East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1906-09-14

AS the details of the o. r. & n.
wreck which took place near Durkee
yesterday morning are learned from
trainmen coming in from the east, 1t
is realized that most horrible acci-
dent was narroly averted.
AS the runaway freight train passed
through Unity. where It was supposed
to stop to meet No. /, the westbound
passenger train, the arm of the block
signal system three miles eastward
was raised, and by a fortunate chance
the passenger train was just approach
ing the arm at It was raised and En-
gineer l.. f. Ferguson on the passen-
ger train seeing the arm raise, knew
that train had entered the block
and was approaching him contrary to
rules.
Knowing that the freight train was
expected to stop to meet him at Unity,
he at once surmised that something
was wrong and shut off steam to stop.
No sooner had he stopped. prepared
TO back his train out of danger, than
his fireman saw the runaway freight
coming around the Horseshoe"
curve, three miles away and knowing
that It was runaway traiA Engineer
Ferguson Immediately begun backing
out of danger as fast as possible.
With a heavy helper engine on the
rear OF the train pushing against him.
II was a difficult matter to get started
back as the engineer behind did not
knew of the impending danger and
continued 10 push against the train.
Finally the train was gotten under way
and was running backward at n speed
of about 10 miles an hour when the
freight train crashed into II.
In the face of what seemed almost
certain death Engineer Ferguson re-
mained at his post on the passenger
engine and by so doing reduced the
force of the collision greatly and per-
haps saved the lives of many passen-
gers.
The engines were both wrecked by
the collision, the tank of the passen-
ger engine being driven through the
mail car. The force Of the collision
threw the freight cars from the track
and 16 cars We're wrecked.
BY n miraculous chance neither
Engineer Ferguson nor his fireman
We're Injured in the collision. The
entire train and engine crew of the
runo way freight had left the train
when It was seen that II was impussi-
BILE to stop at Unity. After setting all
the hand brakes ana doing everything
possible to stop the train, the train
crew cut off the caboose ana by con-
trolling 1t by hand brakes, followed
the wild trn in down the mountain.
At 8 o'clock this morning the wreck
was cleared sufficiently to allow trains
to pass and two passenger trains from
the east passed through Pendleton
this afternoon at $3.50. Passengers
and mail were transferred yesterday
and stub" train passed through to
Portland last night at Q o'clock.
Regular traffic will be resumed to-
night and there will be no further de-
lay from the wreck.
This is the first train to run away
In this manner on the .. r. & n. for
almost 90 years Several runaways
have been experienced on the noun
tains but the crews did not leave any
of the former trains and no wrecks
have occurred through this cause in
the past.
It was reported that n rich New
Yorker had presented Engineer Fer
guson with n purse. This is not so,
az the rules of the company strictly
forbid employees to accept presents
from the public for any service.