Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-11-10
Engineer Sieg's Heroism.

Engineer S1eS'S HeTOlSms
The train which lett jersey City on
he Pennsylvania Road about ! o clock
Yesterday afternoon was composed of
ten passenger cars, containing 620 per-
sons. The smoking-car. which was
coupled to the tender, was so much
crowded that men stood in the aisle.
The train soon began to move swiftly,
and when about mile east of the Hack
ensack bridge it was going at the rate
of forty miles an hour. Suddenly smoke
and fire poured through the front door
OF the smoking-car. which was open,
and created CONSERVATION among the
passengers. The roaring flames were
swept back from the engine, and they
almost hid both it and the tender from
sight "Shut the door, shut the doorr'
was shouted. The door was closed, but
almost Immediately 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 engine. 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 90
ing. and to know that to Jump out
would be death.
"Get 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
impossible to make Roadway.
"What is going to be done?" asked
Theodore Reeves, of Newark, of the
engineer
The latter made no reply, but rushed
back through the fiery doorway,
climbed upon the tender and disap-
peared in the flames. Although famed
by the wind the fire was burning more
fiercely than before. The engineer
cab was completely enveloped. Nearly
minute passed. and then the train
came TO stop on the bridge over the
Hackensack River, and the passengers
knew that the engineer had put on the
air brakes and reversed the engine.
The train having come to stand-still,
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 con-
scious, against the side of the tank.
His clothes had been burned of, and
his flesh was scorched on his body and
legs. From both hands the flesh hung
in shreds.
They dipped water in pals from the
river, and put out the flames. Con-
ductor Whelpley 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 last even
ing:
"Of all magnificent and brave men
he is the best. We hadn' words enough
to express our sense of his heroism. If
he dies he will be a martyr. He saved
trainful of passengers from an appar-
emily certain and horrible death, and
il the Pennsylvania Road doesn't take
care of him and his, I'll issue call for
the passengers to meet and take ac-
ton"
The train was run to Newark by the
fireman. Sieg lay in st. Francis Hos
pital, Jersey City, last night, in a pre-
carious condition, but it was hoped by
the physicians that he might recover
lie is thirty-eight years old, and is mar
ried. John ODare, of Hudson street,
this city, said last evening:
1.-The engineer did not, in fact, leave
his post at ALL l saw the fireman come
into the smok'ng-car. About minute
/ 1ttnrNVqr1 hn IL.
tender to where l 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 I'M
derstood. 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,
pulled at the bell rope. 1 don't know
whether did any good or not, but the
train came to standstill. Then lifted
the cover of 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 a new patent valve, de-
signed to drive the exhaust steam I'D
through the smoke stack. The burst
ing of pipe allowed the steam to rush
into the furnace, and blow the fire and
smoke out through the open door.-M
y. sun.