Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-09-25
IN 4 A RAILWAY
WRECK

We were riding toward the city, my
good wife and !, in crowded car, over
Q suburban route SO familiar that we
had long since ceased to see anything
except the morning paper between our
station and the terminal. But some
thing in the changed motion Of the
train caused me to say suddenly to
myself, "You are in for your first
railway wreck, right here!" It had al
ways been pleasure to me to boast
the safety of our modern modes Of
travel, proving it by saying that while
from childhood had been constant
traveller. I had never seen any part of
any train upon which rode derailed
or crushed. But recognized that l
was now aup against 1t" Through the
front door of the car (our suburban
trains carry no baggage), could see
the tender and the smokestack Of the
locomotive. There goes the locomo-
tive" l saw the -smokestack reel
stagger, pitch forward and disappear.
"There goes the tender,"S i said to my.
self, and the piled-up Goals were dis
charged as from the mouth of a can.
non straight at our door. Eve are
of, too" was my next thought; 'but
we shall not be hurt If we do not turn
over. cover we co. was my inner
comment, as the forward end OF the
car dropped down and I=felt the side
where was sitting rise up, and had a
vision Of my wife linking to the floor.
1T will not be SO bad If we can miss
the windows" / Eeill said. Then came
q crash in which everything seemed to
dissolve. The seats upon both sides
of the car appeared to vanish; all our
fellow passengers were mysteriously
blotted out; and when found myself.
] was standing in the broken frame of
what had been an opposite window,
while at my feet, in the empty space
where the next window had been; sat
my wife smiling up at me with face
in which there was such a blending of
horror and love as no one who has not
passed through a wreck could believe
capable of composite expression.
How does one feel in wreck?"
That is what I wish to tell. but sup
pose after all it depends somewhat
upon the man and the hour. Although
! had time to note every movement,
! had no sensation of fear, except for
my wife. had no dread for myself.
except that my Bones might be crush
ed. So when found myself erect with
limbs unbroken, searching through my
0othes for handkerchiefs with which
to staunch the blood that flowed from
somewhere above my eyes, and could
hear my wife's 81 am not hurt at all"
I was too happy, too grateful, to move.
The car was dark and filed with
clouds of dust. While was still too
dazed to think what ought to be done
next, ! heard someone talking to my
wife. It was friend who had missed
US and had come back to see In what
condition we were. Without word,
but more slowly, trying to prevent the
blood from saturating my clothes. /
followed. And then / found myself
outside, Free among the dead"
What impressed me, as soon as my
mind became capable OF receiving i'm.
pressions, was the kindness and intel.
ligence of the American people. There
was no shouting, no screaming, but al
most as soon as ! was clear from the
wreck I saw a hose cart go by on the
gallop and the hose was Instantly in
position to quench any fire that might
break out. People were lifting down
the wounded from the pile Of debris,
and particularly noted that poor
colored woman was carried out as ten.
derby as though she had been prin.
cess and laid gently upon the grass,
one Of the bearers staying to wait
upon her call, although she never
spoke word or uttered a groan;
while another went apparently for
something to put under her head. Had
the men on that train been drilled for
months in FIRST aid to the injured" it
did not seem to me they could have
moved with greater swiftness or eff.
cheney. No one who has passed
through such a scene can ever after.
-
ward fail to understand that beneath
all the ruin sin has made there is
something in the great common world
that made Christ willing to dis for It.
Too weak from my wounds to be OF
any service, and feeling faint 1lom the
sights about the wreck, ! asked my
wife to come with me and find, amid
the street cars passing in the neigh.
boring avenue, some one which would
take us nearest home. l had hardly
gone a block before, hearing footsteps
behind me. turned to see a poor
working woman holding up, without a
word, a pitcher Of water and bottle
Of camphor. These comprised the
pharmaceutical resources of her home,
but she hastened to profter her little
AL to q stranger in distress. The good
Lord who does not forget cup Of
va.A VIII not an sure. be inattteF'