The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1869-09-29

lne correspondent OF the Grand RAPIDS,
(Aich.,) Eagle, gives the following account
of how an engineer was chased by fire at
the rate of 20 miles an hour:
To make it an ineligible matter to the
reader. let me say that the Buffalo, Cory
and PittsbuFg railroad intersects the Lake
Shore road at this place. The station at
the junction is named BIocton. Now let
it be understood thai from this point to
Maysville, at the head of Chataqua Lake,
distance of only about ten miles. train
is carried over an elevation of 700 feet.
From the station to the summit. the grade
is about so feet to the mile, with curves
which increase the distance by about four
miles. 1t is over this road that immense
quantities Of petroleum are brought
On Tuesday evening about o'clock, q
train consisting of six oil cars and two
passenger cars reached the summit. on its
way to the junction. Here, by some cause
as yet unexplained, one of the oil tanks
took fire. The passenger cars were at
once detached, and the brakes stopped
them. Next, the oil cars were cut off,
and the locomotive, tender, and box-car,
containing two valuable horses and two
men, passed down the road, the engineer
supposing that the brakemen on the oil
cars would arrest their course, but what
was his horror, on looking back, to see the
six cars in pursuit of him down the grade,
enyeloped in flames. They not only pur-
sued, but overlook him, striking the box
! with inconceivable force, knocking the
men and horses fat upon the floor, and yet
almost miraculously not throwing the en-
CINE from the track
1t was now, with the engineer, a race
for life, and he gave the engine every
ounce of steam. Looking south from the
place of my residence, at this terrible mo-
ment, one OF the most magnificent spec
| tacles was witnessed that a man sees in a
lifetime. A sheet of intensely bright
flame, 60 feet high, was seen coming down
that slope, apparently with the speed of q
meteor. and really very nearly the speed of
hurricane for pursued and pursuer flew
over the course, or rather down it, and
around the curves, at the rate of more
than 70 miles an hour, as the engineer de-
clares, and as everybody can believe who
saw the spectacle. The whole heavens
were illuminated, and the landscape was
lit up as by the MONDAY light Onward
and downward few the engine, and behind
it few and Numbered the huge fiery de-
mon. Twice, its prodigious weight was
driven against the fugitive, as if instinct
with purpose to drive it from the track.
1t seemed as if, to the heroic engineer and
fireman, there was perfect environment
of peril. The speed of the engine was
such that 1t ceased to pump; then, again,
the Cincinnati train was due at the juno
ton 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 liv-
ing human freight. The engineer on this
train saw the fire when it first broke out at
the summit, and supposiDg that he conld
clear the junction before the flaming terror
reached it, he, too, put his engine to the
utmost speed on level grade A mile |
short of the junction, he saw that the
effort was vain one, for the flying confa-
grafton had rushed out upon the Lake |
Shore track, and was roaring onward in |
the direction of Dunkirk. He checked |
the headlong rush of his own train, and |
brought it to standstill 1t did not pro-
coed till 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 of the track, and only |
escaped by the last minute of possibility.
Running on to a safe distance from the
depot, the engineer of the oil-train de-
tached his engine, and left the six cars to
consume. He says his situation was real
lied by him. He expected to lose his life.
AT every moment he expected the engine
to leave the track He saw he was going
at 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 affec-
ton for an engine, which these men display.
he said: a thought everything of nv
engine, and was determined to stay by it
to the last" The fireman made one at
tempt to escape by jumping from the
tender, but the engineer restrained him.
Altogether, the circumstance was are
markable one, and in part remarkable for
no lives were lost. The brake
man on the oil-cars had gone back to the
when the oil-cars started.
1t was well they did. Unless those cars
had been detached and stopped, their in.
mates would have burnt to death.