Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1869-09-08
RACE FoRLIFE ON RAILROAD.
AN ENGINEER CHASED BY FIRE AT SEW.
ENTY MILES AN HoUR--A THRILLING

RACE F0RLIFE ON A RAILROAD.
AN ENGINEER CHASED BY FIRE AT sEv.
ENTY MILLS AN HouR--A THRILLING
NARRATIVE.
(cOHsspondence Grand Rspids tMieh.) Ragls,l
- 10 make It an intelligibla
matter TO the reader, lot me say that
the Buffalo, Cory and Pittsburg road
intersects the Lake Shore Road AZ this
place. The station at the junction is
called Brocton. Now lot Il be under.
stood that from this point to Mayville,
ut the head OF Chaufuqua Lake, u
distance Of only about ten miles, a
train is carried over an elevation Of
700 feet. From the station TO the
summit the grade is about 80 feet 10
the milo, with curves which increase
the distance by four miles. II is over
this road that the immense quantities
OF petroleum are brought
On Tuesday evening, about 9 o'clock,
a train consisting Of six oil cars and
two passenger cars reached the sum.
nit on its way to the junction. Here,
by some cause as yet unexplained, one
of the oil tanks took fire. The pas.
senger cars were at once detached,
and the brakes stopped them. Next
the oil cars were cut of, and tho
locomotive, tender, and box car con-
tanning two valuable horses and two
men passed down the road, the engi.
neer supposed that the braliemen on
the oil cars would arrest the course of
those. but what was his horror on
looking back, to see the six cars Ia
pursuit of him down the grade, envel.
oped in flames. They not only EUR
sued but overlook him, striking the
box car with inconceivable force.
knocking the horses and men fat upon
the floor, and yet almost miraculously
not throwing the engine from the
track.
1t was now with the engineer a
rn"e for life, and be gave the engine
every ounce ofsteam. Looking South
from my residence at that terrible juno
ture, one of the most magnificent
spectacles was witnessed that man
sees in alifetime. A Asheet of intensely
bright flame, sixty feet high, was seen
coming down that southern slope, ap-
parently with the speed of meteor,
and really very neafly the speed Of 4
burricane eighty miles an hour, for
.pursuer and pursued flew over the
course, or rather down it, and around
the curSes, at the rate of seventy miles
an hour,as tlie'snginecr declares, and
as every body can believe who wit.
messed the spectacle Tho, whole
heavens were illuminated, and the
whole landscape was lit up as BY the
MONDAY light. Onward and down.
ward few the engine and behind il
few and thundered the huge fiery
demon
Twice its prodigious weight was
driven against The fugitive, as if in
stinct with purpose to drive il from
the track. IL seemed us if to the
heroic engineer aud fremen there was
n perfect environment of peril. The
speed Of the engine was such that Il
ceased to pump; then again, the Gin.
cinnati express was due at the junction
at this time. The engineer Of the oil
train whistled "opcn SWITCH" and
shaking hands with the fireman, they
badc each other farewell, knowing
that their lives depended on the open.
ing Of the Lake Shore switch by their
friends below, and this was TO imperil
the express train coming down lrom
the West with its living human freight.
The engineer Of this train saw the FIRE
when il first broke out at :he summit,
aud supposed be conld clear the Juno.
tion before the flaming terror reached
it, he too, put his engine to its utmost
speed on level grade. A milo short
OF the junction he saw that the effort
was vain one, for tho flying conda.
grafton had rushed upon the Lake
Shore track, and was roaring onward
in the direction Of Dunkirk. Ho
checked the onward caurse of his own
train and brought 1t 10 n standstill.
1t did not proceed until o'clock In
the morning.
Tne case took in another danger,
and IL was imminent. A heavy freight
train was coming up the Lake Shore
road All will shy Of the escape Of
this is that il did escape TO the side
track, aud openly escaped by the last
minute of possibility
Running on TO n safe distance from
the depot, tho engineer OF the oil train
detached his engine and left the six
cars to consume He says his situa.
tion was fully realized by him. Ho
expected 10 lose his life. At evoiy
moment be expected the engine TO
leave the track. lie saw he was going
at perilous rate of speed, but there
was no help for il. The demon was
behind him, and he declared that II
looked like demon. With that fond
ness or real affection for his engine,
which these men display, he said, al
thought everything Of my engine, and
was determined TO stay by II 10 the
last" The fireman made one attempt
10 escape by jumping from the tender,
but thscnginecr restrained him. Alto
gether the occurrence was d remarka-
bic one, and In part was remarkable
for this, that no lives were lost. Tho
brakemen on the oil cars had gone
back TO tho passenger cars, when the
oil cars started. IL was well they did.
Unless those rear cars had been de-
tachcd and stopped, their inmates
would have been burned 70 desth.