J. C. & L. E. Train Had Close Call to Serious Wreck at this Place Saturday Afternoon.
Train 4 on the Jamestown, Chautauqua & Lake Erie railroad, which left Jamestown at 1:25 p.m. Saturday had a narrow escape from being badly wrecked at this place, between the Main street and Lake Shore depots. Only for the presence of mind of Engineer Lessler was the train saved from going over an embankment and although there were only three or four passengers in the train at the time, had the train been wrecked they would have been seriously injured, if not killed.
At the point between the two depots where the railroad tracks come near to Chautauqua Creek, there is a spot of quicksand and the filling for the roadbed at this point was for the most part clay.
The heavy rain of Friday and Saturday had greatly loosened this filling and when the train passed over it the earth began to settle.
Engineer Lessler realized this as soon as the locomotive struck the spot and with great presence of mind he threw the throttle wide open, jerking the engine and two coaches over the spot before the rails had time to part. Other members of the train crew became frightened and jumped. A. H. Rehn was the conductor of the train.
After the train was on solid track again and those in charge went back to investigate, it was found that the earth beneath the rails had sunk fully eight feet. The rails did not part and gradually sprang back to about the regular level. The fact that the locomotive and both coaches were light ones undoubtedly saved the train from tipping over into the ditch.
The work train was immediately sent here. and the damage is now being repaired.
Source: Westfield [NY] Republican, 22 January 1913, p. 2, NYS Historic Newspapers.