One elderly man, believed to be some sort of scientist, carried a barometer in his baggage and now propped the device on the floor. “Every few minutes,” according to one account, “he would examine it by the flickering railroad lantern and tell the people that the atmospheric pressure was still falling and that the worst was yet to come.” This did not endear him to the other passengers. Later, some would express an interest in dashing the barometer against the floor.
