The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1883-03-22
A Burning Sleeping.Car- Es-
capes.
PITTSBURGH, Pa, March I3

TtTTSbUHGH, fd, marCQ
The passengers occupying one of the Pull
man sleepers drawn by the Western express,
on the Pennsylvania Railroad, had thrilling
experience at Wilmore Station, a 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 ms
near the end of the rear car, gradually but
surely developing into an alarming blaze.
A passenger in berth No. ], Mr. PalIern, of
Baltimore, 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 car en-
veloped in flame. dozen persons ran to tho
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
mt MT prevailed and the passengers ran hither
and thither, not knowing what to do. Several
ladie g tainted, and number were with diff
Guilty prevented from jumping OF.
The train was finally brought to stand-still
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 a 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 fame 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.
Enr of oil IF fthry, TT,
they stepped from the train they presented a
motley appearance. Some of them were
wrapped in blankets; others were without
hats and 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 Connelsy lille, Pa.
The makeup of number of the gentlemen
was ludicrous. Colonel Porter had on one
boot and one slipper, and was hatIess. Colonel
Davidson had his head done up in a newspa-
| per, while Colonel Ben Wilson, attired in a
blanket and bare-headed, looked for all the
world like an Indian chief on foraging expe-
dition. 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 Ia
| dies and children.
The fire originated in the rear of the car, and
| is supposed to have been caused either by the
overturnng of a lamp or from the stove. Con-
| 1uctor Harry Hawkins, who was in charge of
the sleeper, did all in his power to 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 $1,000 The loss to the passengers was
| considerable in clothing, watches aud jewelry.
| Some of them also lost considerable sums of
money. Upon their arrival here tie unfortu-
nate were kindly cared for, and were soon put
| in presentab!e condition.