Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-10-29
PERlLS OF THE SPEED MANIA
Locomotive Engineer Tells How IL
Feels to Know You Are Rush
inG Near 20 Death.

A pathetic echo Of the tragedy at nd
ington, Pa, on September 20, when the
fastest train running between New York
and Philadelphia crashed into another train
on the Pennsylvania road. killing three
women and injurlng many passengers
came in the story OF George Van Arsdale.
the engineer of the flyer.
His narrative OF what happened and thS
emotions he felt is intensely dramatic
fraught with the sorrow a man must feel
when, after forty-three years of work
al the throttle, and at the aEe Of sixty.
nine, he meets his first accident
Van Arsdale might have retired on a
pension years ago, with the reputation OF
being such a careful engineer that he never
even ran into a bumper in a depot, and
never had been reported upon unfavor-
ably.
So great was the grief OF the aged man.
who for more than two score years had
whirled millions Of people hundreds Of
miles in safety, that after the crash he
begged some one to shoot him.
Now, coupled with the horror that
haunts him at night, is the fear that in
his old age he will be discharged in dis
grace from the employ of the company
for which he worked on the FIRST day II
began operation in 1871
IL the craze lot speeQt the mania IOr
whizzilg along like the wind that Is re-
sponsible for that wreck, the engineer
said to an American reporter at the for
mor's home, 1872 Sip street, Jersey City.
Since 1853 my hand has been clutching a
throttle, and since 1868 l have been watch
ing the gradual speeding up in railroad
life and in general commerce. The train
had yesterday could speed along the steel
ribbons at sixty, seventy, eighty miles an
hour, whisking through hamlets so that
houses looked like blurs, laundering along
so fast that the perspective seemed to be-
swallowed beneath the great wheels that
were flying around beneath my feet. Men
wanted speed, and they had to have IT,
But the cost sometimes great. In a
great train there are small contrivances,
the Importance of which none knows but
the engineer. Let one of these apparently
Insignificant pieces OF machinery go wrong
and-well, you know what happened"
Van Arsdsle nervously paced UP and
down, piecing together the memories OF
the awful minute before the collision.
when started out that morning" he
said, Il had no premouitions MY loco
motive was working smoothly splendidly
Everything was In grand shape. The miles
reeed behind us without incident. We
were to make Ave stops-one at Trenton.
and the final one at North Philadelphia.
At each station when l applied the brakes
they answered in the old-time way. In
point Of years and service l am the old
est engineer on the road, and thought
that my experience with trains certainly
would help me II any troubles arose. But
had not figured on the little machinery
that would not work.
AT Croydon saw a danger signal glim-
mering ahead Of me ] threw of the power
applying the air brakes. There's q long
curve at Bristol that winds around in such
a way that high speed Is possible on II. 7
had taken that curve many times. I know
every inch of it, and / had the old girl
whistling along at sixty miles an hour
and that's speed. son; that's speed But we
could have made seventy or eighty. Com
ing toward the end OF the curve I slowed
down some. but the train didn't respond
the way it should have done My brain
throbbed. did not know what the trouble
was, and tried every known way Of stop
ping. But ] seemed to be pushing. push
ing ahead all the time, and the engine was
literally showed along.
There were woods dead ahead. We shot
out from beneath the foliage and the track
shimmered IN the light I'm front OF me.
Another danger signal lopmed up and al
most went mad. jamfhed the sand APP
paratus down and poured the stun on the
tracks in streams. But there was only a
grating noise The huge wheels skidded
over the sand, and speed was not slack
ened. In a moment more the stalled ex-
press train came into view, 1t is strange
had no thought OF death. Only the feet
ing. delirious visions Of men and women
heaped in shapeless masses, lifeless, only
the mental glimpse OF coaches, twisted and
torn, came TO me. Then / thought we were
slowing down That was when We were
within 100 yards OF the other train. But
we were not stopping. ! heard voice be-
hind me- II came as voices in & dream.
and I had a dim realization that Merritt,
my fireman, had jumped ] knew I could
DO nothing, and 80 insanely ciapptd my
hands to my ears 20 keep out the shrieks
expected And ! closed my eyes 70 ex-
elude the visions which danced before me.
'The great machine banged into the
rear coach. heard the roar, and my en-
tire body aulvs@ed from the shock. 3ut
there was no burst Of steam. no overturn-
ing OF the engine. A dead silence seemed
TO follow. and then ] vaguely remember
climbing over the top Of the cab and trying
10 help in a weak, dazed way. man
with a bottle OF whisky brought me to my
senses But not with the whisky; with the
prefer OF H. My brain seemed to work
again and it mashed over my mind that ~
7 took the liquor men would say; Van Ars-
dale was drunk God knows / needed the
stimulant But / didn't take It, Then
the horror OF the thing Gripped me, and
here ] am. a wreck. sleepless, and broken
down in a few hours. New York Amer