CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1905-11-02

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some of Its millions in tapping a rich
coal field. This was abandoned after
the plans were drawn, but in the
meantime James Fl. Hopkins. now a
| millionaire. of Washington, then head
! of the Pittsburg Southern railroad, Of
fered Ramsey good position as super
intendent of the line. For more than
two years Ramsey handled this road,
| a little narrow gauge affair running
from Pittsburg south to Washington,
Pa, thirty eight miles.
| There We're but two engines on this
little line. neither of them Weighing
over twenty tons. The line was a sue
cession of short curves and high wood
en- trestles. About the second week
after Ramsey took charge both the
little locomotives jumped the track at
different points on the line. Ramsey,
who at the time was at Washington,
Pa, walked into the yards of the
Waynesburg and Washington road,
with which the Pittsburg Southern had
connections, and, finding one of that
roads two locomotives with steam up.
he climbed on board and took 1t out
on to his own line, leaving word for
the w. and w. people that he had
borrowed one of their engines. The
neryy young superintendent returned
the borrowed locomotive the next day
In person. and swore right back at the
enraged and profane w and w people,
who had been left high and dry for
twenty four hours by Ramsey borrow
ing" locomotive.
81 had to have an engine, and | saw
yours on the track and took 1t. Here
1t is. Much obliged. Send me the bill
for one days rent of locomotive"
said Ramsey. and he stalked away.
The road would not give Ramsey any
money, and matters We're so bad that
the superintendent was compelled to
travel on the line most of his time In
order to be on hand when anything
happened. His quick grasp on a sit
uation was shown In the summer OF
1891. when the only available locomo-
tive plunged over hill midway
between Pittsburg and Washington.
Ramsey heard about it six miles away.
ard. borrowing farmers horse, rode
to the wreck.
1t was bad wreck. but inside of ten
minutes Ramsey had figured out just
how that locomotive must be rolled up
the hill by hand, as he had no other
engine to assist In the work. He
pulled telegraph, relay Instrument
and a pair of pole climbers out Of his
oyercoat pockets, and, climbing a pole,
cut the solitary strand Of telegraph
wire and, completing a circuit by at
too okf tN - uon ,rf.r + to
little telegraph office In the woods and
called his office in Castle Shannon, ten
miles distant He ordered out hand
car with the necessary tackle. and In
three hours more was at work hoist
ing the twenty ton engine from the
creek by hand. II took two days. but
he did it.
On two occasions did Ramsey by his
own personal efforts and at great dan
ger to himself save the lives of train
loads of passengers. The first was in
the winter of 1881, when the night
train on his little narrow gauge stuck
In what is known as the Mount Leban-
on cut on the side Of the highest Hill in
Allegheny county, Pa. The snow was
very deep and the thermometer below
zero
There was no house nearer than a
mile from the place where the train
stuck, and the drifting snow would
soon cover the train. There was but
little coal on the small train and no
hope of continuing fire through the
night. There were twenty passengers
on the train, including seven women.
Ramsey, anticipating trouble, had come
on the train himself and was riding In
the cab with Jim Schooley. his engl-
neer. He saw that 1t was almost sui
eide for the passengers to start out In
to the binding snow, while 1t was sure
death from cold to remain there all
night. He told the passengers to cheer
up and, jumping from the train, dis
appeared In the binding snow.
Two hours later Farmer Gulbub, a
mile from the cut, heard noise on his
back porch and discovered Ramsey.
well nigh frozen. The superintendent
gasped that his train was stuck and
the passengers would freeze. An hour
later double yoke of oxen had broken
Its way to the train, and the passen-
gers, almost frozen, were taken by sled
loads to the house of the farmer.
But there was no rest or meal for
Ramsey. Three miles away he knew Of
a telephone, and through the drifts he
foundered that night to call up every
one in that part Of the country to serve
notice that all the passengers from the
snow stalled train were safe Then It
was that Ramsey got time to look him
self over. and he spent the next month
attending pair of badly frozen feet
The next life saving stunt was on the
Cincinnati. Hamilton and Dayton road.