Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-26

| ties. The driver had hardly sensed where
| he was when he heard the rumble and
| whistle of an approaching train. The only
| thing he could do in the circumstances was
| to jump into the river and though he knew
| that the water was at least seventy feet
below the bridge he took the risk, landing
| in the water, mighty we'll scared but I'M
| hurt. He was rescued by some men who
| heard his cries for help. The engineer OF
| the train saw the horse and wagon in time
| to slow up. and the train was not thrown
| off. but the horse was killed and the pas
| sengers were badly shaken up"
Driving Wheels Running Amuck.
1t was a western man who spoke next.
oldest accident 1 ever knew anything
| about" he said. was on the Rock Island.
nearly twenty years ago. 1t isn't credited
| by many men to whom l tell it. but you
! are seasoned railroad men and I'll venture
| to repeat it. 1t happened some sixty or
| seventy miles west of Chicago. An east
| bound train was bowling along at a fifty
mile clip over perfectly level, perfectly
| straight stretch OF road when all four drfv-
! ers let loose at the same time and went
| rolling along the prairie.
The engineer and fireman were mighty
| near going daffy over it. To lose one driver
! Is bad enough and extremely unusual, and
| TO lose four at once Is absolutely Incredible,
! but assure you, gentlemen. that the thing
/ actually happened just 1 am telling 1t.
| No great damage was done, the DOGGY
] trucks Just back of the pilot, held, and the
! firebox settled and dragged along the track
| a little distance. But the settling was lust
| enough to break the air connection; that
| set the brakes and the train soon came to
| a standstill
The New York state engineer present
| looked admringly al the western man as he
| finished
| Good story. partner" he said, land for
| one l believe 1t. 1 believe your statement
| that the men on the engine were surprised,
L ny q lsnrvt al fA,,r
| breaking loose from the same engine SIM
UNANIMOUSLY, but on the New York New
Haven and Hartford. in September 1903
| the right front driver and the left rear driv-
| er of Port Chester local parted company
| with their axles at the same time. Nobody
was hurt. but the engineer put on the emer-
gency brake so suddenly that the stop
! Jared the passengers a lot. One of the
| loose drivers grazed the side of fast
through train for Boston. ripping off some
of the woodwork of some of the cars and
| making a noise that frightened the passen-
| gers half out of their wits
THE only other time I know anything
about driving wheel getting away was in
Pennsylvania, nine miles west Of Trenton.
n. j., on the Philadelphia and Reading
| There was only enc lost wheel, but 1t rolled
| Into the MIDST of a gang Of track laborers
| hit two or three Of them and knocked them
down, and scared the rest almost to death
A Few Narrow Escapes.
once when was running on the Mem
| phfs and Little Rock" said the westerner
we had a mighty close shave that might
! have killed half the passengers on the
| train.
I'VE were making pretty high speed for
| those days going along about as fast as
| we dared. behind time, when the engine
| struck rail with a flaw in It, broke It
| off and threw a three-foot piece of 1t clear
| out and over to the very edge of the right
| OF way. l saw 1t go and was horror-strick-
en-. 1 expected the whole train would be
! ditched before I could get the brakes Off
| AS a matter of fact, didn't put them on at
| all, / was so daZed till after the entire
| train had crossed the damaged place in the
| track. Baggage car. smoker. day coaches
and sleepers all left the rails, jolted along
three feet on the ties and rose again on
| the end OF the broken rail without doing
| the least damage.
Yes. the passengers were shaken up
some. / brought the train to a standstIll
and a man was sent back to look the
ground over. The great wonder was that
the rails didn't spread: II they had there'd
have been trouble, sure
I'm not in the business" said the only
man present not a railroad man. but I
believe that story all right Once 1 was a
passenger on the old Ohio and Big Sandy
road. That wcs about the toughest road
I ever rode on, but my experience wasn't
half so bad as the experience of the only
sleeping passenger on the train that night,
With a friend. / riding in the smoker
and we were talking to the conductor. Sud
deny the door opened and Wild looking
chap in pajamas came staggering In He