The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-07-07
Queer Reasons for 3 y =
:s Trains Breaking Down

Minneapolis, Lournal:. In the, early
days Of locomotion. when. the fastest
trains would walt five minutes for a
belated traveller or put back to the
nearest station to recover some for
gotten luggage. varied and curious
were the reasons for the breakdown Of
An engine, but in. these times Of smooth
travelling remarkable Incidents are
sometimes recorded relative to the sud-
den stoppage Of trains.
When Jumbo, the famous elephant.
sought to dispute. the. right of way
with a American locomotive one was
not surprised to learn that she sue
ceeded in putting the engine temporar-
tly out Of business. though one cannot
1elp feeling a certain amount of aston
shment when one Isl told that the same
remarkable feat has been performed
oy q small dog weighing less han four
pounds. Yet this strange accident hap
pened as lately as last August. when
4 passenger train on the Waikiki VAL
ey railroad was brought to a sudden
itop by a little rough-haired terrier.
1t seems that while the train was
running at a very high rate Of speed
The air brakes were suddenly applied
with uch force as to cause the pas
sengers to think that a collision was
imminent. The engineer was dumb
founded at the application OF the
brakes and at once made an investiga-
ton. He found that his engine had
struck the dog and hurled 1t against a
valve In such a manner as to turn on
the air and set the brakes.
This accident, though remarkable. Is
not. however, without a precedent. for
some three months before a Grand
Central express was brought to a
standstill in an exactly similar manner
the only difference being that the pri-
mary cause OF the stop was not a dog
ktyt ~, MI -~-. 500
vas he more extraordinary inasmuch
as at the time the unfortunate man
was, standing in the permanent way
when W o trains, going in opposite
directions. passed him. The suction
caused by the express raised the man
from his feet, n he was thrown from
train to train. backwards and forwards.
until he finally landed on a valve of
the train going eastward. The brakes
Immediately responded. and the ex-
press train was brought to n stand
still. The mans body was found many
hundreds of feet away from the de-
tayed train. and 1t Is, perhaps. unnec-
essary to add that there was not a
bone left which vas not ground al
most to powder.
One of the most extraordinary acct
dents ever reported on the Union Pa
citfc railroad occurred on September II
last year near Cheyenne. Wyo. The
engine attaCned TO Inc overland Linn
ted jumped the racks and ran along
the ties for alnost a mile owing to the
momentum OF the train, which was go
Ing down grade at Il terrific rate. At
the foot of the hill the engine leaped
back on to the track without damage
to the locomotive or the rain.
The engineer, his eyes bullying with
establishment. stopped the express as
soon as he had recovered from his
fright and then made a thorough ex-
animation Of the engine, but found no
damage whatever. The express. which
Is the fastest train or the Union Pa
cif1c. then continued its journey and ar
rived at its destination on schedule
m This is probably the only in
stance on record In which an engine has
Jumped the track, returned to the
metals. been pulled up by the engi-
neer, and then found to be absolutely
uninjured.
Most readers have heard the story of