The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-08-27

PASSENGERS
From DEATH.

and almost successful attempt to
wreck the down passenger train over
the Grafton and Belington division Of
the B. & o. was made Sunday evening
and had 1t not been for the fortunate
discovery Of THO Of ladies, and for
their strenuous efforts upon making
the discovery, the chances are that a
nuraber Of people would have been
killed and that this entire city and
section would have been plunged into
the deepest bereavement. The story
Of til attempt as we have CLEANED IT
from careful Investigation, is as fol.
lows:
AT five O'Clock Sunday evening Mrs.
Hugh warder, Mrs. Thos. Moran and
Miss Margaret Moran, all daughters
Of Mr.. Patrick Moran, of the South
Side, we're strolling up the G. & B.
tracks. They had reached a point
Just a short distance above the city
pump station wben they discovered a
number Of iron distractions placed on
the rails. These they quickly pushed
aside and continued their walk re-
marking on their timely discovery.
They had not gone one-fourth of mile
further, however, before they dscov-
cred another obstruction, and this one
enough to excite their keenest alarm
A fireman's rake such as is used to
rake out the flre-box of engines, had
been placed across the track, and had
been bent and cleated down over a
heavy piece Of Iron with devillsh in.
genuity, and on top of this had been
placed other heavy iron distractions,
one Of the pieces SO large that two OF
the ladies could not lift 1t away. Mrs.
Thomas Moran, at once realizing the
fact that the down train was then due,
and seeing the grave danger that men
aced, ran back to the pump station and
told the pumper there of what was go.
ing on. He was alone at the time,
however, but said that he would tele'
phone for assistance, and then he too
realized that the train was due and
knew that he had no time to lose.
He Immediately stopped the pumps
Mrs. Moran, however, had hurried back
to the assistance of her sisters, more
alarmed than ever. Arriving there the
three women asserted their utmost
strength and the cinder-rake was torn
loose from the tracks and the heavy
obstruction removed and thrown aside,
lust as the down train whtstled less
than a quarter Of a mile away.
A moment later the train dashed past
the three ladies at a high rate Of speed.
The point at which the last obstruction
had been placed on the track was d.
rectly opposite the third pier Of the
old boom. The G. & B. track here
passes SO near to the river bank that
there is not room to walk along that
side, and had the engine struck the OBJ
struction It must have plunged to the
left and into the river. at one Of the
deepest holes, where the water Is not
LESS than twenty feet deep.
shortly after the train had passed
Mr.. ]. W. Dayton came down the
tracks in the direction of the city, and
| to him to the ladies told what they had
seen and done and pointed out tohim
the manner in which the track had
been obstructed Mr.. Dayton came on
down to the B. & o. headquarters and
informed the officials of the matter,
Captain Carnes and Officer John Stone,
Of the B. & o. police force, were detail
ed on the case, and since then they
have been sitting every clue in an eff
fort to find the perpetrators Of the
dastardly deed. Last evening Detec'
tive stone went to the Moran residence
on the South Side and obtained the
story from the three ladies, and prac'
tically as til herein stated. While
the officers will not talk about It at
this time and while they would rather
have kept the matter quiet for few
days at least, one of them stated to a
reporter that 1t was his belief that the
attempt was made by several boys re.
siding on the South Side. These noys
hive been in the habit of riding up the
road on freight trains, and 1t was only
last week that one of the boys was
placed under arrest for this offense.
The three ladies who made the time.
Iy discovery of the obstruction, and
who succeeded In removing it In so
admirable a. manner, are entitled tothe
hearty thanks and praise of everybody.
The down train was running about ten
minutes late, and had they arrived on
1.-THE scene a little later they may not
have been able to have prevented a
disastrous wreck and much loss oflfe.