Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-12-15

Mishaps frequently happen through
no human error.
A string of seventy-two cars brok,
loose from an engine on DecembeI
"a. 1908, and started down a steer
grade on the Buffalo and Susquehan
ma. They approached Addison. n
Y, at such high speed that they lef
the rails at curve, and dashed into
the small station. reducing it to ruins
Then they heaped themselves upon s
creamery, demolishing it. A fire soor
broke out, and not only were the re-
mains Of buildings and cars burned
but several coaches standing on a sid.
ing were also consumed.
Courage will sometimes point the
way out of a difficulty, but when the
unexpected arises heroism alone Is
not sufficient. Quick wit must play
a prominent part.
Many persons undoubtedly owe
their lives to Engineer Pierce D
Marsh's ready resourcefulness. His en-.
gine was pulling a Chesapeake &
Ohio passenger train UP heavy grade
near Jane Lew, w. Va, on June rs
1907, when he saw a string Of run
away cars coming down the hill al
forty-five miles an hour. They were
only three-quarters of a mile away.
AS their speed was increasing with
every turn of the wheels, Marsh had
less than sixty seconds in which to
comprehend the situation and act.
With one hand he closed the throt-
tie. With the other he jerked the
lever of the brake valve to emergency
position. The heavy train quickly
came to stop.
Selling the reverse lever with both
hands Marsh pulled 1t over into the
back motion; then, releasing the
brakes with his right hand, he opened
the throttle with his left, giving the
engines all the steam they would take
without slipping the drivers. The
train almost leaped from the rails In
the suddenness Of the start down hill
The space that separated the trains
became less every second, but the
increased. Soon 1t was backing down
the mountain at fifty miles an hour
with the runaways pursuing 1t at fifty
six miles an hour. The two came to-
gether without violent impact after
the train had backed $3.50 feet.
Again Marsh applied the brakes to
the limit of their power. None too
soon, for the speed on that tortuous
road was becoming dangerous. Grad
ually the speed slackened, but not un-
til the bottom of the grade was reach
ed did the thrilling race end.
Wildly excited passengers clam
bered from the cars. hurling questions
at the trainmen and curious to view
the results Of the collision. The dam
age was slight.
The incident came to the notice OF
the trustees Of the Carnegie hero funo
and Marsh was awarded a silver
medal and $1,000 in cash.
Quick wit in an emergency saved g
trainload of passengers on the Central
railroad of New Jersey on April "a
1909. Percy r. Wooley was firing
Mother Hubbard, a type of locomotive
on which the engineers cab is percheo
over the center of the boiler, while
the fireman's is at the rear of the
sprawling Wooten firebox. This ar
rangement places the engineer at the
middle Of the locomotive and the fire.
man at the end. A running board
barely six inches wide is their only
means of communication.
The train was approaching Hamil-
ton. n. j., at sixty miles an hour, when
Wooley heard terrific clatter on the
right side Of the engine.
Peering around the edge of his wind
shield he saw a cloud of dust, steam
and splinters. In the midst Of it was
evidently fainting, clinging to the rear
door frame of the cab in a position
which indicated that his legs were
useless. AS Wooley looked the side
of the cab fell from the engine, car
rying De Croft with it.
Wooley knew that the side rod had
broken. The side rod is the steel
beam connecting the front and rear
drivers, through which power applied
from the piston through the main rod
to the wrist pin on the forward driver
is transmitted to the rear.
This steel beam had snapped in
two and the loose ends. whirling like
steel fails, were smashing everything
with which they came in contact. Not
only was the locomotive stripping
herself" but Wooley knew that the
stripping process was likely at any
instant to plunge the train into the
ditch. Something had to be done
quickly.
1t was impossible to reach the
throttle and brake valve, for the right
side of the cab was gone. The levers
could not be reached from the left
side, because the boiler extended tC
the cab roof. The locomotive was one
Of the largest used on the road.
The crash Of swapping steel and g
roar of escaping steam told him thai
an injector valve had been battered
away, and spurred him to greater ef.
forts as he climbed over the coal ir
the tender. Down the ladder on thu
back Of the tank he climbed to little
step a few inches above the rail witt
which all Jersey Central locomotive:
are equipped.
Grasping the hand-hold with hi.
right hand, he reached down with
his left and seized the air brake hose
Air hose couplings are so made tha
the two ends can be parted by a lf
and twist with both hands Sometime:
brakeman will part the couplings
with his foot by throwing his weight
upon it. This Is not difficult when cars
are standing in the yards. but to un.
couple a hose with one hand while 6
train is running sixty miles an hour
is a precarious task.
WoOley threw every ounce OF
strength into the effort and the hose
parted. The end he held Strengthened
so suddenly as the air escaped at g
pressure of 10 pounds to the square
inch that it almost threw him under
the wheels. The flight of air In the
train pipe set every brake, and In 6
few seconds the train came to stand
still.
Men hurried back to look for the
engineer He was found in a dying
condition. A messenger was hurried
to the nearest telegraph station foI
assistance.
Wooley, who Is now an engineer
wears a costly gold watch. which wa
presented to him by the general man
ager as an appreciation of his pres
ence of mind and quick action.
Devotion to duty under dineren
circumstances was shown by Ed irish
an engineer on the Wabash.
Irishs engine was hauling the con
tinental limited on the night of Janu
ary IL, 1908. The temperature wa
several degrees below zero. At Lafay
ette, Ind, something went wrong will
the engine and Irish was obliged t