Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-10-02
FIERY AVALANCHE.
LkafIa .IaI.. .l -aAH .HalNH q .
Engineer, Browns Dash Down
the Mountain side In Front Of
blazing OF Train.

suo papers the story OF that ride | had
from Prospect to Brocton in 1859"
The speaker was Duff Brown, an old
locomotive engineer who was lying al
his home in Portland, this county,
dying with consumption. This was
several weeks ago, On the 9Th of this
month he died, He was nearly sixty
year: old. His story Of the awful ride
is this.
"In 1869 | was running a mixed
train on the Buffalo. CORY and Eric
railway. The track between Prospect
or Mayvllle summit and Brocton
junction is so crooked that, while the
distance is actually only ten miles the
curves make it by rail fourteen. The
grade for the whole distance is over
seventy feet to the mile.
About 8 o'clock on the night of
August IL, 1869, we reached the Sum.
NIT with train Of two passenger cars
SIX oil cars, and box car. The latter
contained two valuable trottinR berses
and their keepers with them. on their
way, 1 believe, to the Oleveland,meet
ing. There were fifty or sixty passen
gers In the two cars got the signal
from the conductor TO start. and
pulled out. We had got under
considerable Roadway, when looking
back, | saw that AN
oil car in the middle of the
train was on fire. | reversed my en-.
gine and whistled for brakes The
conductor and brakemen jumped ofT
They unoOupled the passenger cars
and set the brakes on them, bringing
them to a stop. Surprising that the
brakes on the burning oil oars would
also be put on, | called to brakeman
on the box car to draw the coupling
pin between that car and the head III
tank, backing so that he could do IL
intending to run far enough away 10
save the box car and locomotive. AS
! ran on down the hill, after the min
had been drawn what was my horror 10
see that the burning cars were follow.
ing me at a speed that was rapidly in,
creaslng. The men had not succeed.
cd In putting on the brakes. saw
that the only thing to be done was to
run for 1t to BroctOn, and the chances
we're that we would never reach there
at the speed we would be Obliged to
make around a sharp reverse curves
where we had never run over twenty
miles an hour.
When | saw the flaming clrs-for
the whole six we're on fire by this time
-plunging after me and only few
feet away, | pulled the throttle omen.
The oil cars caught me, though, before
| 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 fat on the
floor. The heat was almost unendu>
rable, and, do my best, couldn't place
more than thirty feet between the
pursuing column Of fire and ourselves
BY the light from the furnace. as nv
fireman opened the door to pile in the |
coal, caught sight of the face of one
Of the horsemen in the box car he hav,
ing climbed up to the grated opening
In the end. 1t was as pale as death, |
and he begged me for Gods sake to |
give her more steam Twas 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 I
hour We went so fast that the engine
couldn't 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 never could understand. She
seemed to know that ii was a race of
life and death and worked as if she
was alive.
THE night was dark and the road
run through woods, deep rock cuts
and along high entertainments. There
we were, laundering along at light.
ming speed, aud only few PAGES be.
hind us that fiery demon in full pur-
salt. There were fifty thousand gal
Ions OF oil in the tanks, at least, and
it was all in fame, making a flying
avalanche Of fire FIVE hundred feet
long. The flames leaped into the air
nearly a hundred feet. Their roar
was like that of some great cataract.
Now and then a tank would explode
with a noise like cannon, when a
column Of fame and pitchy smoke |
would mount high above the body or |
the flames, and showers of burning
oil would be scattered about in the
woods. The whole courtry was light
ed up for miles around
well, it wasn't long, going at the
rate we made, before the lights Of
Brocton came in sight down in the
valley. The relief | had when these
came in view was short lived, for res
membered that train No s, on the
Lake Shore, would be due at the iuuc.
ton just about the time we would
reach it, No. 8 was the Cincinnati
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 tho cross-out track with I
the Lake Shore track, and let us run
in on the latter, where the grade
would be against us, If anything, and /
where 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 hope was gone,
unlsss the express was late, or some
body had sense enough to flag il
While We were thinking OF this we
saw the express tearing along toward
the junction. Could we reach the
junction, get the switch and the switch
be set back for the express before the
latter got there2 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
coniecturing did not occupy two sec
ouds, but in that two seconds lived
years. I.t. ial
"'Great Godl said to my fireman.
what are We to do now2' 4
The fireman promptly replied-and |
he was q brave little fellow-that I
should whistle for the switch and take |
the chances. | did so. That WHISTLE
was one prolonged yell of agony, 1t
was shrek that seemed to tell US
that our brave old engine knew our
danger and had her fears. Neither
the fireman nor myself spoke another
word.
Thanks be to God The engineer
on the express train seeing us tearing |
down that mountain with an eighth Of |
a mile of FIRE in close pursuit. behind |
us, knew in moment that only one
thing could save us. He whistled for |
brakes, and got the train to a stand |
not ten feet away from the switch. |
The switehman now answered our
signal, and we shot in on the
Shore track and whizzed on up by the
depot and through the place Ike a |
rocket. The burning cars followed |
us in, Of course, but their race was |
run. They had no propelline power |
now, and after chasing us for a mile |
they gave up the pursuit, and In three |
hours there was nothing left of them |
but smoking ruins. H irI d ali