The Washington herald., 1909-02-14
CON SAVES EXPRESS TRAIN
Wanders Away and Man Looking
for Her Prevents Accident.
Narrow Escapes from Railway Dis
asters More Numerous Than Sup
posed-OhiO Girls a Heroine.

Though railway disasters OF a serious
kind happen, comparatively speaking,
only very seldom. It nevertheless must
not be supposed that narrow i'sQueaks''
do not sometimes occur, for alarming se-
cidents have often been prevented by the
merest chance. Indeed. whenever and
however one may be travelling q certain
risk is always bound to be run, says the
Boston Herald
Only g few weeks ago more OF less
serious accident was prevented IN Ohio
by the presence OF mind OF a little girl
returning home from visiting a friend
late one evening. The girl happened to
catch sight OF some bulky object lying
across the rails. which examination
proved TO be q large tree that had been
blown down By the wind. So with all
speed the girl rushed 20 the nearest
up signal and. scaling the ladder. ccm-
pletely smashed every atom OF glass
/ from the green light. afterward treating
the down" signal IN Ike manner. The
driver OF the approaching train WIS as
/ tonished 70 observe a white head IL
stead OF the orthodox green or red. and
al once brought up the engine. On de-
L
sCending 10 see what was wrong. the
driver discovered the little girl, who at
once showed him the obstacle upon the
line
Again what would have been a ter
/ rible calamity was recently prevented by
most curious coincident. A French
I passenger train was running rapidly
along one evening when the guard was
startled by hearing some one pull the
! communication cord At once applying
the breaks, the man ran TO the cOmpart-
ment where help was supposed 70 be
needed, only 10 find that a passenger
/ had accidentally pulled the alarm In
reaching a small pOrtmanteau from the
rack. But. strange TO relate, the engine
driver, who, IN the meantime had pro-
! ceeded a little way up the line. found
that q bridge over which the train was
about 10 pass had become insecuTes thus.
had not the train been stopped, that
very moment, q serious accident would
1 certainly have taken place
I Cur:5usly enough an accident was
1 once prevented By a fall OF snow. On
the Trans-Siberian Railway not long
/ ago some train wreckers, anticiparing
I the continental express. had been busily
engaged for some hours tearing Up the
/ permanent way. But In the meantime,
SO heavy fau OF snow naQ occurred
/ that the mail had been completely
( blocked some few miles before reaching
/ the work Of destruction. IN this way the
robbers were defeated OF their prey,
and the gangs OF workmen who after
wards went out 70 clear the line discov-
cred the damage On digging away the
snow. but the disappointed marauders
had. Of course. made good their escape.
l On another occasion a humble COW
was the means OF saving an express
from destruction. though be II said,
no particular credit attaches to the AMI
nal itself A signal man noticed our
bovine friend straying upon the line
and Immediately sent a man to look for
the animal and drive il TO place o. safe
~. The man. however. was unable TO dis
! cover the COW for some time, and so
wandered on til be came 10 a spot
where numerous empty trucks stood upon
q siding. Arrived upon the scene, the
man was greatly alarmed to find that
several trucks had By some means run
down upon the main lire but, luckily,
just managed 10 reach the signslnan
in time 70 stop the express, which was
then already overdue. before It arrived
at the point OF dangeS