The Newark star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1909, 1909-04-30
RISKS LIFE UNDER
FLYING ENGINE AND
SAVES HIS TRAIN
Heroic Act of Fireman on the
Central Wins Him Quick
81 Promotion.
ENGINEERS LEGS CRUSHED
BY BROKEN STEEL RODS
"The Kid" with Torn and
Bleeding Hand, Brings "Old
Sal' to a Halt.

TRENTON, April 30.-"Perk'' Wool
ley, THE Kid" as all the engineers
n the tiremen on the Central call
him. has won his engine, the goal OF
the ambition of all railroad firemen.
The Kid would have been firing "Old
SAL" the big locomotive engine which
has been drawing the fastest trains on
the line of the Central Railroad of
New Jersey, but for an act of heroism
he performed the other day.
1t was at Hopewell. twelve miles
from here. "Old Sal" was rushing
along at rs miles an hour on the last
lap to Jersey City. Suddenly there was
a jar, a crash, and bits of wood and
iron flew back, past the caboose in
whose shelter the Kid stood. He knew
that one Of the crank pins had been
sheared off, throwing loose the parallel
rod and the connecting rod of the driv-
ing wheels on the right side of the en-
CINE, and changing the ordinarily harm
less mechanism into a terrible engine
of destruction.
As h huge driving wheels revolved
the heavy steel rods, eight or ten feet
long, thrashed around through the air
like a pair OF huge fails. On the first
upward toss the cab, in which sat En-
gineer Frederick De Croft, directly
over the boiler and some feet alleaI 81
where the Kid stood, was torn away
on the right side. De Croft was
thrashed by the rods as they swung
around again, and both his legs were
mashed.
Under the Tender.
Two or three more revolutions of the
wild-f1ying rods might break a steam
connection or bore a hole in the huge
boiler. and then an explosion would fol-
low which would wreck the train. To
help De Croft was out of the question.
The flying rods drove him back, and he
turned to stopping the train.
The locomotive was making seventy
five miles an hour as The Kid swung
down on the step on the left side OF
his caboose. From this point he
reached for the air brake connection.
but his reach was too short. Gripping
his legs around the narrow iron step
he carefully reached out until one hand
rested on the running gear of the for
Yard trucks of the tender. Thus bal
anced he stretched forth an eager
hand for the air brake connection.
Swaying back and forth, it evaded his
cropping fingers, but at last it swung
within reach, and Woolley closed his
fingers round 1t. The iron tore his
hand and his finger nails were ripped
to the quick as he wrenched and
twisted at the coupling. But present
ly 1t gave way. and. s%crambling quick
ly. The Kid made the firing board In
safety, while from beneath him arose
the welcome sound OF escaping air as
1t Kissed from the broken coupling.
Saves De Gron.
Slowly the brakes closed around the
wheels, and little by little the speed
Of Old Sal was reduced, until she came
to a stop.
The first men on the ground took in
the damage at a glance and hurried to
the drivers cab They found the Kid
twisting and wrenching at the mass
of wreckage. AS they reached him
the fireman lifted out the mangled
body of his engineer. Both legs and
thighs were crushed. and many other
bones in the mans body had snapped
beneath the fearful thrashing he had
suffered, but De Croft was stil con-
scious.
kid, are my legs gone?' he de-
manded as they laid him on the
ground. The shock had been so great
that he himself did not know.
I