Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1907-11-28
STALLS REMARK
Able CAREER

Henry Washington Stahl of Sun
bury, supervisor of the Sunhury, Haz.
Teton and Wilkes Barre division of the
pennsylvania railroad, and the oldest
supervisor on the whole system, will
retire from active service on Sunday,
December 1st. He reached the age
limit of 70 years on the 14th of Nov
ember, but according to custom will
not retire until the end of the month.
He is now in.his send year of his
active service. He has gone through
many strange and thrilling expert
ences. He has faithfully served the
company and bears scars which tell
how much he has gone through for the
road which employs him.
Mr.. Stahl was formerly "a resident
of Riverside. He is still familiar
figure at the south side, as there is
scarcely a week but he is seen several
times about the station in the per-
formance of his duties.
Mr.. Stahl entered the Union army
in February, 1865, after securing a
furlough from Pennsylvania and serv-
ed with distinction until the end of
the war. He was in the posse which
pursued John Wilkes Booth, the as
sassin of President Lincoln, and was
close upon him when he was found
and killed.
In November 1865, Mr.. Stahl return
ed to the railroad company. In 1879
he had charge of laying a third track
at Thompsontown. On April 1st of
that year he was promoted to be sup
ervisor of the Sunbury, Hazleton and
Wilkes Barre, with headquarters at
Sunbury.
This position he has held ever since.
He has had many strange experiences
in the performance of his duties there
On one occasion while he was build.
ing temporary track around wreck
at Catawissa, an axe, slipping from
the hands of a workman who was
chopping down stump, cut deep in
his leg and resulted in the loss of his
shin bone.
On another occasion, while board
ing work train at South Danville, on
snowy day his foot slipped and both
legs went under the wheels 4 track
man seeing the accident threw on the
brake and the wheels, slipping as they
| moved forward. showed the prostrate
mans limbs clear of the track The
large toe of his left foot alone was
crushed.
In August 1879, Mr.. Stahl was en-
gagged in clearing away the debris OF
twenty-five coal oil cars which were
smashed in wreck below Kipp's Run.
| The oil from several broken tanks run
/ down into the brush and the ground
and shrubbery were thoroughly satuT-
1 ated. He saw fire burning on a truck
and told one of the men TO get buck
ct of water to put it out with. He
| pried away a sheet of iron to make the
blaze easy to get at, and stood leaning
on his crowbar on the edge of the em-
suddenly exploded. He was blown back
wards over the embankment into the
brush below. The oil which covered
the ground for yards in every direc-
tion burst into flames like a volcano
Stahl thought that the end of his life
was at hand aud he breathed prayer
for his family.
He escaped but bears marks that he
will carry to his grave, which tell
how badly he was injured.
In August of the next year he was
working on an abutment of the Main
Vile bridge, which was washed out
4 by a flood. when a derrick broke. struck
/ him on the back and hurled him bruis-
ed and bleeding to che rocks twenty
| feet below. The foreman of the ma
sons, who was putting in the stone
was struck at the same time and kill
ed. but, though shocked and terribly
injured Stahl clung to the slender
thread of life and after time recov.
cred his health.