Crew, 85 passengers safe as train hits washout in track.

Pair see gap, jump from cab.

Markham, Oct. 15.—We both saw the hole in the tracks ahead of use. We pulled the air brakes and jumped.

CNR Engineer Ted Barnett counted himself lucky to be alive tonight after the locomotive and express car of his passenger train [No. 94] bound from Toronto to Peterborough was derailed in a washout a mile north of here.

Three passenger cars containing 85 commuters remained on the track. Most of the passengers marooned on a black sea of flooded culvert, huddled down to spend the night before equipment could be brought to guide them to Markham.

Engineer Barnett and Fireman F. Coffie landed in deep water that filled the culvert near No. 48 Highway, and swam to safety. They missed death by inches when the locomotive crashed beside them. Both suffered bruises and shock.

The conductor, Percy Cottam, thought the two men were killed in the derailment. I couldn't get across the culvert to where they landed. he said.

It was another engineer, T. Sinclair, who was travelling on his day off, who jumped from the passenger car, grabbed a lantern, and ran, staggered and crawled half a mile in the storm before he was picked up by a motorist on the highway.

Later, Markham station agent Bob Davidson sweated feverishly for half an hour trying to get through to Scarboro to warn the station there of the washout and of a second at Unionville.

Meanwhile, Markham learned of the accident and responded. Townsmen carried clothing and food along the wasjed-out track to where the 85 commuters waited in the coaches.

Some were able to accept the hospitality of the town, where two restaurants served coffee and sandwiches. The others, ill-equipped for the trip, remained for the night.

Baggageman R. Callahan saved his own life by scrambling out the door while his car was slowly dipping into the culvert.

Passengers said they felt only a slight jolt and then air brakes took hold.

Late tonight supplies of food were still being brought by foot to where the 85, who boarded a train for home at 5 p.m., will spend the next nine hours.

Railways: C.N.Rys.

Stations: Markham, Unionville

Results