Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 October 1907 — BRIDGES BURNED NEAR REYNOLDS [ARTICLE]

BRIDGES BURNED NEAR REYNOLDS

Serious Wreck Narrowly Averted by Quick Work of T. P. & W. Engineer. f - What seemed like an attempt to wreck and“ rob j either the west bound passenger train, or the pay train which followed it, on the Pennsylvania roadnear Reynolds, was thwarted last Saturday by the quick grasp of the situation taken by the passenger engineer. ~ George E. Marshall, former editor Of the Republican, and Rev. J. L. Brady were passengers on the train. Rev. Brady was going tu Kentland to fill a Sunday appointment and Mr. Marshall was on his way to Remington to spend Sunday with his family. The'train was about two miles out of Reynolds when it gave a sudden jerk as tho stopped abruptly and then it lunged forward again at all the speed the engine could command. The train jerked and swung low on one side and volumes of smoke ascended and sparks of fire were scattered wide from the track. As soon as was possible the train was brought to a stop, and everyone got out and went back to investigate, and it was found that the railroad bridge over Honey creek was on fire and some o c the timbers had almost burned in two. The engineer had notseen the difficulty in time to stop the train before hitting the bridge even after having reversed the lever, and when he saw that he must trit the bridge he threw open the lever and acquired all the speed he could so as to cross over as soon as possible.— It happened that many section men were on the train, having been taken from the sections along the west end of the line to work over about Logansport, and they were on their way home. They took their dinner pails and put out the fire. After some delay the train proceeded on its way and the engineer thought he had better examine conditions at the bridge over the Monon creek a mile and a hall further west, and it was found that that biidge too had been fired and that the east end of it burned entirely out The train was halted between the two bridges and could go neither way. Passengers from, the three crowded coaches, which •included many people from Remington, got out of the cars and proceeded to make the best of the situation. They were near Seafield and many of them were able to gel; into communication by means of telephone with parties at their homes or places where they were going, and finally carriages and hacks were brought over from Remington, a distance of 12 miles, and the from that place reached there at about 3 o’clock on Sunday morning. In the meantime a train had been backed up from Effner, the State Line station, and the other passengers transferred to it, and this train reached Remington at the same time the hacks did. The rescue by this route seems to have been delayed by an engine being off the track at Goodland. As it was, the train and the passengers were delayed about 12 hours, and it gave them plenty of opportunity to theorize on the cause of the burning bridges. The last train that passed over them had been some three hours before and it is thought if the bridges had been accidently fired by it they would have been entirely burned out by the time the passenger arrived. It is said the pay train was due to follow the passenger, and was about decided that the bridges were fired by parties who hoped to wreck and rob this train. It was a mighty close call for the passenger, and five minutes more burning would probably so weakened the Honey creek bridge — ______________

!tbat it would have gone down under the weight of the train, and had the engineer not decided to investigate the Monon creek bridge the entire train would have beeS vfrecked there. It Was a very fortunate escape. ‘ Bert Josserand, who formerly lived near Renrselaer, resided very mear the. place where the train was (halted and he relieved the hunger of the passengers, especially the babies and children, by taking them a large dish pan full of cookies and several gallons of fresh Milk. He refused to accept any pay whatever for it. It was a very generous deed on his part Detectives wilt probably be jrat on the case without delay.