July 22, 2013

Woman Picked Up on the Snow Plough of Train, 1860

From the Alexandria (Virginia) Gazette on April 2, 1860:



A Lady Picked Up on the Snow Plough of a Locomotive!

Narrow Escape from Death!

A singular accident occurred on Monday evening last on the Central Railroad at Waterloo, says the Rochester Union, by which a lady of that village had a gratuitous ride before a locamotive, and narrowly escaped a terrible death by being crushed beneath the wheels of the engine.  As the mail train, due here at 11.30 last night, was coming into Waterloo at 8.40, Mr. Wright, the engineer of the locomotive "General Gould," saw a lady running along one of the streets toward the train.  Not supposing that she intended to cross the track ahead of the train, he kept on his way running slowly, perhaps five or six miles per hour.  The lady, probably deceived somewhat by the speed of the train or the distance it was from her, attempted to cross the track ahead of the engine, but did not succeed.  She was struck by the small snow-plough or pilot, and fell upon it in such a manner that she rode quite safely for ten rods of more.  The engineer, the instant that he saw how summarily he had taken up a passenger, shut off steam, reversed, and by the application of the breaks; stopped the train as soon as possible.  He ran to the lady and found that she was not so much injured, but that she was able to walk and speak.  She was somewhat disconcerted by the accident, but expressed the belief that she had received no serious injury.  It was a miraculous escape from a dreadful death.

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