Ligonier Valley Rail Road Newspaper Articles
We have compiled over 1,400 newspaper articles that mention the Ligonier Valley Railroad, or related subjects. The articles were originally published starting in 1873 and our collection runs through 1995. Enjoy!
Latrobe Bulletin
Saturday, February 17, 1917
Thrilling Runaway Of Cars Down Side Of Laurel Hill
There were exciting times on the Oak Grove Lumber companys branch railroad, known as the Laurel Hill extension of the Wilpen branch of the Ligonier Valley railroad, (whew!) yesterday afternoon with a runaway train and a tied-down whistle and nick-of-time get-aways and a grand smashup being among the features.
Everything to make one of the most exciting movies ever conceived.
Everything, that is, except the camera man.
The scenario included a picturesque branch railroad, laid up the side of the mountain to a point nearly three miles above Kissell Springs, with a busy lumber camp near the top.
An engine, with three cars ahead laboriously fought its way up the grade to the camp and there left the three cars to be loaded.
The only way the cars could be induced to remain where they were put, was by chaining them to the track.
The engine, with William White and Valley Roy on board then started down the mountain side again while meantime a number of men began loading the cars with logs, making use of a patent steam loading appliance affixed to one of the cars.
Half way down the mountain the engine slipped off the rails. That was bad enough, but there was much more to come.
William White climbed under the engine to see what could be done while Valley Roy was in the cab, figuring out a way to get the critter back upon the track.
Thus matters stood when the excitement began.
One of the three cars had been heavily loaded, and the logs were being lifted into the next one when Dell Parsons, who was operating the steam loader, felt something move beneath him.
It was the car. The chains had given away, and the three cars, one loaded to the gunwales with great logs, were starting down the mountain side, slowly, but none the less surely.
Dell gave one look down, - and to his amazement, far below, - nearly a mile, in fact, - he saw the engine still upon the track, or rather off it.
He knew what that meant a collision.
And all the time the cars were gaining momentum, going a bit faster and still faster.
Dell, without losing an instant leaped to the whistle attached to the steam loading contrivance, and tied it down, causing a continuous shriek to escape from its brass lips.
Then he jumped, escaping uninjured.
The cars, going faster and faster, tore down the mountain side, finally gaining a speed estimated at fifty miles an hour.
William White, under the engine, and Valley Roy, inside it, head the whistle, and wondered what had broke loose.
They discovered, just in time to get away. Roy catching his foot and badly spraining his ankle as he jumped.
Then came the smash.
The air seemed full of logs and engines and cars for a few seconds. Then everything settled down into one jug jumble.
The work of clearing away the wreckage was still in process this morning.