Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1880-01-01
An Awful Ride.

OOAuC 1Cdlb d&4O al Oh NhS ASonS
Shore Road had started his train and 1t
had attained good headway, when he dis
covered flames issuing from one of the oil
cars. He whistled down brakes, and the
coaches were cut loose from the oil cars.
which were quickly uncoupled from the
box car. The engineer then pulled on
down the hill, to get out of the reach of
the burning cars, in order to save the loco
motive and the other car, in which were
two valuable trotting horses and their keep
ers on their way to Cleveland. He supposed
the brakeman would put on the brakes on the
oil cars, but in the excitement this was not
done, and they followed the locomotive,
gaming headway every moment. Before
the engineer had taken in the situation the
oil cars, every one of them now ablaze,
came dashing upon him around curve.
They crashed into the box car, knocking
in one end of il, but singularly enough,
neither that nor any of the moving cars
were thrown from the track by the collision.
The engineer and fireman could have escap-
ed all danger by abandoning the locomotive,
but, as Dawson said when asked afterwMd
why they did not pursue that course, they
had $40, 900 worth of the company'S pro-
perty in their charge, and they were deter
mined to save il If possible. According to
the engineers story of the incident, he saw
that there was to be race for life between
him and his engine and the flaming cars
under no 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 unbearable
Dawson pulled the throttle valve wide open,
ur,A hn 6nFalawsaA that fhnv HaNr 1nNrr, tho
so feet grade so fast that the engine could
not pump. The keepers in the Car next the
oil cars climbed up 10 the opening in the
end OF the Car, Snd, with faces as pale as
death, begged the engineer to give her
more steam" They could see the blazing
oil cars from the broken end of their car,
and it seemed to them that they gained at
every turn of the wheels. The engineer
said that when he struck the sharp curves
at the lightning speed at which he was going
he expected that his engine woald leave
the track and be hurled down the mountain
side. The night was very dark; the en-
gine thundered along faster than any engine
ever ian in this country before or since,
throught woods and deep rock cuts, and
on the edge of high precipices. The horses
were stamping and neighing with terror in
the box car, and only few feet in the rear
was the flying mass of flame rushing down
the mountain like tremendous meteor
The blaze from the thousand gallons of
burning oil was more than GO feet in height,
and lighted up the woods and rocks and
crooked roads for miles. The whole heav-
ems were illuminated, and from Brocton
the sight Cf the great confagration, appa-
rently fiying through the air. now hidden
for second by cut or piece of woods,
and then leaping out again and up toward
the sky like huge mountain of fire, is de-
sTibed as being awful in its grandeur
The idea Of Engineer Dawson was to call
for the opening Of the switch for him at
Brocton Junction, so that he could run on
10 the Lake Shore track, where the grade
was ascending and where he could soon get
out OF the way of the burning cars through
their having lost the propelling power Of the
decline of the Summit grade. 1t happened,
however, that the Cincinnati express on the
Lake Shore Road would be due at the juno
ton when Davison's train reached there
To add to the terror of the situation West
bound Lake Shore freight train was at that
moment running to pass the junction betor.
the arrival of the express. There was only
one thing to dc, and that was to whistle
for the switch, and take the chances of the
freight getting out of the way, and the ex-
press being tagged or late. The engineer
knew that he must have been seen from
Brocton Junction, by the light of the burn
ing oil, in his life or death race down the
mountain, and that the railroad men there
understood the peril of the situation and
would be prompt to act. He whistled for
IL arI
bade esch other goodbye and awaited the
result. The freight tram gained the siding
out of their way. The switch was opened
and they tore on up the Lake Shore track,
past the depot and through the village, and
were soon out of the way of the burning
cars, The latter gradually came to stop.
The engine and box car were stopped with
i'm hundred yards of the Lake Shore ex-
press, which was both late and signaled.
When Dawson and his fireman found they
were out of danger, they tainted on their
engine. The horses in the box car were
ruined. and their keepers were taken from
the car unconscious. The oil tanks burned
for three hours after they were stopped
The most fortunate circumstance of the
whole affair was the uncoupling of the pas
senger cars from the oil cars at the Summit
They were filled with passengers, and if
they had remained with the burning tanks
would have been wrapped in flames in
very short time, and there would have been
no escape for the passengers from a most
horrible fate. 1t was just 8 o'clock when
Dawson pulled out from Maryville Summit.
When he was taken from his engine, 16
miles from the starting poll t, it was not II
minutes past the hour.
@@%D@-