A Narrow Escape

    The Detroit Masonic party who attended the Belleville banquet at which Judge Newkirk was toastmaster had a narrow escape, which is thus told: A party of officers of the grand lodge of Masons headed by Grand Worshipful Master Frank T. Lodge, with a number of ladies went to Belleville Thursday night on a special train to dedicate a new Masonic temple at that place and narrowly escaped being mixed up in a railroad collision.

    The Masonic party left the Union depot in a one car special. The engine was running backward. The St. Louis limited had pulled out shortly before, out considerably behind time. Between Hand and Romulus the engine attached to the limited broke down and the rear brakeman was sent out to flag. When the Masonic special came tearing along, the flagman's signal received no response from the oncoming locomotive, and it flashed on him that neither the engineer nor the fireman saw him. Quickly swinging his lantern over his head, he stood close to the track and hurled it full over the tender of the oncoming locomotive into the cab where it crashed to pieces at the foot of the engineer. The startling signal was at once obeyed and the special was stopped. Then the brakeman of the special was sent out to do flag duty. He had no chance to do anything notable, but he froze one of his ears stiff, standing on the track and waiting for another train to come along for him to save.