VERNONIA EAGLE, VERNONIA, OREGON
Sardine’s Life Is
to Be an Open Book
Two Trains on a Track”
By FLOYD GIBBONS
Famous Headline Hunter.
“IF I'D been embarking on an expedition into some unex-
A plored jungle,” says George Force of New York city, "I
might have been ready for anything. But as it happened, adven
ture came to me on a trip home from the office. A trip I took
six days a week, fifty weeks in the year.” Well, George, I’ve been
arguing for a long time that that’s the way most adventures
happen.
It was on January 27, 1903, and George was on a train
headed for home, which was then in a small. New Jersey sub
urban town. It was a funny old train—as we know trains now.
The cars were wooden ones. They were heated by coal
stoves, one of which was set in the middle of each car. It was a
cold, snowy night. The train was rolling along about twenty
miles out of New York, and just beyond the town of Westfield.
At the other side of Westfield, the train stopped. The express was
coming through and the little local was switched to another track. The
railroad dispatchers intended it to stay there until the express had
gone by.
Tragic Train Wreck on Winter Night.
But something went wrong with the signals. The big train—the
Royal Blue Line Philadelphia Express—doing sixty miles an hour—was
on the wrong track. It was coming straight for the rear-end of the local
train on which George was riding, but not a man on either train knew it
until it was too late. The first George knew of it was when the crash
came. It came with a terrible, jarring impact that shook the train
from one end to another. Then, as far as George was concerned, the
whole world seemed to be coming to an end.
Says George: “I was in the forward part of the third car.
The crash, when it came, was so terrific that it pushed our train
half a mile along the tracks. The shock of that collision alone
killed many people.
But that shock was only the beginning. Jolted half out of his
senses, George was dimly conscious of the whole terrible affair. Like a
man in a dream he saw the car he was in turn over on its side. As it
They Led Him Away from the Frightful Scene.
turned, George went head first through a window, cutting his face,
bruising his back. With the whole upper part of his body out of that
window, he was dragged along the tracks as the car, lying on its side,
still continued to scrape along them.
Express Locomotive Bores Into Wooden Car.
When a thousand things all happen at once, it takes a long time
to tell them. Actually, George’s whole adventure didn’t last more than
ten minutes all told. He felt the car turning over almost at the same
time as the initial impact. He saw himself going through the window,
felt himself being dragged along the rough surface of the roadbed,
scarcely a split second after the car had toppled.
That scared him plenty, but the most awesome sight was the
one that came just another split second after he fell through the
window of that still-moving car.
George was up in the front part of his car. If he hadn’t been, he
might not have been alive today. For to the rear of the car came a
horrible grinding sound. The whole back-end crumpled like match
wood. And into the car—right down its crazily tilted aisle—came the
locomotive of the express.
George Describes Scenes of Frightful Horror.
George watched it in a daze of fear as it pushed its steaming
head forward. It had gone through two cars already, killing and mash
ing and maiming their passengers. Now it was coming after George.
Would that hot, smoking juggernaut get him? George held his breath,
certain that it was the end, but half way down the car, the engine
stopped.
The car was filled with cries and groans. Injured people
were everywhere. The car was burning, as were all the other
cars on the train, set afire by the up-ended coal stoves that
heated them.
Says George: “The scenes 1 witnessed then were indescribable.
The car was a twisted, misshapen mass of ruin. Burning ruin, with
the locomotive embedded in its midst Dead, wounded and helpless
humans were lying along its entire length. Passengers from the few
cars that were not harmed seemed stunned, and it was the less serious-
Marshfield, Ore.—The life cy
cle of the pilchard—an over
grown sardine—is about to be
bared to the public, according
to M. T. Hoy of the Oregon state
fish commission.
Little is known at present
about the habits of pilchards.
Hoy said, because they have
been caught in Oregon waters
only during the past eighteen
months. An extensive study of
their life cycle is planned to aid
fishermen.
Funds for the proposed study
will be obtained from a reserve
built up by a 50-cent per ton tax
on pilchards. Vernon E. Brock,
Stanford university pilchard ex
pert, will conduct the investiga
tion here.
► ThelttanMwOÖ
Tales and Traditions
from American Political History
ky
ELMO SCOTT WATSON and FRANK E. HAGAN
ROOSTER CROW
bered the panic of 1837 and blamed
HE Gooding tavern In Green President Van Buren for it
In the midst of the campaign
field, Ind., has long since dis
Pattison, editor of the In
appeared but it deserves to be re George
membered as the birthplace of a dianapolis Constitution, wrote a let
familiar emblem of one of the ma ter to William Sebastian of Green
field in which he said: "I have
jor political parties.
Back in the thirties it was owned been informed by a Democrat that
by Joseph Chapman, an ardent in one part of your county 30 Van
Democrat, who had the habit Buren men have turned for Har
of imitating a rooster when exult rison. Please let me know if such
ing over victories by his party. As be the fact. I think such a de
a result, when his political ene plorable state of facts can not ex
mies won, they taunted him by ist. If so I will visit Hancock and
shoiding: “Now crow, Chapman, address the people relative to the
policy of the Democratic party. I
crowT”
have not time to spare, but I will
In 1840 Chapman was a candidate refuse to eat or sleep or rest so
Hooks 600-Lb. Halibut
Victoria, B. C.—A halibut weigh- for the state legislature from Han long as anything can be done. Do
ing 600 pounds was caught by an cock county. In that year Demo for heaven’s sake, stir up the De
Indian here with a hand line and cratic prospects were far from mocracy. See Chapman, tell him
bright The country still remem- not to do as he did heretofore. He
home-made hooks.
used to create unnecessary alarms;
he must crow; we have much to
crow over. I will insure this coun
ty to give a Democratic majority
of 200 votes. Spare no pains.”
This letter accidentally fell into
the hands of the Whigs and was
published in an Indianapolis paper
with a view to ridiculing the Dem
-----------
«---------------------------------------- ocrats. But it proved to be a
boomerang for the Whigs. “Crow,
was evident that the pjanes Chapman, crowl” became the slo
Domination of North At It
which had crossed international gan of the Indiana Democrats and
lantic Flying Is Sought. borders to drop bombs could also spread all over the country.
fly across with samples and sales
When the Indiana Sentinel was
launched in 1841 it carried at the
New York.—This summer will men.
"Therefore, the treaty makers top of its front page the picture
see the last undeveloped airways
ci the world, the Nortn Atlantic voted into international law the of a proud rooster and under it
routes, divided up among England, principle that control of the land was the slogan “Crow, Chapman,
United States, France and Ger carried with it the control of the crow!” Other Democratic newspa
many says William Clemmens, in air above that land, and that no pers began carrying the same pic
aircraft could fly over foreign ter ture and slogan and soon the
Cosmopolitan.
“These are the four nations com ritory without permission of the for rooster, crowing proudly whether in
victory or defeat, became the ac
peting in the race to establish com eign government."
America has certain advantages cepted symbol of the Democratic
mercial air routes between Europe
and North America, and whoever in the air race, however. She has party.
can dominate North transatlantic tested oceanic equipment and
WINNING WITH BUCKEYES
flying will be pre-eminent in the trained personnel, and Pan Ameri WHEN Martin Van Buren,
commercial aviation of the entire can Airways has an agreement
bosom friend and successor to
with Imperial Airways and also
earth," he states.
fiery Andrew Jackson, undertook
Greenland
and
Ice-
holds
rights
in
“For two years the United States
to succeed himself in the White
has had the equipment, the skill land.
House in the race of 1840 some-
a
good
position
to
France
is
In
and the experience to establish
thing new in political history was
Europe and make advantageous trades in the the result
air transport between —
North
Atlantic,
because
of
the
situ
North America,” he points out.
Van Buren not only was defeat
“For the same period France and ation in Europe and the Orient ed. He insured the election of
Britain
’
s
shortest
air
route
to
her
Germany have been flying the
Gen. William Henry Harrison
South Atlantic. But Great Britain African and Asiatic colonies lies of Ohio and he endowed Ohio with
has not been ready, and without across France, and French Indo the name of the Buckeye state,
her consent nobody can move in China is on the direct route from which flourishes today.
the North Atlantic. Now at last Singapore to Hong Kong. France
It all came about when the cry
she is ready to treat with her com- also is ready to fly the North At was taken up by Van Buren’ j cam
lantic. Germany has less to trade
petitors.
with England. But she has the paigners that Harrison was more
England Holds Advantage.
Zeppelins, which fly non-stop from perfectly fitted to live in a log
“So far as aviation is concerned Germany to New York. And Ger cabin and drink hard cider than to
today, the North Atlantic is a Brit man planes are now flying the nar go to Washington as the nation’«
ish pond. England holds the air rower South Atlantic with the aid of head.
The only background for the at
advantages because she controls mother ships permanently stationed
tack was that when the hero of
the terminals. With flying equip in mid-ocean.
Tippecanoe retired from battle he
ment what it is now, there are on
“So,” he concludes, “it seems
ly two feasible routes that will pay likely that aU the nations will selected a site overlooking the
dividends to stockholders, available emerge with something, and the Ohio river in the southwestern part
to the transatlantic flyer. One is set-up may be something like this: of the state, built a double log
by way of Newfoundland and Ire Great Britain and the United house and finished it with shining
land, the other via Bermuda and States virtually partners from the white clapboards.
Ohioans naturally resented the
the Azores, and England controls operational point of view, with Im
both these routes.”
perial Airways and Pan American slur on their habits of living, in
Contrary to the general belief, Airways running a joint serv cluding the charge of tippling. Min
the air is not free.
ice across the Newfoundland-Ire iature log cabins, symbolic of pio
“The gentlemen who divided the land route, and a spur service from neer life and the vigor which
loot at Versailles saw to that,” he the United States to Bermuda; pushed civilization westward from
goes on. “The World war had ad France and Germany operating In the more effete east, made their
vanced aviation as much as twen dependently on the Bermuda-Azores appearance throughout the state.
These cabins were reproduced
ty years of peace could have done. route."
from buckeye logs. So were the
canes carried by thousands of
ly wounded—some of whom had been in the worst of the wreck—who marchers who participated in pa
realized that help must be given to the dead and dying and that some rades to advance the candidacy of
thing must be done about those pinned in flaming cars.”
Harrison. The cabins were mount
ed on wagons and within each was
Wreck Cost the Lives of 30 Passengers.
a homy • handed frontiersman,
George himself was one of the latter. He couldn’t get out alone, quaffing hard cider.
and only did with difficulty when three or four men came to help. When
Van Buren was not neglected
at last they pried him loose, he was still in a state of half-consciousness. while this was going on. He was
His clothes, from his neck to his waist, had been torn completely from attacked by the Ohioans as a snob
his body. They ted him away through a scene of the most frightful dis with a penchant for European cus
order. Moaning, bleeding, scalded victims lay in rows by the side of toms.
the track, and every minute rescuers brought out more.
By the time the ‘'Buckeye'* pa
Every passenger in the rear car was killed outright. Few
rades popularized and spread east
escaped in the next one. The engineer of the express train died a
of the Alleghenies, Van Buren’s
few minutes after the accident. AU told, thirty people were
managers realized their mistake
killed and scores were Injured.
and tried in vain to stem the tide.
And George—well—every time he thinks of that wreck, and the It was too late. General Harrison
way that locomotive came crashing right into the car after him. he won the election, hands down, and
counts himself pretty lucky not to have ! been ory
one of thojs pc;
poor devils Ohio has been known ever since
©—WNU Sorvlco.
CO.
■»
j —-------------- ——
as the Buckeye state.
in the last car. 7^*^
«
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-w_ 1 Waitiri Niwioioir Uilaa.
T
Four Nations Race
for Ocean Airways