Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-10-28
AN OLD sTeRr REreLp.

An CID sToRY REroLD.
81 don't expect to live much longer.
and after am dead / want you to out
In the paper she story of that ride had
from Prospect to Broctnn in 1897
Tne speaker was Daft Brown, an old
locomotive engineer who vas living at
his home la Portland, N. Y, dying With
consum otiop. This was several weeks
ago. On the 7sh of this month he died.
de was nearly 50 years old. His story
OF the awful ride is this:
! In lS69 l Was running mixed train
on the Buffalo, Cory 4 Pittsburgh
Railway. The track between Prospect
and Mayville Summit and Brocton
junction Is 50 crooked that, while the
distance Is actually only ten miles, the
curves make it by rail IA. The grade
for the whole distance is over 10 feet to
| tine mile.
About 8 O'Clock on the night of
August Il, 1853, We reached the summit
| with train of two passenger ears, six
oil cars. and = box car. The latter con-
tanned two valuable trotting horses. and
their keepers with them, on their vay, /
believe. 10 tbs Cleveland meeting. There
were % or 60 passengers in the two cars.
1 got the signal from the conductor to
start, and | pulled ont. We had got
under considerable Roadway, when,
looking back, saw that an oil car in
tfe middle of the train was on fire. I
reversed my engine and whistled for
brakes The conductor and brakeman
jumped OF. They uncoupled the pas
senger and set brakes on them, bringing
item to stop. Supposing that the
brakes on the burning Oil cars would
also De pu, on, called to the brakeman
on the box car to draw the coupling pin
between THAI car and the head oil tank,
backing SO that he could do it, intending
10 run far enough away to save the box
car AID locomotive. As ran down the
NIL after the pin had been withdrawn,
what was INV horror to see the burning
cars were following me at a speed that
was rapidly increasing. The nen had
not succeeded In putting on the brakes.
l saw that the only thing to be done
vas to run for il to Brocton, and the
chances were that We would never reach
there at the speed We would be Obliged
TO make around those sharp reverse
curves, where We had never run over 20
miles an hour.
when l saw the flaming cars-for
fne whole SIX were on fire by this time
I-plunRing after me, and only a few
feet away, pnllsd the throttle open.
The oil cars caught me, though, before
got away. They came with full force
against the rear of the box car, smash
ing IN one end and knocking the horses
and their keepers fat on the floor. The
heat vas almost unbearable, and do nv
best couldn't place more than thirty
feet between tie pursuing column of
nre and ourselves. BY the light of the
furnace as ny fireman opened the door
10 pile In the coal, / caught sight of the
face OF one of the horssmeu in the box
car, be having climbed up to the grated
opening In the end. It was "a pale as
death, and he begged me for Gods sake
| TO give her more steam. / was giving
her then all the steam she could carry,
and the grade itself was enough to carry
| as down at the rate of 80 miles an hour.
We went SO fast that the engine could
not pump. Every time we struck one of
those curves the old girl would almost
run on one set of wheels, and Why in
the world she didn't topple over is some
| thing l never could understand. She
seemed to know that it was race for
life and death, and worked as if she
were alive.
The night was dark, and the road
ran through woods, deep rock outs, and
| alOng high embankments. There We
were. laundering along at lightning
speed, and only u few PAGES behind rs
that tiery demon in full pursuit. There
were $1,000 gallons Of oil in those tanks,
at least. and 1t was all in flame, making
q flying avalanche of fire 600 feet long.
The flames leaped into tho air nearly
NhAfs IL AA~A II
some great cataract. Now and then
tank would explode with noise like a
cannon, whom column of flame and
pitohy smoke would mount high above
the body of the flames, and showers of
burning oil would be scattered about in
the woods. The whole country was
lighted up for miles around.
Well, it wasn't long. going at the
rate We made, before the lights of Broc-
ton came in sight down the valley. The
relief l felt when these came in view
was short-iived. for I remembered that
train No. 3 on the Lake Shore would be
due at the junction just about the time
We would reach il. No. was the Gill;
oinnati express. Our only hope all
along during the race had been that the
switchman at the junction would think
far enough to open the switch there
connecting the cruss-cut track with the
Lake Shore track, and let rs run in on
the latter, where the grade would be
against "a, if anything, and where We
would soon get ont of the way of the
oil cars. Tue switch, of course, would
be closed now for the express, aad our
last hope was gone unless the express
was late or somebody had sense to nag
it. While We were thinking of this we
saw the express tearing along toward
the junction. Could we reach the
junction, got the switch, and the switch
be set back for the express before the
latter got there? II not, there would
be an inevitable crash, in which not only
we, bat probably scores of others, would
be crushed to death. All this oonjec-
turing did not OCCUPY two seconds, but
in that two secouds | lived years.
"'Good Godr said to my fireman,
what are we to do now 2
TIE fireman promptly replied-and
he was q brave little fellow-that /
should whistle for the switch and take
the chances. I did 60. That whistle
was one prolonged yell Of agony. Il
was shrek that seelned to tell a. that
our brave old engine knew our danger
and had her fears. Neither the fireman
ner myself spoke another word.
Thanks bs I'd God! The engineer on
the express trsin, seeing a. tearing
down that mpuutain with an eighth OF
| \ mile Of solid tire In close pursuit of
rs, knew in moment that only one
thing could save us. He whistled
| for brakes and Qot his train to stand
not 10 feet away from the switch. The
switchmAp now answered oar signal.
aud We shot in on the Shore track and
vhixzed on up by the depot and through
/ the ri zoe like q rocket. The burning
cara followed as in, of course; Int their
race was run. They had no propellinR
power nov, and afsef chasing US for 4
mile they gave mp the pursuit, and IN
three hours there was nothing left OF
them but smoking ruins.
my fireman and we're 20 weak when
We brought our locomotive TO stop
that We could mot get out Of the cab.
The two horeeuneu were unconscious IN
the box oar. The horses were ruined.
And how long do you think We were IN
~ A.