Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-06-06
STOPPED WILD ENGINE
BRAVE ACT OF STATION AGENT
TOLD IN MAGAZINE.
al. Own life Not Thought OF, o. A.
Allen Boarded Runaway Looomo'
tive and Averted Disastrous
and costiy Wreck.

On October 25, 1911. writes A. l.
Cheek. in the Wide World. while
Agent and Operator D. A Allen. sta
ton agent for the I. NJ. & S. railway
at Amity, Ark, was waiting for =
north-bound through freight train 70
pass his station just before closing up
the place for the night. the train ais
patcher at Feridsy. La, began iran
ucally calling his station. When Mr..
Allen answered he was told. for heav'
ems sake, to stop in some way
wild" runaway engine coming
south. Il had just few minutes De-
fore got away from those in charge
Of 1t. and was now coming sousn
wide open" at terrific rate of speed.
with no one on It.
On receiving this alarming informa-
ton, Operator Allen Immediately
dropped his signal board and at once
ran TO the north switch to his SIDE
track and threw it 30 az to direct the
runaway into this track. where STOOD
a string of loaded coal cars, II oy
chance the wild" engine arrived nrst
or he was unable to stop 1t In any
other way. He then induced two men
he happened to nnd-Messrs. A. ;.
johnson and ALI. Wdner-to assist
him in quickly throwing hand car on
the track. While they were dong
this they heard the freight train about
a mile and a half on, coming to wnst
seemed certain destruction, as the
wild" engine cosld also be heard IN
the distance, with the reports OF the
exhausts 80 close together that they
made almost one continuous sound
conclusive proof that 1t WAS still work
ing steam and coming At . high rate
Of speed
With only the thought Of saving
lives in their minds, and with full
sense OF their duty before them, these
three men clambered on the car and
began a veritable race against death
TO meet the wild" engine and, II pos
slble stop it In some way before II
crashed into the oncoming freight
tho crew Of which were entirely u
norsnt Of the terrible menace 30 rap
idly approaching them- The hand
car was run north at the utmost speed
the three men could produce until the
runaway engine came In sight through
the darkness. There were no lights
| OF any kind on IT, and In the hurry OF
| getting away none Of the men on the
hand car had secured even a lantern
! 80 that everything had TO be done in
| the DARK Directly they sighted the
engine looming vaguely through the
gloom, the hand car was quickly
thrown from the rails, and had hardly
| reached the ground when the runaway
was upon them Dashing alongside
Mr. Allen made q snatch at what he
took, In the darkness. to be the graf
iron on the back OF the tender. II
was then discovered, however. thai
the engine was backing up-runnins
tender first. What Allen took for q
| handhold proved to be loose host
living on the woodwork surrounding
the tank platform, and this hose gave
way, throwing Mr.. Allen just outside
/ the rails, the massive wheels barely
missing him rs the tender thunderet
On. Realizing that the lives Of thos>
On the freight train, now dHavina
near, were at stake. and regardless Of
the risk to himself, Allen recovered
his balance and caught the pilot q
it passed him. Running like . mon
key along the footboard of the sway
ing engine he reached the throttle
shut off steam, reversed the engine
and started it back north ahead OF tn
freight train. the engineer Of which
had in the meantime noticed tn
board and had begun to dow down
But for the timely stopping Of tn
wild" engine, however. nothing couls
have prevented . disastrous collision
which would, no dosbt. have cost thu
engineer and fireman Of the freigh
train their lives, II not those OF tn
whole train crew, IN addition 70 Sc:
srRl thousand dollar1 worth Of prop
erty.
Rail Men Make Few MIseaksa