The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1907-09-13
IN A RAILWAY
WRECK

We were riding toward the city, my
good wife and /, in crowded car, over
a 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!" 1t 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 a constant
traveller, had never seen any part of
any train upon which / rode derailed
OF crushed. But l recognized that l
was now "up against it." 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" / saw the -smokestack reel,
stagger, pitch forward and disappear.
self, and the piled-up Goals were dis
charged as from the mouth of can
non straight at our door. 1--WE are
off, too," was my next thought; but
we shall not be hurt if we do not turn
over" over we CO." was my inner
car dropped down and l felt the side
where l was sitting rise up, and had
vision of my wife sinking TO the floor.
ut will not be so bad if we can miss
the windows" i still said. Then came
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 wreck could believe
capable of composite expression.
How does one feel in wreck"
That is what l wish to tell, but l 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
clothes for handkerchiefs with which
to staunch the blood that flowed from
somewhere above my eyes, and could
hear my wifes Il am not hurt at ALL"
! was too happy, too grateful. to move
The car was dark and filed with
clouds OF dust. While l was still too
dazcd 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 a word,
but more slowly. trying to prevent the
blood from saturating my clothes, l
followed. And then 1 found myself
outside, Free among the dead"
What impressed me, as soon as my
mind became capable of receiving I'M
pressioEs, was the kindness and intel
ligence of the American people. There
was no shouting. no screaming, but al
most as soon as | ives clear from the
wreck | saw a hose cart go by on the
gaIlop, and the hose was instantly in
position to quench any fire that might
break out People were hitting down
the wounded from the pile of debris.
and l particularly noted that poor
colored woman was carried out as ten
derby as though she had been a prin-
cess and laid gently upon the grass.
one of the hearers staying to wait