The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1917-09-01
LOCOMOTIVE man
HAD CLOSE CALL

One of the narrow squeaks by which
man may escape with his life is
| illustrated quite graphically in a let
| ter received from w. H. Ayres, the
fireman on the passenger locomotive
which was wrecked on the Tonopah
d Goldfeld railroad couple of weeks
ago. Young Ayres wrote to his father
in Winnemucca as soon as he was
able to use pen. The Goldfield Tri-
bune said of the wreck:
THE entire freight equipment, con-
sisting of six cars, left the tracks with
the engine and. falling over an en-
bankment, piled up and was badly
wrecked. Engineer p. D. Hill and
Fireman w. H. Ayres were injured,
although not seriously. The engineer
was cut and bruised on the scalp and
body, and the fireman was painfully
scalded when a steam pipe on his side
of the cab broke. After Hills injuries
were dressed he was taken to his
home. Ayres is still in the hospital.
No one else was injured That Hill
and Ayres escaped with their lives is
considered remarkable, as the engine
is bad wreck and the freight equip-
ment, consisting of an oil car, two
gondolas and three boxcars, is piled
up in a heap at the side of the track.
A passenger coach, two baggage cars
and the Pullman did not leave the
rails"
A few extracts from the young fire.
mans long letter follow:
1T appears l will not even be
SCARED from the burns, and will be
as good as new in about another
week. We were just getting out of
Goldfield that morning-were about
ten miles from here. 1t had rained
here the night before, and it appears
that it had not rained where the
washout occurred, but there had been
a cloudburst up in the hills and all
the water had run down to this one
spot, which is about one mile from
Klondike station.
This is the first day l have dared
tackle writing at all. Neither the
engineer nor l jumped. No time to
do anything. Track looked same rs
ever until we were fifty feet from spot.
and it doesn't take long to cover fifty
feet when going thirty m.p.h. Funny
thing, it is down hill from here to
where washout occurred. We were
ten minutes late out of here and usu-
ally make up time between here and
Klondike. Usually we are dropping
down there at about forty-five m.p.h.
but this time we were only going
thirty. l took particular note of that. |
The engineer got in one good jolt Of
fifteen feet from spot. Don't think it |
did any good a-tall Engine did not |
turn over, but tank up-ended and |
showed the cab right up against the |
boiler-head. 1t happened to be the |
only locomotive in service here which |
is equipped with a steel cab, otherwise |
| might not be writing this.
There was car of telephone poles |
Immediately behind engine. One of |
the poles hit just over the window in |
the back of the cab on my side, end-to |
If ii had been six inches lower it |
would have gone through the window
and couldn't have missed me. Also, |
if it had been a wooden cab it prob
ably would have continued its forward
journey, through me. Anyhow, the
engine went down. must have been
knocked silly for a moment was
still sitting on the seat and engine
was at dead stop-felt live steam
hlowiu0 0n could COO nofbipo
figured I'd better get out, quick
sensed | could not get out via gang
way and did not aforementioned 7
had closed little door leading to run
ningboard and pilot-finally came 20
the conclusion best way out would be
through window Immediately beside
me-tried to get out there and could
not-thought window had gone closed
on me and tried to force it open
finally had to force body. sideways,
through space where | thought will
dow was-landed head-first in bunch
of ties, of which I got one momentary
glance-fgured I'd better get away
from engine in case same exploded, |
developed steam or water lead, or
oil Snouiu eaten on nre-craWled what |
/ thought was twenty feet. then stood !
up-could not see a thing, and was
running around. arms outstretched. |
like chicken with its head cut off, |
when the train crew got to me.
They took me back to the Pullman,
some man wrapped up my wounds |
and washed some of the blood out Of
my face. and I could see again. Don't !
suppose it was two minutes from the 1
time first saw washout until l was 1
back in the Pullman. There are other /
good sidelights too numerous to write |
here. I nearly tainted after getting /
wounds dressed in Pullman, but l
fought il Off Was then struck with /
the awfulest chill I ever had-doctor |
says same was caused by nerve-shock.
The thing that scared me was that I 4