Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1906-01-25
CONDUCTOR A HERO
His Quick Wit and the Use of a
Telephone Probably Saved the Col
Iision Of Two Trains and Possibly
the Lives Of the Train Crews.

Special to Times-Republican.
Des Moines. Jan.25.-P. ]. Brahanan,
a freight conductor employed by the
Rock Island road and living in Des
Moines. is the hero of his fellow rail-
readers today. To Brahanan's quick
thinking and conception of duty sew
eral train men believe they owe their
lives, while he is credited with having
saved the Rock Island property loss
Of thousands Of dollars and the dam
age to reputation resulting from a
serious collision.
Brahanan's feat was accomplished
three or four days ago. but it was not
until today, when the result of an in
vestigarion conducted by the division
officials of the road was made known,
that the details leaked out.
On the night of the occurrence train
No. 80, fast freight running east and
scheduled at an average Of fifty miles
an hour, was sent orders to be deliv-
cred at Stuart, to wait at Earlham
for a special or extra freight going
west The west-bound train had re-
ceived its orders at Valley Junction
The order was sent from the Des
Moines dispatcher's office and was re-
ceived by the operator at Stuart. The
Stuart operator. (for some unaccount-
able reason, failed to set his station
board red, to stop the east-bound
train. Conductor Brahanan was in the
Stuart yard with freight and was IN
the depot when the east-bound tram
Numbered by the station and the oper-
ator Jumped to his feet with the ex-
clamatfon that the crew was running
his board, which he said he had set
for orders. Rushing to the depot plat
form. they undertook to stop the tram,
hit II was too late Investigator
showed that the board was set White
Indicating a clear track to the east
bound freight.
The westbound had been reported
out of Valley Junction some mlnu.es
before and collision seemed lneV,.a-
BILE. The operator called the Des
Moines dispatcher and told him Wnat
had occurred. In the office IN tn's
city frantic efforts were made TO raise
intervening stations to stop the lralhs'
but none were night offices ana tnere
was no response. In the Hieai.te
Brahanan had taken matters into ms
own hands, and, running out OF the
depot. he hurried to the Stuart tele-
phone office, where he succeeded IN Sc
curing, connection with a livery sta
ble telephone at Earlham. He told the
liyeryrnan what was up and urged MIN
to hurry to the station with lantern
and flag whichever train reached the
station first. The liveryman arrived
lust as the fast train eastbound was
approaching and, swinging his light
across the track, brought the train to
standstill. The train crew had reach
ed the station about five minutes IN
advance Of the westbound train.
Had it not been for the liveryman' $
SIGNAL the train would have rushed
through the town and as nearly as the
trainrnen could figure it out, the two
trains would have met head-on about
two miles east of Earlham. Both were
scheduled at high speed and were car
rying full crews and much valuable
freight.
Thcraas H. Tibbles, late populist
vice presidential candidate, will start
a national populist weekly journal in
~,