West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-07-12

Sampson left Medicine Bend with 30
at noon ON his regular run and tried 10
set west But between the soldiers DO
hind him and the steers against him he
soon lost every visionary right he ever
did possess. They laid him out nearly
every mile or the way 20 the end OF the
run AZ Sugar Buttcs they held him
thirty minutes Tor the Moulton special
10 pass, and. 90 crown his indignities.
kept him there fifteen minutes moro
waiting for an castbound sheep train.
Sampson atterward claimed that
Barnes Tracy, the dispatcher that did
II. was u gold Democrat. but this never
was proved
IL was nearing dark when the crew
of the local freight - heard the dull
roar OF the Moulton special speeding
through the canyon OF the Rat. A pas.
senger train running through the can
yon at night comes through with the
far roll OF thousand drums. deepen.
Ing into rumble OF thunder Then out
and over all comes the threatening pur
OF the str0ining engine breaking into u
storm of eNhnusts until, like q rocket.
the headlight bursts streaming from
the black walls ana Moore on the S1l,
or Mullen with the SIS, or Hawksworth
In the lllo. tear with fury OF ullali
and sweep OF noise over the Butte
switch, pnst caboosc and flats and
boxes and the 20i like finding light.
Just "A sweep OF dnrkened glass and
dead vurnish. whirl of smoking
trucks beating mndly at the lishplntos,
and the fast train IN up and out and
gone
Twenty nine. local, was used To nll
this. Used 20 the vanishing tail lights,
the measured sinking OF the sullen dust.
the silence brooding again oyor tho
desert with. this night, fifteen minutes
more 60 wait for the eastbound stock
train before they dared open the switch.
Maze Sampson killed tho tlmo by going
back 10 the cHboose TO talk equities
with tho conductor. II wns no trick
for him TO put away fifteen minutes
discussing the rights OF man with him
self; and with an angel OF fireman
10 watch the cab. why not7 Tho 20I
standing on the siding was chewing bor
cud IA sweet as an old COW, with may
be 40 pounds of steam 90 tho right of
the dial, maybe 1901 say maybe be
when the sheep train whistled.
Sheep nothing but sheep Car after
cnr after car. rattlng down from the
short line behind two spanking big
engines. They whlstled. hoarso as pi-
rates, for the Butte siding, and, rising
! the hill mile west OF it bore down the
grade throwing Dannuh coal from both
stacks iko hydraulic gravel.
No one knew or ever Will know how
Il happened They cat hauled men on
the carpet week about that switch.
Tho crew OF the Moulton special testi-
! fed, the crews OF the stock train tostl-
ned, Maze Sampson testified, his con
ductor and both brakemen testified,
tho roadmaster and the section boss
each testified and their men testified
but however or what II was whether
the Moulton special fractured the
tongue or whether the pony Of the lead
engine flew the guard. or whether the
switch had been opened. or whether. In
closing, the slip rail bad somehow fall
cd 10 follow the rod, the double headed
stOcker went into that Butte switch.
into that Butte siding into the peace
able old 2Gi and the %. local, Ike
lyddlto shell, crushing. rearing, ripping.
scattering two whole trains into blood
and scrap. Destruction, madness,
throes. death, silence; then a pyre OF
dirty smoke, wall OF sickening bleats
and scream OF Kissing steam over
1,cOO sheep caught I'm the sudden sham
bles
There was frightened crawling out OF
tho shattered c0booses, n hurrying ND
or the stunned crews and n bewilder-
Ing count Of heads Both engine crews
OF the stock train had jumped as their
train split the switch The train crews
were badly shaken. The head brake
man Of the sheep train lay torn I'm the
barbed wire fencing the right OF way,
but only one man was missing. the FIRE.
man Of 20, Delaroo
Second SO jumped west switch pass
ing track and went into train 20. On.
glno 2Gi. Bad spill Delnroo, fireman
the 2Gi. missing" wired Sugar Buttes
TO Medicine Bend few minutes later
Neighbor got up there by 10 o'clock
with both rondmasters and the wreck
Ing outfit II was dark as n canyon on
the desert that night Benedict Nor
gan's men tore splintercd car timber
from the debris and on the knobs back
of the siding lighted heaping bonHres
that threw light all night on the
dread pile smoking on the desert They
dug by the flame OF the flres az the
chastity heap tlll midnight Then the
moon rose an extra crew arrived from
the Bend, and they got the derrick at
work Yet with all tho toll when day
broke the confusion looked worse con.
founded. The main line was 30 hope
lessly blocked That at daylight special
with ties and steel was run In 20 lay
temporary track around tho wreck
what do I think Of itV muttered
Nelghbor. when the local operator ask
ell him for "a report FOR Callahan. 'T
think there's two engines for the scrap
in sight and the 2Ol. n we cnn ever
nnd anything ~ her and about a mil
lion sheep 90 pay for" Nclghbor paus.
cd % give on order and survey the
frlghtfu. scene
And DcIaroo' repeated thc operator
"Ho wants to know about Dciaroo"
Missing"
At dawn hot coffee was sasgcd
among the wrockcrs and shortly after
sunrise tho NcCl1ud gang arrived with
the second derrick Then the mon OF
the night tool. hold with O new grip 10
got into the heart OF the pile; TO and-f
hc was there DeGroo
NoUc OF thn AcCloud gnng knew the
man they were hunting for but tho
men from the Bond were soon telling
them about Maze SIMPSONS indian
q VERY CLOSE CALL.
j suck to my engine although every
joints ached and every nerve Uae
racFed with pain writes g.. w Beilamy
locomotive hrcman. of Burlington Iowa