there was equaled only by our sur
prise at being alive ourselves"
An investigation was held last Tuesday
ut the Office OF the superintendent at Colo
rado City. Those present were the crew OF
the wrecked train. the superintendent of the
motive power, the travelling engineer, the
tendent. The main reason for the cause of
the wreck brought out in the investigation
was that the train was composed of so many
foreign cars with low braking power. An
explanation of this Is that the braking
power OF the foreign cars is only from 10 to
per cent and that OF the home cars is
from 20 TO 30 per cent, the difference being
due TO the fact that foreign cars. as a rule,
have comparatively level roadbeds to travel
over. while the home cars are adapted TO the
steep and curving tracks of the mountain
sides- When the foreign cars are placed on