The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1869-09-09
A Race for Life on Railroad.

and Pittsburg road intcrsects the Lake Shore
road at this place. The station at the junct
ion is called Brocton. Now let it be under
stood that from this point to Mayville, at the
head of Chautauqua Lake, distance of only
about ten miles, train is carried over an ele
walton of 700 feet From the station to the
summit the grade is about so feet to the
mile, with curves which increase the distance
byfour miles 1t is over this road that the
immense quantities Of petroleum arc brought
On Tuesday evening about 0 o'clock, a
train consisting Of six oil cars and two pas
senger 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 of, and the locomotive, tender, and
box car containing two valuable horses and
two men passed down the road, the engineer
supposing that the brakesmen on the oil cars
would arrest the course of those but what
was his horror on looking back, to see the six
cars in pursuit Of him down grade enveloped
in flames. They not only pursued but over
took him, striking the box car with inconcelv-
able force, knocking the horses and men Hat
upon the floor, and yet almost mlracuousty
not throwing the engine from the track. ~
It was now with the engineer race for
life, and he gave the engine every ounce of
steam. Looking south from the place of my
residence at that terrible juncture, one of the
most magnificent spectacles WAS witnessed
that "a man sees in lifetime. A sheet OF in.
tcnscly bright fame, sixty feet high, was seen
coming down that slope, apparently with the
speed Of meteor, and really very nearly the
speed of a hurricane eighty miles an hour
for pursued and pursuer flew over the course,
or rather down it, and around the curves, at
the rate of more than seventy miles an hour,
as the engineer declares, and as everybody
can believe who witnessed 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 few and thundcred thehuge fiery de-
mon. Twice its prodigious weight was drlv4
en- against IKE fugitive, as if instinct with
purpose to drive it from the track. 1t seem
ed as if to the heroic engineer and fireman
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 on this train saw the
fire when it first broke out on the summit,
and supposing he could clear the junction be-
fore the flaming terror reached 1T, he, too,
put his engine to the utmost speed on level
grade. A mile short of the junction he saw
that the effort was a vain one, for the flying
confagration had rushed out upon the Lake
Shore track, and was roaring onward In the
direction of Dunkirk. He checked the on
ward course of his own train and brought it
to standstill It did not proceed until q
o'clock in the morning. sig t
The case took to another danger, and it was
imminent. A heavy freight train was COM
.iny,up the Lake Shore road All [ will say
Of the escape of this is that it did escape to
the side track, and only escaped by tho last
minute Of possibility I4i# -
Running on to- safe distance from the de-
Dot. the engineer of the oil train detached
his engine and left the cars to- consume He
saws his situation was fully realized by him.
lie expected to lose his life. At every mo-
mcnt he was going alta perilous rate of speed,
but there was no help for it. The demon was
behind, and he declares that it looked like a
demon. With chat fondness or real affection
for his engine which these men display, he
said, Il thought everything of my engine.
and was determined to stay by it to the lastsA
The fireman made one attempt to escape by
jumping from the tender, but the engineer
restrained him. Altogether the occurrence
was remarkable for this, that no lives were
lost. 4 The brakesmen on the oil cars had
gone back to the passenger cars, when the OIL
cars started 1t. was we'll they did Unless
those rear cars had been detached and stop
ped their inmates would have been burned to
death. sa asg ad orc II s2ts5-
IN '-----< 90 Z; sos r.