life lessons learned from the Lucin Cut-off

I'm compiling the chapter in my book "Death At The Station".
There are many things we can learn from this Railroad trestle.

1. Nothing is impossible.  If you have the heart and the drive and a plan. Stick with it and the people who told you "It can't be done" or "You can't do that" "You'll never succeed." Prove them wrong. Just like the Lucin-Cut off  IT CAN BE DONE. You can do it.
   
     There were many people who said the Cut off would not work.   A trestle at that length built on sandy, salty, unstable base not to mention the 10-foot waves that would crash into it during a storm. It will never work.  It will be cost prohibitive, the amount of money put into building the trestle will never be recouped.
      They were all wrong. The cost ended up to be over eight million dollars, but In January, 1904 the Southern Pacific was at full bore and saved $61,000 in operating costs compared to the same month in 1903.  The cut-off would pay for itself in eight years.

2. Storms can be weathered. A storm in life may tear you apart, break you to pieces, but those pieces can be put back together and you'll be stronger.  So strong that a freight train can zoom across  and make it to the other side.

The storms out on the Great Salt Lake are wicked.  Waves can reach up to 10 ft, it can take a small boat and swallow it up.  Bigger boats were dashed into the tressle damaging both



3. Sometimes we need to let them go.   We've all had people in our lives that we give and give and give to, they are never satisfied.  These are the negative people that can suck you dry and make your foundation unstable.  These are the people we need to let go of in our lives.

Rambo was suppose to be a telegraph station along the Lucin cut off.   There was a sink hole so voracious rocks and fill were dumped into it 24-7.   70,000 Railroad car loads of rocks and dirt were poured into this one spot in the Great Salt Lake.   They were trying to build a   but the bottom of the lake was just too unstable.


4. Sometimes it just isn't the right time for our dreams to come true.  We have our goal and our plan of how to achieve that goal, but then things get in the way.  An illnes,

AlmostThere

We are so close to publishing Death At The Station.  We are formatting it as we type.
For a Sneak Peek Here is one of the people who died at Union Station.
If you are planning to attend the Night At The Museum this year you might want a few names to ask those ghosts about.

This girl's name wasn't printed in the paper unfortunately

A sixteen-year-old girl died en route.

Ogden Herald 1881-05-06 P.4

Yesterday a young lady arrived in town, accompanied by her sister, and with the grim of angel death hovering over her footsteps.  She had lately left her home in Schleswig Holstein,[Germany] Europe, to go to friends in California where she hoped to restore her broken health.  But fate was against her and she was destined not to leave this valley.

In a sadly desponding condition, she was taken to the Keeney House where she was given kind attendance, Dr. A.S. Condon was called to her bedside, but in vain.  At about 4 o’clock this morning she breathed her last, “a stranger in a strange land,” A gentleman who had been traveling with the deceased and her sister showed a Samaritan’s charity to the distressed, providing for their comfort, not shirking any expense. The deceased was a handsome girl of about sixteen years, her sister being her elder by three years.  Neither of them could talk English.  At 1 p.m. today, the funeral was to take place.

No other information was found.

One of the ghost children that plays upstairs maybe Samuel Faddies age 6 years old. Playing around the tracks he was run over by an engine and CUT IN HALF.

Samuel Faddies

Ogden Daily Junction 1880-04-21

Yesterday afternoon, about four o’clock, occurred one of those horrible and blood-curdling casualties, which, though fortunately but of rare occurrence in this locality, when happening always cause a thrill or horror to those who witness or even hear of such a catastrophe.

The unfortunate victim who was aged six years, was a son of Mr. [Robert] Faddies, formerly of the C.P. transfer service, but at the present engaged at Coalville.

From the account given of the affair by several of the boys who were transferring rails from the U.P. to the C.P. train in the vicinity of the accident, near First Street [Twenty-first street], we learn that several children came running to them and stated that a little boy had been run over and cut to pieces by the yard engine.

The boys immediately repaired to the scene, and a fearful sight presented itself.  The body of the poor child was discovered on the track, literally cut in two.

The transfer boys gathered up the remains, and placing them on a board, took them to the residence of Mr. Faddies.

There are several stories in relation to the accident.  Some assert that the little fellow attempted to climb on the step in the rear of the tender, the engine being in rapid motion, and others that he was simply crossing the track, and the engine ran over him before he had time to get off the track.

In conversation with an intimate friend of the bereaved family, today the gentleman was included to this latter theory, as he thought it impossible for a child so young as deceased to attempt to climb upon the engine.

One of the gentlemen who assisted in carrying the remains over to the parents’ residence, asserts however the poor child did attempt to climb on the engine (probably in imitation of the yard-men, whom he had seen perform this feat number of times.)

The mother of the poor child, who lives in a small house on one side of the track was the first on the scene of the accident, and when she gave one glance at the body of her little one so cruelly mangled, she became perfectly distracted with grief and horror, and could not bear to gaze upon the fearful sight of the mangled infant, and it was not until the arrival of the gentlemen previously named that the body was removed.

No blame can be attached to the train men, who always seem to be on the alert, and though always vigilant cannot be expected to be watching every point at one and the same time.  The funeral, which took place to[day was largely attended by the friends of the family. Previous to the funeral an inquest was held, and a verdict rendered in accordance with the evidence adduced.

Following is the verdict of the coroner’s jury…

Ogden City, June 13, 1880

We, the jurors whose names are here unto signed, being summoned to enquire into the death of Samuel Faddies, aged six years, on the 15^th of July 1880, son of Robert and Elizabeth Faddies, do testify from the evidence given, that the said Samuel Faddies came to his death by the C.P.R.R. switch engine running over his body.