The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-11-15
TAUNTON, VIRGINIA. NOVEMBER IS. 1883
An Avalanche of Flame.

story: a5t 4a m Is 9si3a.ff.,5.f ts,I
~ In 1869 | was running a mixed train {
the Buffalo, Cory q Erie Railway. IT
track between Prospect or Mayville Sun
nit and Brocton Junction is SO crooke
f that, while the distance is actually only te
miles, the curves by rail make it fourteen
The grade for the whole distance is oyt
seventy feet to the mile. .ar
About 8 O'Clock on the night Of Aug. L
1869, we reached the summit with trai
of two passenger cars, six oil cars, and
box car. The latter contained two yaluabl
trotting horses and their keepers wit
them, on their way, believe, to the Clevt
E land meeting. There were fifty OF sixt
passengers in the two cars. | got the. sig
| nal from the conductor to start, and
. pulled out. We had got under consider
able Roadway, when, looking back, 1 say
that an oil Car in the middle of the trail
was on fire. | reversed my engine an,
whistled for brakes The conductor an,
brakeman jumped off. They uncouplet
the passenger cars and set the brakes OF
them, bringing them toa stop. Supposins
that the brakes on the burning oil cars
would also be put on, / called to a brake
man on the box car to draw the coupling
pin between that car and the head oil tank
backing SO that he could do it, intending
to run far enough away to save the box cal
and locomotive. AS / ran down the hill
after the pin had been drawn, what was
my horror to see that the burning cars were
following me at a speed that was rapidly
increasing. The men had not succeeded
in putting on the brakes. | saw that the
only thing to be done was to run for it to
Brocton, and the chances were that we
would never reach there at the speed which
we would be obliged to make around those
sharp reverse curves, where we had never
run over twenty miles an hour.
When | saw the flaming cars-for the
whole six were on fire by this time-plung-
ing after me. and only a few feet away, 1
pulled the throttle open. The oil cars
caught me, though, before 1 got away.
They came with full force against the rear
OF the box car, smashing in one end and
knocking the horses and their keepers flat
ON the floor. The heat was almost unbear-
| able, and, do my best, i couldn' It place more
than thirty feet between the pursuing col
umn of fire and ourselves. By the light
from the furnace, as my fireman opened
the door to pile in the coal, caught sight
OF the face of one Of the horsemen in the
box car, he having climbed up to the grated
opening in the end. 1t was rs pale as
death, and he begged Inc for God IS sake to
give her more steam. | was giving her
then all the steam she could carry, and the
grade itself was enough to carry us down
at the rate Of fifty miles an hour. We
went so fast that the engine couldn It 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 something never could I'M
derstand. She seemed to know that it was
a race of life and death, and worked as if
she were alive.
The night was dark, and the road ran
through woods, deep rock cuts, and along
high embellishments. There we were, thun-
derlng along at lightning speed, and only
a lew PAGES behind us that fiery..demon in |
full pursuit. There were $4,000 gallons of |
oil IN those tanks. at least, and it was all |
lame, making a flying avalanche of fire 500 |
teetlong. The flames leaped into the air
nearly hundred feet. Their roar was like
that OF some great cataract. Now and
then tank would explode with noise
IKE cannon, when column of flame |
and pltchy 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. ~ s4
Well. it wasn't long, going at the rate we |
made, before the lights of Brocton came in
sight in the valley, The relief l felt when
hese came in view was short-lived for 7 !
remembered that train No s, ON the Lake
Shore, would be due at the junction about |
the tine We would reach it. No. s was the {
CINCINNATI express. Our only hope all along
during the race had been that the switch |
man at the junction wond think far enough |
to open the switch there connecting the |
cross cut track with the Lake Shore track,
ana let us run IN on the latter, where the
grade would be against us. if anything. and |
Whel8 we could soon get out of the way of |
the Oil cars. The switch, of course. would |
be closed now for the express, and our last I
hope was gone unless the express was late.
OF somebody had sense enough to flag it.
While we were thinking of this we saw
The express tearing along toward the june
ton. Could we reach the junction. get
the switch, and the switch be set back for
the express before the latter got there If |
not, there would be an Inevitable crash, in
which not only We but probably scores of
others would be crushed to DEATH All this |
eanIeoturlng did not occupy two seconds,
but in that two seconds lived years
Good God!" I said 10 my fireman. /
what are we to do now p''
The fireman promptly replied and he
was a brave little feIlow-that | should |
whistle for the switch and take the chance.
! did so. That whistle was one prolonged
yell OF agony. 1t was shrek that SEEM
-. " WI 40 tAboOul DlNttOIQ engine knew
our danger and had her fears. Neither the
fireman nor myself spoke another word.
Thanks be to Godl The engineer on the
express train seeing us tearing down that
mountain with the eighth of a mile of solid |
ire in close pursuit Of us, knew in a mo-
ment that only one thing could save us.
lie whistled for brakes, and got his train
to stand not ten feet away from the !
switch, The switchman now answered our /
signal, and we shot in on the Shore track \
and whizzed on up by the depot and thro' \
the place like a rocket. The burning cars |
followed us in, of course, nut their race |
was run. They had no propelling power |
now, and after chasing us for a mile they |
gave up the pursuit, and in three hours {
there was nothing left Of them of smoking /
ruins. +
My fireman and were so weak4when we |
brought our locomotive to a stop that we
could not get out of the cab. NJ The two |
horsemen were unconscious in the box car
The horses were ruined. And howlong do
you think we were making that sixteen