Gilpin observer., 1915-04-29
FAGAN, SAGE Of
THE SIGNAL TOWER
Hard Headed Scotchlan Who
Became Famous in the Rail-
road World.
AUTHORITY ON ACCIDENTS
Many Years Of Keen Observation
Gave Him Practical knowledge on
Subject and Then He Wrote
Books About 1t.
BY OSBORN MARSHALL.

BY OSBORN MARSHALL.
Copyright, 1915. by the Mcclure Newspa
per Syndicate.)
1t was warm evening in June; still
there was breeze blowing in the sig
nal tower at the railroad station at
West Cambridge, Mass, and Fagan,
the lean-faced, eagle-eyed signalman
stationed there, was about the only
man in West Cambridge who wasn't
kicking about the heat. Maybe this
was because Pagan was SO thin he
didn't mind high temperature or per-
haps it was because he was so inter
ested in his little $2.50-a-day job that
he didn't have time to think of his
own comfort.
AS Pagan looked up the rails his
trained eye caught sight of the east
bound freight train running toward
the signal tower. At the same time
Pagan was aware that from the op-
posite direction there was coming an
express passenger train. The freight
train was running along at 30 miles
and hour and the passenger train was
coming at full speed. Both trains
were on time and both had clear
right of way. Still Pagan kept his
keen eyes open. Then half mile
west of the tower Pagan spied another
eastbound freight train running par
allel with the first freighter, and Fa-
gan's pulse beat faster as he noticed
that this train was enveloped in
mist of smoke.
Hot box" thought Pagan, his eyes
intent on the train. wonder II the
crew knows?"
There was no longer need Of asking
this question, for, as Fagan watched
he could see that a brakeman was on
top of the car watching the trouble.
The brakeman knew and the conduc-
tor knew, and of course the engineer
knew.
But why didn't the engineer stop?
Why didn't he throw on the throttle
that would bring his train to stand
still? Pagan was an experienced sig
mailman and knew the answer to the
question. The freight train was near
ing its terminal. On the parallel east
bound track was the other freight
bAalu dAu, Will thO AoNO III a ioSC
that is deep rooted in every man
of his trade, that locomotive engineer
was intent on Jumping" the other
freight train.
Horror Narrowly Averted.
It was terrific risk to run with a
hot box, but apparently all hands
were eager to take the risk, eager to
run the frightful race against appall-
ing odds for the sake Of the sport that
was in 1t, SO the engineer had thrown
his engine wide open, held his breath
and let her go.
Pagan also held his breath and his
usually steady gray eyes were fired
with rage. for from his tower he could
see the westbound train bearing stead
lily down upon the eastbound freight
trains, and he knew that the passen-
ger train was crowded with men and
women and children who weren't so
eager to run a race with a hot box
as that crew of the freight train was.
Pagan saw 1t all, but his hands were
tied. There was nothing under heaven
for him to do but wait. In few Sec
onds he would know the outcome.
AS he watched eagerly, angrily even,
he could see the chips flying from the
ties, showing that the melted journal
of the hot axle box had snapped in
two. Pagan shuddered as he knew
that 1t was only a question of seconds
before the burning freight car would
be derailed and the smash would
come. Still the passenger train was
bearing toward the racing freight
trains.
Then came the smashup. There was
a terrific crash, followed by binding
smoke, and both eastbound and west
bound tracks were blocked with twist
ed rails. broken ties and derailed cars
Pagan clenched his hands and looked
through the smoke
THANK God!" he murmured. The
passenger train crowded with passen-
ger coaches and sleepers was just its
own length from the gruesome wreck
1t had covered the distance and passed
the freight trains before the general
smashup came, only through a mir.
acle OF narrow escape.
This time the passenger train did
escape, but in other cases-cases
which Pagan had watched from his
tower-the passenger train hadn't es-
capped and men and women and chill
dren had been sacrificed. Some OF the
railroad men considered such acci-
dents simply inevitable. Others ad-
mitted that they were due to stupid
ity, others to negligence, others to the
imperfection of rails, locomotives and
car structure. These were the highly
paid railroad men who were supposed
to know all about such things.
Pagan Knew the Cause.
But Pagan, who drew his two dol.
lars and half day and who watched
the trains from his watch tower and
studied the human nature of railroad
engineers and onductors-F'agan
knew that these accidents were avoid