Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1879-11-21
ATERRIBLE RIDE.
Fleeing Down Mountain side ~ n Sprcd
of one aud OHc-third Miles 81 Minute,
Pushed by u Flaming Train.

Fleeing Down Mountain side ~ speed
of one and Onc-third Miles 81 Minute,
Pushed by Flaming Train.
BY locomotive explosion on a West
ern railroad few day ago, the engineer,
John Dawson. was killed. Dawson
was one OF the oldest engineers IN the |
country, and was for several years on
the Buffalo, Cory aud Pittsburg ran
road. where he mad one OF the most
terrible experiences ever recorded III me
history Of railroading. His death iecails
that night Of peril, although 1t has never
ceased To he related in minutest detail
at all gatherings Of railroad men VIZ" ~,
the dangers Of the footboard nave Oeen
the topic. D.oo,o,,
Erorn Mavville Summit to Brocton
r.,,,ot;n,, - The Lake Shore road the us
500 ia ten miles, but owing 10 tno
numerous sweeping curves IN tue iali .
ntl ar distance by rail Is fourteen
- The grade for that distance ID
naarIv EIGHTY feet to the mile. Inc
Cory road eSsspdTss into the rennSydvanl5
large quantities of petroleum. On the
night of Aug. II, 1869, Dayisou's
engine was at the Summit with a train
OF one box car, six loaded oil cars, and
two passenger cars. The box car was
next to the locomotive, and the passen-
ger cars were at the rear of the train.
The engineer had started the train. and
1t had attained good Roadway, when he
discovered flames issuing from one of
the oil cars. He whistled down brakes,
and the coaches we're cut loose from the
oil cars, which were quickly uucouplel
from the box car. The engineer then
pulled on down the hill, to get out of
of the reach Of the burning cars, in
order to save the locomotive aud the
other car, in which were two valuable
| trotting horses and their keepers on
their way to Cleveland. He supposed
the brakeman would put the brakes on
the oil cars, but in the excitement this
was not done and they followed the loco
motive, gaining Roadway every moment
Before the engineer bad taken in the
situation, the oil cars, every one of them
now ablaze, camo dashing upon him
around n curve. They crashed into the
box car, knocking in one end of it, but,
! singularly enough neither that nor any of
the moving us we're thrown from the
track by the collision. The engineer
and fireman could have escaped all
danger by abandoning the locomotive,
but, as%Davison said afterward why he
did not pursue that course, they had $40,
600 worth of the compauy's property in
their charge, and they we're determined
to save it if possible. According to the
engineers story of the incident, he saw
that there was to be race for LIE be-
tyear lin snIel DO control. , he said that
when the oil cars struck The one in which
the horses were the poor animals actually
screamed with fright. The heat was nm.
bearable. Dawson pulled the throttle
valve wide open, and he declared that
they flew down the eighty-foo grade so
fast that the engine could not pum D
The keepers IN the car next the oil cars
climbed mp to the opening in the end of
the car, and with faces pale as death.
begged the engineer to give her more
st am. They could see the blazing oil
cars through the broken end OF their car.
and it seemed to them that they were
gaining at every turn Of the wheels. The
engineer said that when he struck the
sharp curves at the lightning speel at
which he was going he expected that his
engine would leave the track and be
hurled down the mountain side. The
night was very dark The engine thnu.
dered along faster than any engine ever
ran in this country before or since.
through woods aud deep rock cuts. nnd
on the edge of high precipices. The
horses were STAN pipg and neighinR with
terror in the box car, and only few
feet in the rear was the flying mass of
fame rushing down the mountain like a
tremendous meteor. The blaze from
the thousands of gallons of burning oil
was more than sixty feet in height, and
lighted mp the woods and rocks and
crooked road for miles. The whole
heavens were illuminated, and from
Brocton the sight of the great confiagra-
ton, apparently flying through the al
now hidden for second by a cut or
a piece of woods, and then leaping out
again and up toward the sky like a huge
fountain of fire, is described as having
been awful in its grandeur.
The idea of Engineer Dawson was
70 call for the opening of the switch for
MIN at Brocton Junction so that he
could run on to the Like Shore track,
where the grade was ascending and
where he could soon get out OF the way
Of the burning cars through they having
lost the propelling power of the decline
81 the Summit grade. 1t happened.
towever, that the Cincinnati express on
Tue Lake Shore road would be due at the
junction when Davison's engine reach
sd there. To add to the terror of the |
situation, west-bound Lake Shore |
trelght train was at that moment runnino
IF the express. before the arrival !
thing to do, and that was to whistle for
he switch and take the tchanoes OF the |
freight getting ont of tn p way, and the |
pTnTess being tagged \or late The
on gineer knew that he N ust have been
seen from the Brocton junction, by the
Iioht Of the burning oil, in his life or
Death race down the mountain, and that
the railroad men there understood the
perll of the situation aud wouli be
pronont to act He whistled for open
switch. He and his fireman babe each
other goodbye and awaited the result
The freight train gained the siding out
~ their wav, The switch was opened,
and they tore on up the Lake Shore
track fra, mast the depot and through the
T;IIaoe and were soon out of the way of
the burning cars. The latter gradually
came 10 a stop. The engine and box
car were stopped within hundred yards
of the Lake Shore express, which was
both late and signaled. When Davi-
son , and his fireman found they were
oNH -. 4bor fointad m hair |