New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-05-12
HETWEEN WALLS OF FLAME.
A RAILROAD TRAIN WRECKED AMID RAGING
FOREST FIRES.
THE SUPERINTENDENT OF THE ROAD AND SIX
MEN DEAD, SEVEN MISSING AND MANY
FATALLY NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
VILLAGERS OF PENNSYLVANIA.


Pittsburg, Penn, May IA dispatch from
Coudersport, Penn, says Tonight the lumber
and farming towns of Austin, Costello. Galeton
and Moore's Run, in Potter County, are on the
verge of panic, two especially being threatened
with humiliation from fires that seem to form an
impenetrable wall on every side. In spite of
every effort to stay them the flames crept steadily
toward the helpless towns until it was seen the
people must fight back the fires or have their
houses burned down over their heads
AT Moores Run. on the Sinnemahoning road
h trainload of seventy.hve men sent out from
Austin Sunday night had been lighting the hre'
but were finally obliged 70 retreat Inc men
hastily boarded the train, when 1T was found they
were hemmed in by the forest fire on one side ana
q huge skidway of burning logs on the other. ~
was finally decided TO dash past the burning skid
syay and the. engineer and fireman, with faces
cevered with dampened cloths and their hands
and arms wrapped in wool, mounted the htte
engine and pulled out through the wall OF nre
The seventy-five exhausted men gathered III groups
on the fat cars for protection, or lay on their
faces ON the floors As the blazing furnace Of
logs was approached the heat became unbearaple
and the smoke so binding and sitting that the
men were OBLIGED to cover their mouths win
cloths.
i
heat would surely spread the rails, and he pulied
tbe throttle wider, in the hope of sooner escaping
from a torment of heat and smoke. Then there
was q lurch. an ominous heaving and shrek
of despair as the train tOppled over into the
furnace beneath The cars caught fire ike SO
many paper playthngs, and the men "lthlh' HAL
blinded and scarcely realizing anything except
that they were being slowly roasted 10 deaVh'
struggled to regain the track, where safety ay'
for time at least. Those uninjured from the
fall and only smarting from the pain OF The In
tense heat bravely turned their burned, bacKehcu
hands to aid their more unfortunate fellows. Al
this hour it is impossible to secure details though
enough is known of the scene that followed the
hurting Of the struggling men into the hames 10
say it's like had never occurred before
MIR Badger, superintendent Of the Sinnemahon
ing Valley Road was in charge of the relief train
and had worked the hardest Of all to save the
nroperties of Others When the train was ditched
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 damned in the wreck, he had
evidently slowly burned to death.
AT this time it is known That SIX others also
1niserably perished at or died soon after ana
thirty others of the party were badly burned
many probably fatally, owing to the TACT tha'
they inhaled the flames that seemed fairly 10
spring into their faces. Seven others Oh the
marty are missing, and their fate is unknown,
though they are likely TO be in the charred WOOD
of the logs or the train. wrecklng party started
for the scene as as the fearful news
spread, many relatives of the injured men INSIST
eng on accompanying the wrecldng train' Though
they will hardly be able reach the place OF wreck
unfess the fires have burned themselves OUT.
lowing to the great devastation done 10 every
thing in the way of the fire, commumcau9h Is Is
badly interrupted, and it is Impossible 70 eaIn
the names of the men burned or those sun MISS
ing AS TO the damage, it is known thaU 4O,1
600. 900 feet Of hemlock logs and lumber ana
25 600 cords of valuable bark have already Deeh
DESTROYED. and the fires are raging without any
appreciable diminution. .i
This evening the people are praying Tor ram, RAJ as
il seems that nothing but drenchlng VIII sUop
The flames. unless they burn out for lack OF ma
terial The air is 50 oppressive that many workers
faint from exhaustion and are dragged away from
q flame that has done nothing as yet Dnt steanlis
advance"
Late dispatches from Austin confirm former re
ports The body of Superintendent Badger has
been found burned to crisp; and the entire party
would have periShed in the fires had they not i'm
mersed themselves in a creek. j he fires have
been rating forty-eight hours. Twelve solid miles
of lumber in one district have already been burned
and the end is not yet.