The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-01-23
THROUGH A SEA OF FIRE.
The Awful Trip of n Railroad Train
Near Bradford.

with Bradford this morning. Along
the line of the road are scattered
numerous oil-wells and oil-tanks.
About three miles this side of Brad
ford. on the upper side of the track,
stands large tank owned by the
Anchor Oil Company. 1t was full
of oil, and, having partially burst,
the escaping fluid ran down in a
small river, covering the track for
about 100 yards.
When the morning train going
into Bradford came along the gas
arising from the oil came in contact
with the fire. box, caused an explo-
sion and set fire to the lake of oil
through which the train was plough
ing its way. The revolution of the
wheels threw the burning oil over
the cars, and in a moment they
were snveloped in flames and sufio-
eating smoke. There was but one
passenger car attached to the train,
containing about forty persons.
The terrible heat disabled the engi-
neer and fireman and they lost con-
troll of the train, which rushed down
the grade, whirling mass of fire,
until it jumped the track.
The passenger coach was bottom
side upwards when it was found.
In the meantime the passengers
were terror stricken, their only
avenue of escape being to jump from
the windows. Three ladies who
failed to escape were burned to
death. Twenty y-fve or thirty are
seriously burned and otherwise in
Ijured, many ofthem fatally
AN OIL MANS STORY.
ID. R Brest, foreman OF the Anch-
or Oil Company's lease on the Buch-
aRan farm, where the disaster occur
red, said:
went up to the lease this morn
ing, kept sharp lookout for es-
Gaping oil. | went to the part of the
lease where they were putting up a
boiler. | saw streak of oil in the
snow, and followed it up. | think
it escaped from tank on the bill.
1t ran down a path in the snow, and
ran over on the railroad track. |
knew that it was about train time
and struggled hard to reach the
track and warn, if possible. the en-
gineer. TIE snow, however, was so
deep that | made but little Roadway.
| heard the train coming, and i'm
mediately afterwards was startled
by an explosion. The train was
soon a pillar of flames. could rem
der no assistance to the passengers
STATEMENTS OF PASSENGERS.
John Burke, OF the Bingham
House, Dunkirk, n. Y, with his
sister Mary, was on the -fated train.
They occupied seats near the centre
of the car. They escaped, almost
miraculously, without injury. Mr..
Burke said:
Myself and sister are thankful
that We escaped so easily. The train
was running at the rate of 10 miles
an hour Suddenly the car became
dark. Jets and tongues of flame
leaped up on the sides and through |
the ventilators of the car. The glass
cracked with a snap and the heat
became unendurable. | knew at
once that we were passing through |
an oil fire. | recognized the pecul- |
lar Kissing of the burning oil. Turn |
ing 10 my sister Mary, | said I'VE !
are passing through an oil fire; be /
quiet; it will soon be over" People |
began to jump through the windows
On all sides was heard the crashing
of the glass and the deafening rear
of the sea of flames. 1t seemed as if
we were all doomed to burn to death. .
! The situation was terrible. The car
was filled with the cries of women |
and children, and the groans of
strong men. Women and children |
were picked up by strong hands and !
bodily fired through the cracking
windows Those who jumped out /
OF the windows farce better than the |
few who dashed through the doors
into the ocean of flames which surg
ed to and fro, like huge waves upon I.
the bed ef the road. Those who |
| jumped from the windows landed in /
huge drifts of snow. Those who /
went through the doors had their
hands, faces and clothing badly /
burned and singed. | started down /
the aisle. but the heat was so intense
that it made my head swim. ltwas
impossible to move. The car sway
ed to and fro like a ship in heavy
sea. The windows offered the only /
means of escape, said to Mary,
We must jump through the window.
| arranged her cloak about her head
The heat had already cracked the
glass I picked her up bodily, and,
mastering all my strength, dashed
her headforemost through the win
dow. | then picked up little girl
who was crying and threw her out of
of the same window, and then |
made the jump for my life, landing
in snow drift.
Another witness of the disaster
says it was the grandest and yet the
most awful scene that human eve
ever witnessed. He says:
For a distance OF half mile the
road bed was covered with oil at
points it was over the rails The
moment the gas came in contact
with the fire-box it exploded, firing
the oil. In less than one minute the
engine and cars were enyeloped in
flames, and great, black pillars of
smoke assembled heavenward. The
driving wheels of the engine, which
was dashing along at the rate of 10
miles an hour, scattered the oil over
everything. With rush and roar
which might have been heard for a
mile, the flames leaped fully $50 !
feet ahead of the locomotive, which
was thus compelled to run through
a vsritable sea of FIRE, such as is sell
dom the fortune of man to witness.
1t was a terrible race, and the only
parallel | can remember is the oil
train which burned up near Brocton,
\. Y, few years ago. How the