Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1869-08-27
\ Race for Life ON n Railroad.

lC.rres pondCuCe Grand Rapids lMlch.) haSIc- J
To make it an intelligible matter to
m, reader, let me say that the Buffalo, Cory
and Pitt>burg road intcrsecS the Lake Shore
road AZ this place The station ut the junction
a. called Brocton Now let be understood that
from this point to Mayville, at the the head OF
Chautauuua Lake a distance OF only about ten
miles, train Is carried over All elevation OF 700
et. From the station to the summit the
prale IS about ~ feet to the mile, with curves
which increase the distance by i0ur miles. 1t
J., over this road that the immense quantities
ofpcroleum are brought.
On Tuesday evening about . clock, 4 train
consisting of six OIL cars and two passenger cars
rcnchel the summit on ItS way to the Junction
Here, by some cause a. yet unexplained, one OF
The oil tanks took fire The passenger cars
.ere a; once detached and the brakes stopped
them. Next the oil cars were cut OF, and the
locomotive, tender, and box car containing two
valuable horses and two men passed down the
road, the engineer supposlng that the brakes
men ON the oil ears would arrest the course OF
those: but what was his horror on looking back,
to see the six cars in pursuit Of him down the
Grade enveloped in flames. They not only
nursued but overlook him, striking the box car
with inoonceivable force, knocking the horses
and men HAT upon the floor, and yet almost
IL was now with the engineer race Tor life,
aud he gave the engine every ounce OF steam.
Looking south from the place OF my residence
AT that terrible iuncturc, one OF the most mag
ntcent spectacleS was witnessed that a man sees
m a lifetime. A sheet Of intensely bright fame,
sixty feet high, was seen coming down that
foutheTn slope, apparently with the speed OF q
meteor, and really very nearly the speed OF n
hurricane (eighty miles an hour, for pursued
and pursuer flew over the course, or rather
down Il, and around the curves, at the rate of
more than seventy miles an hour, as the engt
neer declares, and as everybody can believe who
witnessed the spectacle. The whole heavens
we're illumiuated and the landscape was hit up
~ by the MONDAY light. Coward and down
ward flew the engine, and behind flew and
Numbered the huge fiery demon. Twice its
lrodigious weight was driven against the iugi
tive, rs il instinct with Il purpose to drive il
from the track II seemed as If to the heroic
engineer and fireman there was perfect en-
yirOnment OF peril. The speed Of the engine was
>uch that it ceased TO pump; then again,
The Cincnnatti express was due at the Juno
iion at this time, The engineer of the oil
lrain whlStlcd open switch, and shaking
hands with the fireman, they babe each other
farewell, knowing that their Hves depended
on tho opening OF the Lake Shore switch
~ tHcI lIItUus bClOH, dul tulS WIS lD
.mEcrl the express train coming down
from the West with itS living human freight
The engineer ON this train saw the lire when
It Grst broke out at the summit, and suppos-
ing he could clear the junction before the
flaming terror reached 1t, he. too, put his
engine to the utmost speed on a level grade.
4 mile short OF the junction he saw that the
effort was u VAIN one, fOr the flying conflagra-
uOn had rushed out upon the Lake Shore
rack, and was roaring onward in the direction
Of Dunkrk. lie checked the onward course
ai his own train and brought it to 4 Standstill.
Ii did not proceed until clock I'm the morn
Iug.
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 tho
escape Of this is that il did escape to the side
track, and only escaped by the last minute Of
possibility.
Running on to safe distance from the depot,
h2 engineer of the oil train detached his cngluc
and left the cars to consume. lie says his
situation was fully realized by HIM. lie ex-
p,cted to lose his life. At every moment he
vas yolng at a perious rate Of speed, but there
vas no help for ii. The demon was behind,
aud he declares that it looked like demon.
With that londness or real affection Tor his en-
zine which these men display, he SAID, II
thought everything OF my engine, and was de
termlned to stay by 1t to the last. The lire
man made one attempt to escape 10y jumping
tom the tender but the engineer restrained
him. Altogether the occurrence was remark
able Tor this, that no lives were lost. The
hrakeSmen on the oil ears had gone back to
the passenger cars, when the OIL cars started.
u was well they did. Unless those rear cars
had been detached and stopped, their inmates
would have been burned to death.