The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1891-05-14
PLUNGED INTO FIRE.
A Horrible and Fatal Accident Happens
to a Pennsylvania Logging
Railroad.
1t is Thrown From the Track Into the
Midst of q Great Pile of Burning
Logs.

CoUDERSPORT, Pa, May 13.-To- night the
pretty little lumber and farming towns OF
Austin, Costello, GaletOn and MOore's Run,
III Potter county. are on the verge of q
panic, two especially being threatened with
"nnihllatiOn from fires that seem to form
an lmpenetrable wall on every side.
For several days past the skies have been
lighted up with fires apparently in every
direction. Hut little fears were entertained
by people living in the towns, as those
threatened and in danger were farmers in
the country districts, or lumber camps in
the midst OF the blazing forests. In spite
of every effort, however, the flames crept
steadily in snaky lines of smoke and flame
toward the helpless towns until it was seen
the people must fight back the flames or
have their very houses burned down over
their heads
At Moore5 run, on the Sinncmahoning
Valley road, a train load of seventy five
willing mcE sent out from Austin Sunday
night had been fighting back the fire 10y
every conceivable means. They made
tre"ches piled up earth, and lighted back
fires, but were finally obliged to retreat
The men hastily boarded the train, and
started to make a run to another point,
when it was found they were hcmmed in
by the forest fire on one side and
HUGE sKIpWAY OF BURNING LOGS
on the other. !: was finally decided to dash
past the burning skidway, and the engineer
and fireman, with faces covered with damp
cncd cloths and their hands and arms
wrapped in WOOL mounted the little engine
and pulled out through the wall o! fire
The seventy-iivc exhausted men gathered in
groups Oh the flats Tor protection, or lay on
their faces on the floor. AS the blazing fur
mace Of logs was approached the heat be-
came unbearablc, and the smoke so blind
ing and sitting the men were obliged to
cover their mouths with cloths.
Just opposite the millions Of feet OF
burning logs, where tie heat and smoke
and flame were the greatest, 4 terrible thing
occurred The engineer had forgotten that
such great heat would surely spread the
rails, and he pulled the throttle wider in
the hope OF sooner escaping from a tor
ment Of heat and smoke. Then there was
a lurch, an omiEous heavlng, and a shrek
Of despair as the train toDpled over into
the he'll Of fire beneath.
A scene cnsucd never to be forgotten by
those who escaped though every man will
bear to his grave mark Of that awful mo-
ment. The cars caught fire like SO many
paper paythings, and the men within,
half blinded and scarcely realizing any
thing except that they were being slowly
ROASTED TO DEATH,
struggling 1ear.ully to regain the track,
where safety lay tor q time at least. Those
uninjured from the fall, and only smarting
from the pain of intense heat brayely
turned their burned, bIackened hands to
aid their more unfortunate fellows.
At this hour it is impossible to secure de-
tails, though enough is known of the scene
that followed the hurting Of the struggling
pass of men into the furnace of flames to
say that its like had meyer occurred before.
supt badger, Of the sinnemahOning Val
ley road, was in charge of the relief train,
and had worked the hardest of all to save
the properties of others. When the train
was ditchcd and rolled over so suddenly he
must have been injured SO as to be unable
to help himself, and, owing to the smoke
and panic, he was not found until too late.
Jammed in the wreck, he had evidently
burned to death.
At this time-9:30 D. NIT is known that
six others also miscrably persisted at once,
or died soon after, and thirty others Of the
party were badly burned, many probably
fatally, owing to ears that they inhaled the
flames that seemed to fairly spring into
their faces. Seven others of the pa rty arc
missing and their ate is unknown. though
they are likely in the charred wood of the
logs or train.
RELIEF PA RITES
started for the scene as econ as the fearful
news spread, many male relatives of the
men injured insisting on accompanying
the train though they will hardly he able
to reach the place Of the wreck unless the
fires have burned themselves out.
Owing TO the great devastation dono to
everything in the way OF the fire commune
cation is badly interrupted. and 1t Is impos-
sible to learn the names of the mCu burned
or those still missing,
AS to the damage, it is known 40, 900, 600
feet Of hemlOCk logs and timber and 25 600
cords Of valuable bark have already been
destroyed, and the fires are raging without
any appreciable diminutiOn,
THIS evening the people are praying for
raln as it seems nothing but drenching
will quench the flames that have grown so
fierce they must either be eXtinguShed by
the hoods of heaven or burn out for lack OF
material.
Tho II N, hnr lands arc Ownod NV Good ,,eor