The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1869-09-10

the end the former will come off trium-
plant, leaving our conscience untroubed
and our garments unsullied.
Correspondence Grand Rapids (lHich) Eagle.
A Race for Life on Railroad
AN ENGINEER CHASED by FIRE AT SEVEN
TY MILES AN HoUR--A THRILLING MAR
RATIvE.
To make it an Ineligible matter
to the reader let me say that the Buffalo,
Cory and Pittsburg road intersects the
Lake Shore Road at this place. The sta
ton at the junction is called Brocton.-
Now let it be understood that from this
point to Mayville, at the head of Chautau-
qua Lake, distance of only about ten
miles, train is carried over an elevation
of 700 feet From the station TOT the sum
NIT the grade is about 80 feet to the mile,
with curves which increase the distance by
four miles, 1t is over this road that the
immense quantities Of p c tro leum are
brought.
On Tuesday evening, about 8 o'clock, a
train consisting of six oil cars and two pas
senger cars reached the summit on it's way
to the junction. Here, by some cause as
yet unexplained, one of the oil tanks took
hire. The passenger cars were at once de-
tached, and the brakes stopped them
Next the oil cars were cut off, and the To-
connective, tender, and box car containing
two valuable horses and two men passed
J down the road, the engineer supposing that
the brakemcn on the oil cars would arrest
the course of those, but what was his hor-
ror on looking back, to see the six in pur-
suit of him down the grade, enveloped in
flames. They not only pursued but over
took him, striking the box car with incon-
cciyable force, knocking the horses and
men flat upon the floor, and yet almost
miraculously not throwing the engine from
the track.
/ 1t was now with the engineer race for
life. and he gave the engine every ounce of
steam. Looking south from my residence
at that terrible juncturc, one of the
most magnificent spcctacles was witnessed
that man secs in lifetime. A sheet of
intensely bright flame, sixty feet high, was
seen coming down that southern slope, APP
/ parently with the speed Of meteor, and
really very nearly the speed ola hurricane
eighty miles an hour, for pursuer and
pursued flew over the course, or rather
down it, and around the curves, at the rate
of seventy miles an hour, as the engineer
declares, and as every body can believe
who witnessed the spectacle The whole
heavens were illuminated, and the whole
landscape was lit up as by the MONDAY
light. Onward and downward flew the
engine and behind it flew and Numbered
the huge fiery demon.
| Twice itS nrn6iu inuc ,,,o, l,;,,n,,
against the fugitive, as if instinct with a
purpose to drive it from the track. 1t
seemed as if to the heroic engineer and fire
men there was perfect environment of
peril. The speed of the engine was such
that it ceased to pump; then again, the
Cincinnati express was due at the junction
at this time. The engineer of the oil train
whistled "open switch, and shaking hands
with the fireman, they babe each other
farewell, knowing that their lives depended
on the opening OF the Lake Shore switch by
their friends below, and this was to imperil
the express train coming down from the
West with its living human freight.
The engineer of this train saw the fire
when it first broke out at the summit, and
supposing he could clear the junction be-
fore the flaming terror reached it, he too,
put his engine to its utmost speed on a level
grade. mile short of the junction he
saw that the effort was a vain one, for the
flying contlagration had rushed upon the
Lake Shore track, and was roaring onward
in the direction of Dunkirk. He che. ked
J the onward course OF his own train and
! brought it to standstll. 1t did not pro.
coed until 3 o'clock in the morning.
The case took in another danger, and it
was imminent. A heavy freight train was
coming up the Lake Shore road. All |
will say OF the escape Of this is that it did
escape to the side track, and openly escap.
Ell by the last minute of possibility.
Running on to a safe distance from the
depot, the engineer of the oil train dctach-
cd his engine and left the six cars to con-
sumo. He says his situation was fully re-
allied by him. He expected to lose his
life. At every moment he expected the
engine to leave the track. lie saw he was
going at a perilous rate of speed, but there
was no help for it. The demon was behind
him, and he declares that it looked like
demon. With that fondness or real at
fiction for his engine, which these men
display, he said, 81 thought everything of
my engine, and was determined to stay by
it to the last" The fireman made one at
tempt to escape by jumping from the ten
der, but the engine restrained him. Alto
| gether the occurrence was II remarkable
one, and in part was remarkable for this,
that no lives were lost. The brakemen on
the oil cars had gone back to the passen-
ger cars, when the oil cars started. 1t was
well they did. Unless those rear cars had
been detached and stopped, their inmates
would have been burned to death