Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-22
RECALLS GOOD STORY


Star on the day OF the trolley accident last
week, representing the uplifted, out-of-
focus paw of the employee of the trolley
company who was attempting to prevent
the photographer from taking view of the
wrecked car, reminded me of photograph
of a similar kind that I've got tucked away
somewhere at home.''' said the Washington
correspondent of western newspaper.
This photograph was taken under similar
circumstances. There is railroad termi-
mating in my home town in the west which
is famous for its opposition to newspapers
publishing any more than it chooses to give
out about wrecks along its line. 1t is one
of the hobbies of the man who has been
the president of the. road for many years,
and who has controlling interest in 1t, to
have newspaper men kept just as far from
the scene of smashups along his line as
they can be kept by main force, and every
employe of the company is soiemniy In
structed to do his share toward shutting
the reporters and picture-takerS out when
ever anything happens.
There was a bad roundhouse accident on
the outskirts of the town one day. pas
senger train ran onto q misplaced switch.
and the train, at nearly top speed, plunged
into roundhouse. The engine toppled
over into the turntable pit a number Of
the forward cars turned turtle also, about
half a dozen people were killed, and scores
injured.
"a photographer employed by the paper
for which l was working was at the scene
OF the roundhouse wreck half an hour after
the accident. The Gordon of men with
guns which this road always places around
the scene of one of it's wrecks hadn't yet
been formed. The Gordon was always made
up of detectives of the road, and they
hadn't yet appeared on the scene.
But the president of the road was on the
scene all right, and when the photographer
set up his camera. depressing the lens so
as to get good view of the engine lying
in the turn-table pit, the president, with a
volley of swear words, jumped in front of
the camera. The photographer pressed the
bulb just at that instant.
The picture was published in the paper
on the following morning as a portrait of
the president Of the line. 1t was the most
terrific picture you ever saw in or out of a
newspaper. The president of the road looked
like cross between an angry baboon and
the jumping frog of Calaveras county. Yet
there was enough of life likeness in the
features of the photograph taken in such
an extraordinary way to clearly indicate to
the people OF the town-to whom the road
presidents features were thoroughly IA
milfar-who he was. The paper published
the picture without any comment whatever.
There was merely line beneath the re-
production of the photograph stating that
It was the latest photograph of the presi-
dent Of the road and that it had been taken
at the scene OF the wreck on the preceding
day.. The old man is said to have foamed
at the mouth for three days after seeing
that picture.
The photographers for the newspapers
were Soreiy put to it at all times to get
views of wrecks along that line. and the
Time came when the newspaper photogra-
pher who succeeded in getting such views
scored the scoop of his life and made all
kinds of hit with his Office
mere was one wreck about forty
miles from the city, around the scene of
winch the railroad detectives with rifles
were planted SO close together in a chain
how
to each other. When the bunch of news
paper photographers got to the scene and
found this situation they all gave it up
except one. This one SUNK away from the
gang, got buggy and drove ten miles
back, where he knew a No. wrecking
car was being organized and manned He
d1ked himself out at the little village where
the wrecking was getting ready in a
suit of dungareeS that he bought from an
Italian construction hand, and when the
wrecking car started for the wreck he was
one of the men riding it, oStensbly as
one of the railroad hands, He had a small
hand camera with him, and when the car
reached the wreck he pretended to be busy
with the other vreckers for a while. Then
he began to snap that hand camera with
the rapidity of reports of mule playing a
xylophone solo on a Venetian blind. When
he had got all the views he wanted he
made his getaway. and he scored a clean
beat on the town when his views. enlarged.
were published in his paper the next morn
ing.
Another photographer of experience
knew that there would be no use in start
ing out as a photographer for the scene of
a tunnel wreck along the same line, in
which a large number of lives were lost.
So he hustled to hospital where he knew
party Of young surgeons were being or
ganized to go TO the scene of the wreck.
He stood in with the superintendent of the
hospital, and his little scheme was quickly
arranged. He Joined the hospital as,
apparently, one of the young surgeons, his
hand camera looking not so very different
from surgeons instrument case, and he
got swell series of views, while the fell
lows who had gone as photographers were
kept at distance of 300 yards by the rifle
armed detectives of the road"