Evening journal., 1913-11-10
JUMPS FROM
WRECK; SAVES
FAST EXPRESS
P. B. 6 W. FIaGman HaItS
Train Before it hits Freight
Cars That ObStruCt Track

What might have been one Of the
most serious railroad wrecks the Penn
sylvania Railroad Company has expert
enced for long time was averted by
the presence OF mind displayed by a
fiaeman on the Maryland Division Of the
P. B. and w. Railroad last evening
when, although almost thrown from s
freight locomotive on which he wac
riding when il was deraiied he caught
up red lantern and stopped fast ex-
press train which was laundering along
on the same track upon which the
freight train WAS derailed.
Z L. Eye OF No. ll06, the flagman,
was riding on extra freight train No.
526s which was proceeding south early
last evening" and when it reached North
East the locomotive and seven cars
we're derailed fiom some unknown cause.
The engine plunged along the crossties
and then buried its nose deep IN ths
soft earth. but did not turn over. Inc
cars were dragged after it, some OF them
bucklinp and some falling TO either side
of the track. One heavy gondola car
was piled on top OF a freight care while
another freight car was hurried 70 the
opposite side and fell directly across
the northbound tracks. The cars were
loaded with coal and merchandise, both
of which were strewn about the prem
ises The loss in this respect could not
be determined last night.
Realizing that a fast express and
two excursion trains were approach
ing on the northbound track, when
was obstructed by the fallen freight
car. and grabbing up his red lantern
Eye ran down the tracks towards the
coming train. Swinging his lantern
to aud fro. he accomplished his pur-
pose, and the express train was
brought to a standstill within 100
yards Of the obstruction. Had the
express crashed into the fallen car
the disaster would have been ter
rible.
The express train was known as
No. 70, the Boston Express, which
had left Baltimore at 6.35 o'clock last
evening, and was running at the rate
of a mile a minute The engineer
was unconscious of any danger ahead
as there were no automatic signals or
semaphores to warn him of the acci-
dent to the freight train.
The rumble of the approaching train
with its hundreds of human lives on
board could be distinctly heard as
the fiagman sped along over the cross
ties, risking a broken leg or neck at
almost every stop, for he did not take
time TO pick his pathway His sole
thought was of the oncaming express
and as the yellow lights Of the en-
gine broke through the darkness, the
man swung his red lantern high over
his head He continued to run toward
the train, swinging his lamp in such
a frantic manner that the engineer
who saw It Immediately. knew some
thing was wrong, and he shut of the
power and applied the brakes.
The wreck blocked both the north
and the south tracks between this
city and Baltimore for two hours
The tracks of the Baltimore and Ohio
railroad we're used between here and
Bay View until the debris could be
cleared and the rails reset. Wreck
ing trains we're sent out from Per
ryville, Md. and this city. II was
after midnight before the south track
was reopened. A big force Of men
was kept at work.
Among the passengers on tbs
Boston Express we're Deputy Attor
ney-General Armon D. Chaytor, Jr.
and City Councilman Jacob thinner
mann.