Year: 1879




Train Stops ON the Brink Of the River
From the Chicago Tribune.l


What might have proved frightfu


calamity was averted by the merest &C.


cident Wednesday evening, and the


snatching of large number of persons


from the very jaws of death should


prove a timely warning. The tug


rraid was just about to pass through


the west draw of the railroad bridge at


Kinzie street on her way up the North


Branch, light, at few minutes before


Z o'clock, the necessary signals having


been given to the bridge tender to


swing the bridge, and that individual
also put up the signal-ight, warning
approaching trains on the Northwestern
railway that the draw was open. The
Traid got close to the structure, and the
bridge-tender began to swing it, and it
had been moved about eight or ten
feet from its usual position, when the
accommodation train due at Wells
Street depot at 7 p. m. suddenly APP
peared from around the curve on the


West Side and came booming along at
a pretty rapid rate-certainly as fast as
the law allows trains to run in the city.
Nearer and nearer the iron horse came
laundering to the brink of the murky
river, drawing seven coaches filled with


passengers, and the scene became of
the most thrilling and alarming charac.
ter, for the bridge was moving, the
Triad's bow had reached point oppo-
site the abutment, the bridge men were
powerless to signal any more than they
had, and the locomotive engineer and
fireman did not seem to observe the
danger-signal, according to the state.
ments of those who saw the occur
renee. It seemed impossible for the
engineer to check up in time to prevent
the train or portion of it from being
hurled into the river and burying be-
meath it the tug and all on board, and
perhaps knocking the bridge off the
center-pier and mingling it with the
common wreck. The few witnesses to
this most exciting scene were almost
breathless with suspense and feared the
most calamitous results. Cries were
uttered from the men on the bridge
and the ting, and the Captain of tie
1ildi DcCdIuc dldTIQeQ IOr the SaIe-
ty of his crew and himself and
the boat, and signaled quickly to the
engineer to reverse the motion of the
engine and back the tug out. On sped
the locomotive with its human freight,
numbering fully 800 souls, who were
not thinking of the alarming situation
into which they were about to plunge.
1t was quite dark at the time, and the
engineer and fireman could scarcely
see the situation they were in, but the
former was equal to the emergency and
put down the air-brakes and reversed
his engine. Not moment too soon,
however, for the forward wheels of the
went off the approach, and
the sudden storpage of the heavy train
kept it from going over. The passen-
gers on the cars were shaken up little,
but were not for some time aware of
the serious situation they had been
placed in. The train, including the To-
comotive, was backed of, and the bridge
was soon swung in place again, and the
train passe / on to Wells Street depot,
on the opposite side of the river.


The accident gave a startling warm
ing of the necessity of placing better
safeguards at the railroad bridges, and
it is quite probable that it will be profit
ed nv