The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-01-19
IN 4 SEA OF FLAMES.
BURNING OIL ENVELOPES A TRAIN.
Three Persons Crcmsted and Thirty Others
Badly Burned on - rOw-GRuEs
Road Near Bradford, Pa.-Thc
Cars Destroyed by the Fire.
\ FRIGHTFrL CALAMITY.

BRADFORD, Pa, Jan. l6.--A stream of
oil from tank on the hillside flowed across
the Bradford, Burdcll & kinzua Railroad
rack, covering il tor 100 yards. AS the
morning train from Wcllsville came along
the oil caught fire from the engine, and in
stantly the train, which consisted of u loco
motive, baggage and passenger ear, was en-
vcloped in flames. Three women were
burned to death, and twenty-five persons
we're terribly burned about the head, face
and hands, or badly hurt by jumping from
the moving train. so intense was the heat
that windows cracked and fell in. In a few
seconds the cars were blazing iielcrly, The
passenger coach was filed with travellers.
There was frantic rush for the doors, but
the heat was SO intense that the panic.
stricken people Were driven back and forced
TO jump through the windows
A relief train with surgeons and cots was
dispatched to the scene. There u terrible
sight presented itself. The passenger
coach and baggage car were u smoking mass
Of ruins. The engine lay Oh its back, hav-
ing turned complete somersanlt. Many
of the more seriously injured lay on the
ground in the snow suffering terrible ag-
OneS. Others had managed TO get to the
houses of the Oitwell workmen. The cries
of the burned We're terrible. Several were
literally scorched black. These will die.
The list of the killed and injured is as
follows:
KILLED--Mrs. l.. G. Fair, kinzua Junction,
burned beyond rccognition; Miss Katie Nor
an, of Aliens, Pa, body burned to crisp;
Mrs. Tobias Jones, Row City, burned 10 Gin
dcrs.
INJURED-Prof. Taught, of Tarport. not on
pected to live; Patrick Sexton, engineer, ter
libly burned ON face and hands; Mike Walsh,
fireman, horribly burned about the face and
arms; W. II. Bclknap, of Aiken, injured in
ternaly: George Mccartney, newsboy, burned
about the head and hands; moi expected 10
live: Jerry itaggrrty. Ceres, n. Y, badly
burned abou; the face and h",d: Mrs. Back
nor daughter and her son, of Aiken. burned
about tho head pnd h.Ntsj G. W. Wan, wife
and son. OF 1ndiaaapoiiV burned about rho
face and hands: john ka!ocr OF Aiken, Tor
riby burned about the face and hands
Mrs. Thomas Parker, Of Bordel., Pa,
threw her rour-year-old child out of Il Win
dow. and jumped ont. Captain Hoe of
Boston. Mass. was burned about the face
and head, and fourteen or fifteen others
were severely burned.
u. Il. Brest, foreman OF the AEchor Oh
Company's lease where the holocaust 0c
cured said: Il went TO part of the lease
where they were putting up boiler this
morning, and seeing streak Of oil in the
snow running down over the railroad track,
! struggled hard to reach the track and
warn the engineer. The snow, however,
was so deep that / made but little head
way, | heard The train coming and immedi-
atcly afterward was startled by an cXplo-
sion. The train was soon a mass of flames.
| could render no assistance 10 passengers.
John Burke, of the Bingham House, Dun
kirk, n. Y, with his sister May, occupied
seats near the center of the passenger ear
and escaped without injury. Burke de-
scribes his experience as follows: THE
train was running fifteen miles an hour.
Suddenly the car became dark. Jets and
tongues of fame leaped up on all sides and
flashed through the ventilatOrs. The glass
cracked with a snap and the heat
became uncomfortable. knew at once that
we were passing through an oil fire.
l recognized the Kissing Of the burning oil.
Turning to my sister said: we are pass.
ing through an oil fire. Be quiet. IL will
soon be over. People began to jump
through the windows. On all sides was
heard the crashing of glass and the deafen-
ing roar of the sea of flames The car was
4 regular hell in less than three minutes
after it caught fire. 1t seemed as if We were
all doomed to burn to death. The car was
filed with the cries of women and children,
and the groans of the men. Women and
children were picked up and thrown
through the windows. Those who jumped
out Jared better than the few who
dashed through the doors into the
flames which surged 10 and fro upon the
bed on the road, and all had their hands,
faces and clothing burned. ! started down
the aisle, but The heat was so great tn t it
made my head swim. said: we must
jump through the window. l arranged my
sisters cloak about her head, picked her up
bodily, and dashed her head foremost
through the window. u next picked up Il
little girl who was crying and threw her out
the same window. Then | made jump
for life, landing in Il snow-driit. My MUS
tachc and hair were only slightly singed.
My sister rolled down the snow-bank, but
escaped without a scratch"