The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-05-13
A HORRIBLE HOLOCAUST.
Seventy-Five Men Thrown
into Raging Furnace.
Many Lives Lost in the
Awful Accident.
impossible to Secure Accurate
Details.
Forest Fires Creating Enor-
NOUS Havoc.
Millions of Feet of Valuable Lumber
Destroyed.

pretty little lumber farming towns of
Austin, Costello, Galeton and Moore's
Run, in Potter county, are on the verge OF
q panic, two especially being threatened
with annihilation by fires that seem to
form an impenetrable wall on every side.
For several days past the skies have been
lighted up with fires apparently in every
direction, but 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
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 Moore's Run. on the pretty Sinne-
mahoning road, train load OF seventy
five willing men sent out from Austin
Sunday night had been fighting back the
fire by every conceivable means. They
made trenches, piled up earth and lighted
back fires, but were finally Obliged to re-
treat. The men hastily boarded the train
and started to make a run to another
point when it was found that they were
hemmed in by the forest fire on one side
and huge skidway of logs on the other.
1t was finally decided to dash past the
burning skidway and the engineer and
fireman, with faces covered with damp
ened clothes and their hands and arms
wrapped in wool, mounted the little en-
gine and pulled out through the wall OF
fire. The seventy-five exhausted men
gathered in groups on the flats Tor pro-
lection or lay on their faces on the floor.
AS the blazing furnace OF logs was ap-
preached the heat became unbearable and
the smoke so binding and sitting the
men were obliged to cover their mouths
with cloths
Just opposite the millions of feet OF
burning logs where the heat and smoke
and flame were the greatest a terrible
thing occurred. The engineer had forgot
ten that such great heat would surely
spread the rails and be pulled the throttle
wider in the hope of sooner escaping from
there was a lurch, an ominous heaving
and shrek OF despair as the train toppled
over into the hell OF fire beneath.
A scene ensued never TO be forgotten
by those who escaped and every man
will bear TO his grave mark of that awful
moment.
The cars caught fire like so many paper
playthings, and the men within, half
blinded and scarcely realizing anything
except that they were being slowly roasted
to death, struggled fearfully to regain the
track where safety lay, for time at least.
Those uninjured from the fall, and only
smarting from the pain of intense heat,
bravely turned their burned, blackened
hands to aid their more unfortunate tel-
lows.
At this hour it is impossible to secure
details, though enough is known of the
scene that followed the hurting OF the
struggling mass of men into the furnace
of flames, to say its like had never oc-
Cured before.
superintendent Badger of the Sinne-
mahoning Valley road was in charge of
the relief train and had worked the hard
est of all TO save the property of others.
When the train ditched and rolled over
so suddenly, he must have been injured
so as to be unable to help himself, and
owing to the smoke was not found until
too late. Jammed into the wreck. he had
evidently slowly burned to death.
At this time, 80 p. m, it is known
that six others also miserably perished at
once, or died soon after. and thirty others
of the party were badly burned, many
probably fatally. owing to fears that they
inhaled the flames which seemed to fairly
spring into their faces. Seven others of
the party are missing and their fate is not
known, though they are likely in the
charred wood of logs or train.
Relief parties started for the train as
soon as the fearful news spread. many
male relatives of the men injured insisting
on accompanying the train, though they
will be hardly able to reach the place OF
the wreck unless the fires have burned
themselves out. Owing to the great de-
vastation done to evrything in the way of
the fire, communication is badly inter
rupted and it is impossible to learn the
names of the men burned or those still
missing.
As to the damage, it is known 10000. 900
feet of hemlock and timber and 200 cords
OF bark has already been destroyed and
the fires are still raging. This evening
the people are praying for rain, as itseems
nothing but drenching will quench the
flames that have grown so tierce-tbey
must either be extinguished by the floods
OF heaven or burn out for lack of ma
terial.
A million beacon lights seem to be burn
ing from every mountain and hillside and
the air is so oppressive that many workers
faint from exhaustion and are dragged
away from a flame that has done nothing
as yet but steadily advance.
Late dispatches from Austin confirm
former reports. The body OF Superin-
tendent Badger has been found burned TO
a crisp and the entire party would have
perished in the burning train of forest
fire had they not immersed themselves in
a creek. The fires have been raging
forty-eight hours. Twelve solid miles of
lumber in one district have already been
burned and the fires are still advancing.
Disastrous Fires Near Warren
WARREN, Pa, May 11.--Forest fires in
this section have caused heavy loss to oil
mon The fra efartad SATURDAY. affarnoon