News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-11-09
A HEROIC ENGINEER.
THE GREAT BRAVERY DISPLAYED BJ
GUS SIEG IN 4 TIME OF PERIL
piunxinss into a Bath of Fire to Save the
Lives of six Hundred Passengers
at the Rssk of His Own.
IFrom the New York Sun. ]

| fTOu1 UEe NGM IOIh
The train which left Jersey Clty on
the PennsyleaIeroad about II o'clock
Sunday afternoon was composed of ten
passenger cars, containing $40 persons.
The smoking oar which was coupled to
the tender, was so much crowded that
men stood in tlkSsisle. The train soon
began to move swiftly, and when about
mile east of the Hackensack bridge it
was going at theYste of forty miles an
hour. Suddenl4 snlcke and fire poured
through the froissco~ Of the smoking
car, wl.:eh @a.sk kss'i.. sssa. tsaa.sd con-
sternation amo1g Tie passengers. The
roaring flames were swept back from
the engine, and they almost hid both 1t
and the tender from sight. 'Shut the
door, shut the door p was shouted. The
door was closed, but almost Immediate
" it flew open again, and the engineer
and fireman emerged from the fire and
smoke and stumbled into the car. The
train dashed on, with no one to govern
the eneine. Men rushed to the rear
platform, and there met a frightened
crowd from the next car. Others raised
windows, only to realize at what speed
the train was going, and to know that
to Jump out would be death.
sect to that closet" shouted Engi-
neer Gus Sieg to the fireman, pointing
to the rear of the car, "and work the
air brakes"
But the passage was blocked with
passengers, and the fireman found it i'm
poss ible to make headway.
"What is going to be done ?" asked
Theodore Rseves, of Newark, of the
engineer.
The latter made no reply, but rushed
back through the fiery doorway, climbed
upon the tender and disappeared in the
flames. Although famed by the wind
the fire was burning more fierceIy than
before. The engineers, cab was COM
pletely enveloped. Nearly a minute
passed, and then the train came to
stop on the bridge over the Hacken-
sack River, and the passengers knew
that the engineer had put on the air
brakes and reversed the engine. The
train having come to q standstill, the
flames now shot upward and no longer
concealed the tender. Those who stood
nearest to the door saw mans head IN
the water tank on the tender. Two
men rushed forward and lifted out the
engineer. He had jumped into the
water to extinguish the fire that was
consuming him, and was found leaning,
weak and only half conscious, against
the side of the tank. His clothes had
been burned off, and his flesh scorched
ON his body ar5 : < Fs:l 50Sh hands
the flesh hung in shreds.
They dipped water in pails from the
river, and put out the flames. Con-
ductor Whejpley put Sieg on another
train, and had him removed to Jersey
City. Passengers who saw him were
forced to tears as they praised his self
sacrifice. One of them said
"Of all magnificent and brave men he
is the best. We hadn't words enough
to express oar sense of his heroism. If
he dies he will be 9 martyr. He saved
a trainful of passengers from an appa-
rently certain and horrible death, and
if the Pennsylvania road doesn't take
care of him and his, I'll issue call for
the passengers to meet and take action. "
The train was run to Newark by the
fireman. Sieg lay in St Francis Hos
pital, Jersey City, Sunday, in e pre-
carious condition, but it was hoped by
the physicians that ne might recover.
He Is 38 years old. and is married. John
O'Dare of Hudson street, this city, said
'rhe engineer oid not, in fact, leave
his post at all. / saw the fireman come
into the smoking car. About minute
afterward the engineer came over the
tender to where was standing, on the
front platform of the smoking car. He
was all on fire. l heard him say some
thing, but the only words | caught were,
Save the passengers He pointed to
something in the engine, which L under
stood, was to control the brakes. /
crept forward beneath the flames, and
tried to keep what he pointed at in view,
and then, in my excitement, l pulled at
the bell rope. I don't know whether l
did any good or not, but the train came
to standstill. Then / lifted the cover
off the water tank, and the engineer got
into the water. He stood at his post,
say, and never left it.
The accident was caused by the blow
back forcing the flames out of the fur
mace when the door was open. The cab
was badly charred, and in some places
the wood was entirely burned away.
The engine was furnished only few
days ago with q new patent valve, de-
signed to drive the exhaust steam up
through the smoke stack. The burst
ing of a pipe allowed tne steam to rush
into the furnace, and blow the fire and
smoke out through the open door.