The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-05-12
Frightful Mishap That Befel Seven
ty-Five Brave Men Fighting
Forest Fires.
A Train Derailed and the Men
Thrown Among Furiously
Roaring Flames.
Several Burned to Death and Many Fear
fully Blistored and Scared Many
Forests Ablmz0.

CouDERs PORT, Pa, May 1l.--To-night the
little towns of Austin, Costello, Galeton,
and Moore's Bun, in Potter county, are on
the verge of panic, two especially being
threatened with annihilation from fires
that seem to form an impenetrable wall on
every side. For several days past the skies
have been lighted up with fires in every di-
rection and flames crept steadily toward
the helpless towns until it was seen that
the people must fight. At Moore's Run on
the Sinnemahoning road train load OF
seventy-five willing men, sent out from
Austin Sunday night, have been
fighting back the fire by
every conceivable means They made
trenches piled up earth and lighted back
fires, but were finally obliged to retreat.
The men hastily boarded the train and
started to make run to another point.
when it was found they were hemmed in by
the forest fires on one side and huge skid
way of burning logs on the other. 1t was
finally decided to dash past the burning
skidway and the engineer and fireman, with
faces covered with dampened cloths and
their hands and arms wrapped in wool,
pulled through the wall of fire. The seven
ty-fve exhausted men gathered in groups
on flats for protection, or lay on their
faces on the floors. As the blazing fur
mace of logs was approached the heat
beanie CO unbearable and smoke 80 blind
ing and sitting that the men were obliged
to cover their mouths with cloths. just
opposite millions of feet of burning logs
where the heat and smoke and flames we're
greatest. a terrible thing occurred. The
engineer had forgotten that such great heat
would surely warp the rails. Suddenly
there was lurch, an ominous heaving and
shrek of despair as the train toppied over
into the hell of fire beneath. A scene en-
sued never to be forgotten by those who
escaped, though every man will bear to his
grave a mark of that awful moment.
The cars caught fire like 80
blinded and scarcely realizing anything ex-
cept that they were being slowly roasted to
death, struggled fearfully to regain the
track where safety lay, for time at least.
Those uniniured by the fall and only smart
ing from the pain of intsnse heat bravely
aid their more unfortunate fellows.
At this hour no p. m.) 1t is impossible to
secure details, though it is known that Su-
perintendent Badger, of the Sinnemahoning
Valley railroad, and who was in charge Of
the train, went down under some
- VIZ WYNN onN "@o u1ooupo-
edly burned to death. Six others
also mise,ably perished at once or died
soon afterward. and thirty others of the
party were badly burned, many probably
fatally, having inhaled flames. Seven
Others of the party are missing and their
fate is unknown. though they are likely in
the charred wood of the logs or train. The
remainder of the party saved themselves by
lying down in a creek. Relief parties start
ed for the scene as soon as the fearful news
spread, but will hardly be able to reach the
place of wreck unless the fires have burned
themselves out. Owing to the great devas-
tation done to everything in the way of the
fire, communication is badly interrupted
and it is impossible to learn the names of
the men burned or missing.
As to the damage. it is known that 10000
900 feet of hemlock logs and timber and
25,O00 cords of valuable bark have already
been destroyed and fires are raging without
any appreciable diminution. The people
are praying for rain, and it seems that
nothing but a drenching will quench the
flames. A million beacon lights seem to
be burning from every mountain and hill
side, and the air is so oppressed that many
workers faint from exhaustion and are
dragged away from the flames. that have
done nothing as yet but steadily advance.
Twelve solid miles of timber in one district
have already been burned, and the end is
not vet.