Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1869-09-08
RACE FORLIFI ON NARAnRoAD.
AN ENGINEER CHASED BY FIRE AT srv.
ENrY MILES AN HouR-A ruRrLrrsn

~~@N
"A AN ENGINEER CHASED BY FIRE AT srv
10 ENTY MILES AN HouR-A ruRrLLIn,
- NARRATIVE.
y looHe'Pondence Grand Rspids (Mich.) Esel,.1
To make II an intell;o;hI,
= matter 70 the reader, lot me say tba,
: : the Buffalo, Cory and Pittsburg road
! intersects the Lake Shore Road AZ tb;s
place. The station at the junction IL
> called Brocton. Now lot Il be under.
stood that from this point 10 Mavvilla
+ at the head OF Chau1eroua Laka y
distance Of only about ten miles n
train is carried over an elevation az
fOO feet. From the station 10 tbe
summit the grade is about so feet 10
tne mile, with curves which increase
the distance by four miles. Il IL over
THIS road that the immense Quantities
OF petroleum are brought.
On Tuesday evening, about 9 o'elocl
tram consisting of six oil cars and
two passenger cars reached tbe sum
mt on It's way to the junction. Here
Dy some cause as yet unexplained ons
OF the oil tanks took FIRE. The pas.
senger cars were at once detached
ana the brakes stopped them. Next
the OIL cars were cut of, and the
locomotive, tender, and box car con.
tanning two valuable horses and ,wo
men passed down the road. the enof-
neer supposed that the bralsemen ON
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
race 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 sheet of intensely
bright fame, sixty feet high, was seen
coming down that southern slope, ap-
parently with the speed of a meteor,
and really very nearly the speed Of .
hurricane eighty miles an h6gr, for
pursuer and pursued flew over the
course, or rather down it, and around
the curves, ,at the rate of seventy miles
an houras tlie'engineer 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 flew the engine and behind it
few and thundered tho huge fiery
demon
Twice its prodigious weight was
driven against ;he fugitive, us il In
stinet with a purpose to drive it from
The track. IL seemed as if to the
heroic engineer aud fremen there was
perfect environment Of peril. The
speed of the engine was such that II
ceased TO phmp; then again, the Gin
cinnatiexpress 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 from
the West with its living human freight.
The engineer of this train saw the FIRE
when il first broke out at the summit,
and supposed he could clear the juno
ton before the flaming terror reached
it, he too, put his engine to its utmost
speed on level grade. A mile short
OF the junction he saw that the effort
was q vain one, for the flying conha-
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 IL 10 a standstill.
1t did not proceed until o'clock in
the morning.
The case took in another danger,
and il 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 escaped by the last
minute of possibility.
Running on 10 safe distance from
the depot, the engineer oil the oil train
detached bis engine and left the six
cars TO consume. He says his situa-
ton was fully realized by him. He
expected 10 lose his life. At evoly
moment be expected the engine to
leave the track. lie saw he was going
at n pcrilous rate of speed, but there
was no help for Il. The demon was
behind him, and he declared that It
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 il TO the
last" The fireman made one attempt
TO escape by jumping from the tender,
but the engineer restrained him. Alto
rcther the occurrence was a rcmarka-
, Bile one, and In part was remarkable
! for this, that no lives were lost. The
. brakemen on the oil cars had gone
|. back TO the passenger cars, when the
, oil cars started. II was well they did.
n Unless those rear cars had been do.
a tached and stopped, their inmates
d would have beep burned 70 death.