Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1874-03-13

not stife the flames. l then got anotner;
but found on my return that the fire had
climbed the sides of the closet inside. All
this took but moment. l ran to the rear
Of the car for the conductor, at the same
time telling the people in the rear to sit
onict that there was no danger. AT this;
some one cried out, Isn't there?-and
looked around and saw that the flames had
eaten through to the main compartment OF
the car. and some one had opened the eioset
door, which had closed behind me- fiaihes
were also issuing from this opening. linen
hung with my weight on the beii-rope, pu.
the ear did not stop. The excitement
by this time became panic Inc sHoNo
was sitting. and travelled out oil the rear
door, which was kept open by those Try ing
TO escape. as if carried by whirlwind- IL
neemed as if "a thousand pair of bellows IAN
sed the flames. | took my yalise ana
smashed three windows in succession, ana
by this time saw that the flames were gam
ing 30 rapidly that my only safety lay IN
escape. / did not realize this when first
broke the windows, and when | did 1t was
impossible to aid any one else climbed
through a window, let myself drop, haul
ing M at the foot of an embankment about
twenty feet high. When got up thank
ed God for my narrow escape / saw the
next moment culyert about SIX ieet from
where first alighted on the ground W
III. Murray was then getting up on the
other side of the track. a few feet on the
west of the same culyert. The pitIable
cries that rent the air on all sides a. drop
ned were indescribable. and hope to never
| hear their like again.
Mr.. Daniel Decow, who was in the sInok-
ing-car, states that when he first saw the
FIRE coming through the forward door he
closed it to prevent draught, but the next
momenttwO Indians opened 1t and Jumped
off the first-class car platform. He stood on
the platform to try to close It. but could
not. owing to the intensity OF the flames.
which shot up with frightful rapidity. Con
ductor Mitchell rushed through them, and
he tried to help him up TO the top OF the
smoking-car, but he could not get up. The
conductor then directed the brakeman TO
try to unc0upl5 the passenger coach whIle
he ran through to the baggage ear lie
opened the side door and ascended by the
| sides. Meanwhile Mr.. DeeOw saw the ire
drive the passengers toward the rear end oil
the train, all except one heavy man. sup
posed to be Mr. Lee. who seemed rooted 10
| his place. The cries were now heart-ren-
derlng in the extreme, and by looking over
| the side he could see men and women drop
off the platform and out of the windows.
some unnjured, others lying where they
fell. As the train stopped Conductor Mitch
ell, who did nobly. asked him to come
back and aid the injured. The first he
found was a man who was all on ire. and
whom he rolled on the ground. Others,
men and women lay along the track for Dis
lance of over a mile and a half. There were
IS passengers on the train, and mos. OF
them had crowded TO the rear platform and
dropped off, 30 that the track for two miie-
was strewn with burned and manned men
and women, and their cries rent the ar
on all sides, while the flaming ear
crept on. Conductor Mitchell rushed
through the flames and climbed
over smoking and baggage cars ami
oil tanks TO tie engine, finally stopping the
train after a distance Of three miles, but, IN
the six minutes this had consumed, the ear
was but few fiery brands, and on T. hoor
the burned and unrecogniZablc forms OF
those who had been unable 10 escape before
suffocati0n overlook them. The disaster
adds to the almost innumerable list OF casu-
alties caused by that most unsafe llluml-
natOr. kerosene oil. whose Use on railway
Is certainly without excuse Il also GER
tainly reflects the severest blame upon the
railway company and their empl0ye-, for
the carelessness that could send ont tram
with no means of communication between
the passenger cars and engine. whereby
in time, the train might have been stop
/ ned