Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-03-01
.DD|IL BOY SAVES
pasadena TRAIN
SON OF MELZAR N. DICKINSON
DISCOVERS OBSTRUCTION ON
SANTA FE TRACKS.
TRAIN PASSES SPOT TEN
MINUTES AFTER DISCOVERY
Heavy Rock and Piece Of Steel Used to
DeraiI Train, ana Professional Tram
Wreckers Are Suspeeted-old Rail-
road Man Gives as His Opinion That
Bad Accident Was Narrowly Averted

That Marshalltown boy. now in
Pasadena Cal, was responsible for the
saving of a train from being wrecked,
and doubtless ayerting a terrible
catastrophe, is told by the Pasadena,
Cal, Star of Wednesday, Feb. "a. The
lad is the young son of Mr.. and Mrs
Melzar NJ. Dickson. Of this city.
The star tells the story of the in
cident as follows:
only the quick eyes Of d bright boy
saved the Overland Limited Of the
Santa Fe from being wrecked at Euclid
avenue last evening and frustrated
what apparently was a desperate plot
to bring death and injury TO passen-
gers on that fast train. The boy is
the son of NJ. NJ. Dickson, of $50 North
Euclid avenue. He, his father and
brother were coming home from the
Y. VI. c. A. last night walking from
Marengo to Euclid along the Sante t'e
right-o way, when the son spied a
formidable obstruction which had been
placed upon the track just east of the
east side Of Euclid avenue. The three
qnickly removed the obstruction not
more than fifteen minutes before the
east-bound No. 10 came along.
The miscreant or miscrAants who
placed the obstruction had well
planned the work. The Santa Fe
tracks are to be relaid thru Pasadena,
and one OF the pieces OF construction
iron was the principal article upon
which the would-be train wreckers
pinned their faith. Il is a heavy, fat
metal oval with one side missing, q
piece of steel about the shape of a
coupling link with a segment Of one
side cut out and weighing about thirty
five pounds. The article is used 10
pass under two adjoining rails at a
switch frog to keep the wheels from
forcing the rails apart.
Obstruction Is Heavy.
This link had been forced into the
frog at Euclid avenue and back Of il,
between the diverging rails OF the
frog was placed a large granite rock
taken from beside the track and
pounds. The rock was so placed that
an east-bound engine would not knock
the metal obstruction from the frog be-
fore the obstruction mad done its de-
railing work.
way home, had occasion TO pass with
IN a few feet of the frog. This fact
and the quick eyes of the boy alone
averted what it seems would certainly
have been a terrible accident.
Detectives investigating.
Some one has dropped satchel on
the track said the boy to his father
when he spied the big, white rock All
three went to examine the SPOT and in
second saw what was being at
tempted.
This morning Mr.. Dickson, who
was unable to notify the agent last
evening after the discovery because
the nearby Los Robes station was
closed. called upon Agent Moss at the
Los Robes depot and told him Of the
discovery. Mr.. Moss at once wired the
division superintendent and Santa Fe
detectives are now working on the
case.
DeraiIment Would Have Been Certain
Agent Moss has railroaded for forty
years or more, and when questioned
admitted that the obstruction, which
had been replaced this morning by
Mr.. Dickson to snow just how the
deed had been attempted, would GER
tainly have derailed a train bound in
either direction. The chances of an
east bound train We're better than one
west-found, for the west bound loco
motive would certainly have merely
driven the obstruction in tighter
where an east bound train would have
had tendency 10 push the metal back
and. besides would not be travelling sc
rapidly because Of the upgrade. It is
almost certain that neither the engi-
neer nor fireman would have noticed
the obstruction in time to have slack
ened speed, as the Jog was quite heavy
Agent Moss does not believe tina
the effort to wreck the train was the
work of malicious boys for he points
out that no small ooy could have car
lied the metal used IN The obstrua
ton the distance it had been brough,
from the pile or move the big rcoi
from the place where it had beer
lodged at the side of the risht-of- way
II rather appears to have been the
work of some criminal with deliberate
intent and with sufficient strength t.
lift the heavy material used"