The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1906-03-09
PASSENGER TRAIN WAS LOST
THRILLING EXPERIENCE or
TRAIN1IEN- AND PASSENGERS
Lodged In a Drift -Four niles Esst OF
GOOdland and Didn't Move for
Tsventy-fOur Hours


The train crew OF westbOgn5 pas
senger No q. and the enc hundred
passengers, and rescue party had a
thrilling experience in the bowling
/ blizzard last Friday
3 The train was IN charge Of Engineer
( Carmichael and Conductor Webster
and was fifty minutes late It was
/ about 5'OclOck Friday morning, and
a bowling binding blizzard obliterat-
ed every land mark By his watch
the engineer knew that an hour and
i've minutes had elapsed since leaving
Brewster, about eighteen miles east
Of GOOdland, and not being able 60
see anything ahead and nothing
farther than ten feet away on the lee
side Of the train, he was running slow
for fear Of hitting something when
the force OF the wind and driving
snow stalled the train
Wet to the skin, the engineer and
fireman stayed at their post for twelve
long, weary hours, keeping up steam
to keep the passengers warm, but I'M
ally there being not enough steam 20
work the injector they had to let the
engine die. Each car was. as a pre-
cautionary measure, provided with q
box OF hard coal for emergencies. and
so the passengers were kept warm
No one knew where the train was.
The engineer did not know when he
passed Edison, nine miles east OF
GOodland.
At the dispatchers' office in Good
land, they only knew that the train
had passed Brewster fifty minutes
late. The train was lost, but was
somewhere on the line between the
two points. A party was made up TO
locate the train. It consisted OF Q.
q ITn1a7 A or1 L Z.
row, brakemen; P. S. six, linemans
and B. J Dawson, clerk in the train
masters Office, five in all, Dawson car
rying a telegraph instrument Clad
for the emergency they set out The
route was east, the tempest from the
northwest, which made the venture
possible. They were between three
and four hours making the trip. as
they had to founder through drifts
and blunder along blinded by the
storm.
They ran nearly against the engine
before they discovered the train. A
piece OF barbed wire was torn from
the fence along the right Of way,
thrown over the telegraph wire and
conducted through the bell rope aper-
AZURE and the instrument installed.
Dawson, at the ticker, notified the
dispatchers' Office Of the whereabouts
1 I
these pioneers, the advance guard,
wet, chilled and weary, finally found
shelter on board the train.
A party was made up to carry pro-
visions to the passengers. Walking
was bad enough, but packing grub
after dark in the storm was a stunt
! not to be zeaIOusly coveted. The par
ty made up was composed OF Station
Agent E ". Sullivan, Clyde z. Brown
and S A BUngard, clerks in the
master mechanics Office, and Brake
man S. Z. Marts. The party started
at 1880 p. m. Friday evening, carry
ing fifty loaves of bread and two
cooked hams. They made remarkable
time, considering the circumstances,
! arriving at the train at about $3.50 D.
m The were wet as drowned rats
OUtwardly, but when once landed in
the train they were wet down inward
~. The passengers gave them a royal
welcome.
On the trip some grub-packer
would slump in a drift up to his arm
pits. The others would pull him out
and all would plOd on. 1t was tough
enough for old hands, brakemen, etc,
but for the tenderfOOt and soft hand
ed clerks it was an experience not 70
be forgotten. It was a thrilling west
eTn experience to passengers, crew
and relief party.
The snowplOw cleared the track
and the dead engine and train was
pulled into GOOdland at 1880 q. m
Saturday hours late
No trains between Goodland, Colo
RADIO Springs and Denver were stalled
between stations. At SeIbert two
freight trains were tied up, at Flag
Ter three, and at Falcon two, while at
LimOn two freights and two passen-
gers were held, No. Al and No. 10.
The wires were badly crossed as far
as Flagler, and west OF that point
the wires were down and blown clear
across the track The road was open
early Saturday. superintendent Abb
bolt and Trainmaster Usher were both
at LimOn working hard to clear mp
the road and straighten out the
tangle