Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1869-09-18
Chased hy Fire nj SeVeaty Niles
nu Hear.

in,erSegtS she Lake Shore road II
this place. The station at the
junction Is named Broctou. Vow
ltt il be understood that trom this
po.ut TO May ySville, AZ the head OF
IhautauQaa Lake, . distance OF
only about ten miles, 4 train -
carried over an elevation of seven
hundred feet. From the station
10 the summit the grade is about
eighty feet 10 the mile, with curves
which increase the distance BY four
miles. Ii is over this Rad that
the immense quantities Of lIetrole'
um are brought.
On Tuesday evening about nine
o'clock, train consisting OF SIX
oil cars and two passenger cars,
reached the summit on its way TO
the junction. Here by some cause
as vet unexplained. one of the oil
tanks took fire. The passenger
ears were ut once detached, and
the brakes stopped them. Next
the oil cars were cut OF, and the
locomotive, tender and box ear
containing two valuable horses
aud two men, passed down tho
road. the engineer SuppoSlng that
the hrakeSmen on the oil cars
would arrest the course Of those,
hut what was his horror on look.
ing back to see the six ears in pur'
SUIT of him down the grade, en-
yeloped in flames. They not only
pursued him, but overlook him,
knocking the horses and men nat
upon the floor, and yet miracu'
lously not throwing the engine
tlun the track.
1t was now with the engineer
) race for life, aud lie gave the en-
zine every ounce of steam. Look
ing south from the place OF my
, residence at that terrible juncture,
! one of the most magnificent spec
tacles was Witnessed that man
SO in A lifetime. a sheet Of in
't,nselv bright flame, sixty fee;
high. was seen coming down that
southern slope, apparently with
the speed of u meteor, and really
very nearly the speed Of a hurri-
" cane eighty miles an hour y for
pursued and pmSuer flew over tho
course, or rather down 1t, aud
around the curves at the rate Of
seventy miles an hour, as the en-
gipeer declares, and as everybody
can believe who Witnessed the
! spectacle. The whole heavens
were illuminated, and the land
!, scape was lit Hp as by the MONDAY
D. light. Onward aud downward
M flew the engine, and behind 1t
thundered tue huge fiery demon.
Twice its prodigiouS weight WAS
10 driven against the fugitive, as y
with a purpose to drive II nom
- the track. IL seemed as IL 10 the
heroic engineer and hromar fhers
was a perfect environment ot peru.
The speed Of the engine was sucn
that it ceased to pump; then again
the Cincinnati express was due az
the junction at this time.
icb The engineer of the oil train
whistled ''opeu switch" and shak
inc hands with the fireman, they
babe each other farewell, knowing
no. that their lives depended on tht
.os opening of the Lake Shore switch
''' by their friends below, and TIM
AT, was to imperil the express tralI
He coming down from the West viii
its living human freight. The en-
rr eipeer on this train saw the mr.
loS when it broke ont at the summit
,ts and suppoSing he could clear tn
,ol junction before the flaming terro
ms reached it, he, too, put his engln
for to the utmost speed on levt
a grade. 4 mile short of the june
1re. ton, he saw that the effort was
/ a vain one, for the flying conhagr'
self ton had rashtd out upon the Lax
inc Shore track, md was roaring OF
'ins ward in the q rection OF DWklri
nme He checked the headlong rush
in 4 his own train and brought it to
nest stand still. 1t did not prOcee
tom until three o'clock i'll the morning
oore The ease took in another dal
ho. per. and it was imminent.
him heavy freight train was coming U
a,'",. thn Lake Shore road. All | W
nllv say of this is that it did escape
,l,ef the side track, and only escape
.ork by the last minute of p0sslblllt
,vnr. Running ON to d safe distan
ans. from the depot, the engineer
was the oil train detached his engi
the, and left the six ears to cOnsun
10th. He SAYS his situation was tul
at if realized by him. He expected
have lose his life. At every nome
very he expected the engine to lea
ner. the track. He saw that he "
4 not going at perilous rate OF spe,
etch. but there was no help for it. ]
has. demon was behind him, and he
n aid clares that it looked like dem
It off With that iOhohesS, OF Eeal Hn
rreen ton for his engine, which tn
Salts men display, ne sialdi \ tnSVs
mt on everything OF my elSns Sll"
hay determined to stay by it to
plant last" The hrealan maue one
1 the tempt to escape ~ Jumping II
W two the tender, bat tho engineer
wait trained him. Altogether the
taste currence was EeHlarRaDle =
,sured and in part remarkable for t
trick that nollves WeRe loSt~ 4he OIs
result men ON the oil cars had gone b
gessed to the passenger cars, when
-1.-I,l iii ,o,., s+ortad II was we'll 4