Connecticut western news., 1910-11-17
RUNAWAY FREIGHT CAR
 DASHES NINE MILES
Exciting Moments at Station When Loaded Box Gar Whizzss Past
 and Bangs Into Engine.

| and Bangs Into Englne.
 | There was an exciting two minutes around the union station Monday eve- ming, just after 6 o'clock, when Station Agent Finney's telephone rang franti- caIly enough to scare the office force into fits, and in response to Finney's "hello" voice at the other end gasped:
 "A car just went by the storeP'
 What storeP and what of it ?" asked Mr. Finney.
 "Stratton Brothers-oar running away mo man on it-going like the devil"
 Without waiting for further enlight- enment Finney banged the receiver up on the hook and plunged through the door, giving orders at the same time to clerk "Scotty" to make break for the yard to warn the engineer of engine 50, which was taking water there, that a freight car was running wild, down the East Canaan grades and would be along and bump into them in just one minute.
 In the meantime Finney ran east, with an idea of throwing the switch on the south and corralling the runaway there. On second thought, however, he decided that Sootty would undoubt edly reach the engine at the pumping station in time to enable the engineer to pull away. At about this time Section Foreman Tierney. on his way home up the track heard the car coming, and his railroad instinct told him something was wrong. He made run for the lime switch, intending to turn the dere- lict in at the lime kiln spur, but the distance was too great and before he could reach the switch the car whizzed- past nina high box car loaded with cord woodland was out of sight around Bennett curve.
 It dashed past the station, over the Berkshire tracks, like flash, and ac, cording to by.standers one could not have counted thirty after it left the sta tion before the crash was heard, as it smashed into the rear of the locomotive, which had just began to move westward in response to the warning.
 The shock burst the car open and scattered cord-wood in all directions over the tracks and adjacent lots, and stove in the rear of the locomotive tender, but no serious damage was done and nobody was injured. Frank Dempsey, who was "subbing" for Charlie Moore during the latter's visit in New Jersey, was on the tender just an instant before Scottie came up panting and shouted that the runaway car was coming. An instant later the car came but Dempsey jumped, just in time to escape probable death.
 The car had come, all by itself, all the way from Norfolk, having been per- mitted by brakeman to get away while train was switching. Fortu- nately all the numerous grade crossings between here and Norfolk were clear, and obstruction was encountered.
 It is said that twice before runaway cars have started from Norfolk, out one failed to make the grade at Whiting river and the other passed Whiting river and "ran down. tefore reaching the furnaces at East Canaan. D..
 Some thirty years ago string of high box coal cars got away at the furnaces and came flying through the village and over the Housatonic tracks at the very time a late passenger train was due to be standing at the station. The cars ran almost to Twin Lakes before they lost momentum, and swung back. They were caught this side of the Housatonic river on their return trip.