Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-17
HEROES OF THE RAIL
PROPOSED TO GIVE MEDALS FOR
BRAVERY.
Favorable Report on the Bill Introduce
ed by Representative Mann
of Illinois.

WAS greater courage ever manifested
than that of the locomotive engineer, Joseph
| Lutz?" asks the report Of the House COM
| mittee on interstate and foreign commerce
| recommending the passage of the Mann bill
| awarding medals to heroes of railway
wrecks. "A fue burst, filling his cab with
| scalding white-hot steam while his express
train was at full speed He did not jump:
| he stuck to his post, while the flesh was
cooked and peeled from his hands and face
and body! He stopped his train and saved
his passengers, but he is crippled for life.
What courage could excel that of the
brave engineer, James Root, and the men
| associated with him, who ran the relief
train that carried hundreds of persons away
from fiery death in the forest fires that
devastated portion of northern Wisconsin
few years ago? During that awful time
whole towns were wiped out of existence
and their inhabitants roasted or suffocated.
| A relief train manned by Root and his COM
rades went upon an all but hopeless mission
or rescue. 1t ran into the timber lands:
great clouds of smoke enveloped 1t; flames
licked their way to the roadbed: but the lit
tie band of rescuers rode on, straight into
the yawning devouring furnace of hell.
Noble Task Nobly Performed.
They went to save lives, and nobly did
they do their work. Ever and anon the
train stopped to take on board some faint
ing woman with babe clutched to her
breast, some man made mad by the awful
race with fire-on they went never falter-
ing, never fearing. and at last with axles
welded to the bearings, with the woodwork
of the cars af1ame and charred, with the
engine cab entirely burned away, that train
with its freight of precious human lives
reached safety. The deed of Root and his
heroic comrades forced the admiration of
the civilized world at the time, but beyond
fleeing mention In the press no public recog-
milton was accorded their heroic action, and
1t is now all but forgotten.
Timothy Quinlan's Heroism.
"Who remembers the heroic deed of the
humble switchman, Timothy Quinlan, who
gave up his life on February o. 1904 in
saving the Lake Shore Limited and its car
go of human freight from destruction? The
train was bearing down upon an open
switch at lightning speed; an awful catas-
trophe seemed inevitable. Quinlan saw The
danger, and while there not one chance
III a thousand that he would be able to
avert the impending catastrophe without
sacrificing his own life, he hesitated not
an instant He reached the open switch
and threw it fairly under the pilot of the
onrushng engine. The train with its pre-
clous human cargo rushed on in safety.
but what of brave Timothy Quinlan? The
momentum of the train was so great that
it picked up his body and fairly threw it
onto an adjoining track directly in front of
remained of brave Timothy Quinlan was
a mangled, bleeding mass of human flesh
and bones. Among railroad employees ex-
amples of heroism of the highest type are
OF almost daily occurrence and might be
multiplied indefinitely"
Purpose of the Bill.
The report on The measure, which is of
more than ordinary interest, says:
THE purpose of this bill Is to encourage |
1or ~, NH
ing of life upon railroads by authorizing |
the President to bestow bronze medals of |
honor, rosettes or knots upon persons who |
by extreme daring endanger their own lives
IN saving or attempting to save the lives |
of others from any railroad wreck disaster or |
grave accident or in endeavoring to prevent |
Such wreck, disaster or accident"
The report directs attention to the fact |
that there is an enormous loss of life an
nually upon the railroads of the country.
Of Little Intrinsic Value.
The medal proposed by the bill is of
bronze. and is of little or no intrinsic
worth. The gold medal provided for in
the legislation now on the statute books
has a value of SS6.15, and the silver
medal a value of $63.04. But the Mann
bill proposes to bestow a token which
shall be valued only for the honor at |
tached to its possession.
1t proposes to give a simple mark of
public recognition of true heroism which |
shall set Its possessor apart from his fell
lows, like the ancient olive wreath. as a
hero of more than ordinary proportions.
1t is a prize to be striven for because of
the associations Connected with it and the
honor attached to 1T, and because it
marks the interest which the government
takes in the welfare and happiness of its
worthy citizens, mark which cannot fail
to evoke feelings of patriotic interest in
the government and promote civic mo-
rality