Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1883-03-22
A Burning Sleeping Car-Narrow Es-
capeS.
PTTTsBURGH, Pa, March 1G

PITTSBURGH, Pa, March 13.
The passengers occupying one of the Pull
man se"pers drawn by the Western express
on the Pennsylvania Railroad, had thrilling
experience at Wilmore Station. few miles
this side of Altoona, shortly after five o'clock
this morning. The train had passed Cresson,
and was nearing Wilmore, with all aboard
obliviouS Of their danger, when a tiny tongue
of flame shot out from among the curta rs
near the end of the rear car, gradually but
surely developing into an alarming blaze.
a passenger in berth No. !, DIR. Pallern, of
Ba. timOre, who was not sleeping very heavily
at the time, was aroused by the smell of the
burning tapestry, and an instant later he
sprang out Of his berth, fully alert to the peril
of the moment, and gave the alarm. Imme-
diately all was confusion, and the occupants
of the berths jumped out to find the Ctr en-
veloped IN flame. A dozen persons ran to the
doors, but finding the train still in motion
pulled the bell-cord. Owing to the right signal
not being gwen, however, the engineer paid no
attention to it until it had been pulled several
times. In the meantime tn widest excite
m Mt prevaile I, and the passengers ran hither
and thither, not knowing what to do. Several
ladits tainted. and number were with diff
Guilty prevented from jumping OF.
The train was finally brought to a stand-stll,
and the occupants of the car rushed out. Some
of them were in their night-clothes, while 9TH
ers succeeded in saving enough of their eff
fects to make themselves appear respectable.
The fire had not been discovered moment
TOO soon, as by the time the train stopped and
the occupants of the burning car had escaped,
the whole sleeper was one mass of flame. and
inside of twenty minutes was heap of smoul.
dering ashes.
Of the twenty-six passengers who had occu-
pied the burned car, twenty were gentlemen,
four were ladies, and the others were children.
Fortunately none of them were injured. AS
they stepped from the train they presented a
motley appearance. Some of them were
wrapped in blankets; others were without
hats aud bOnnets, and still others had no shoes.
Among the passengers were General Pension
Agent Dudley, Colonel Benjamin Wilson, an
ex-Congressman of West Virginia; General
Ca'kins, of Indiana; Colonel Davidson, of
Beaver, Pa: and Colonel Porter, Postmaster
of Councils lille. Pa
The makeup of a number of the gentlemen
was ludicrous. Colonel Porter had on one
boot and one slipper, and was hatless. Colonel
Davidson had his head done up in a newspa-
per, while Colonel Ben Wilson, attired in
blanket and bare headed, looked for all the
world like an Indian chief on a foraging expe-
dit on. General Dudley is said to have been
the coolest person on the car, and by his wise
counsel did much to allay the fears of the la
dies and children.
The fire originated in the rear of the car, and
is supposed to have been caused either by the
overturning of lamp or from the stove. Con-
ductor Harry Hawkins, who was in charge of
the sleeper, did ali in his power aid the pass
engers to escape, and was the last man to leave
the burn ng car.
The loss can not be approximated. The
Pullman Company estimate their share at
about S2O.00J. The loss t. the passengers was
considerable in clothing, watches and jewelry.
Some of them also lost considerable sums OF
money. Upon their arrival here tle unfOrtu-
nate were kindly cared for, and were soon put
in presentabe condition.