Year: 1877

Ten Seconds Of Doubt IN Age Of AGoEy-..A


Farmer and his Wife Describe their Sem


sations in the Falling Cars.


If every individual who went down
with the i'll fated railroad train at Ashta-
bula and lived through the experience
were to write up his or her sensations and
adventures none would display that cool
ness and heroism described by johnson
B. Orburn and his wife, who were on
their way to the Saginaw valley. Both
are past forty, and Mr. Orburn is an
Ohio farmer, who lately purchased a
farm in Saginaw county. AS the tram
pulled out from Ashtabula the farmers
wife began eating luncheon, and her hus-
band was trying to read newspaper by
the light of the dim lamp.


He says he felt the first movement
when the bridge gave way. He first I'M
apined that one of the wheels under his
car had become detached, as the corner
of the car seemed to settle down little.
He dropped the paper and seized the
back of the seat in front of him. Then
the whole car seemed to lift up, and sew
eral women shrieked in alarm. There
WAS no sensation of falling. On the
contrary, both agree that they thought
the car was running up steep hill.
This would prove that the rear end OF
their car settled down first. From the
time the bridge gave way till the cars
struck the ice not more than ten seconds
could have elapsed, and yet during that
brief interval the husband threw one
arm around his wife, she grasped the seat
and asked what had happened, and be
told her to secure brace for her feet and
added "We are off the track and run
ming through the fields p The rear end
of their car struck first, smashing itself
to kndling wood, the debris being
thrown over the passengers in front.
The farmer found himself on the floor,
held down by a mass of wreck on his left
leg, while his wife was thrown across
him. with the wreck of two or three seats
holding her against the side Of the car.
While thus held, and before either had
spoken, one end of the car settled lit
tie and the wife was released.


"Mary, are you iving? asked the
husband, being his first words after the
fall. She replied that she was not even
hurt, beyond brrlise or two, and by
this time the shouting and confusion
around them proved that the train was
off the track, though neither one sus-
pected that it was more than tumble
into q wayside ditch. 1t was wonderful
how q woman could retain her presence
of mind under such exciting circumstance,
but Mrs Orburn didn't even cry out
after the shock. Scores of other passen-
gers were shrieking in pain and fright as
the cold waters flooded one end OF the
car and the flames began to eat dway at
the other.


The woman cleared herself of the
broken seats Just as the fire started, and
she then ascertained that her husband
was pinned fast to the floor by the wreck
of matter on his leg, which was partially
bent around one of the iron standards OF
seat. She worked with all her might
to set him free, but the raging flames
we're now only few feee away, and the
smoke and heat were becoming terrib lie


"Mary, take hold of my foot, bend my
leg toward you with all your might and
see if you can't break it - called the
husband, who thought he could easily
free himself if the leg was released from
it's cramped position. The wife seized
his foot, meaning to obey, but at that
moment the car lurched over little and
her husband released himself. When
they left the car her dress was on fire,
showing that another minute would have
enveloped both in the flames.


Both were able to walk to the hotel as
soon as released, having escaped with
only few bruises. The heroic wife and
mother was not only ready to obey her
husbands orders, but she had a plan OF
her own.


"When I saw the flames just upon
u.s." she said, "and while l was sure
that my husband would be burned alive,
I made up my mind to put one OF the
cushions over him, lie down on top of
that, and hope that, while 1 was being
burned up help would come to him for
our children's sake"


81 was afraid she wouldn't be strong
enough to break my leg" added the hus-
band, "and then it would be all up with
me. was going to have her get out,
and then, rather than be burned alive, [
was going to destruction. Well, 1 had
this big knife in my right hand pocket,
and my right arm was free to get it and
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