, 1891-01-18
AN EXCITING RIDE.
Two Cars on the Northern Train
Catch Fire.
A Brakeman's Peril0us Trip to
Warn the Engineer.
Two Minutes Run to the First
Water Tank.
Lively Experience in Preventing
the Spread of the Flames.

An exciting FIRE occurred on the down
train on the Cheyenne & North.
ern yesterday afternoon, between Chug-
water and Iron Mountain stations. Two
hobo house cars. loaded with lumber,
oil and a broken hanL car, caught fire
from sparks from the engine. An inter
vening house car prevented the engineer
and iircmen from seeing the flames The
burning cars were separated from the
passenger coach by two fat-cars. across
the top of which rolled black clouds of
smoke. Long forks of flames, famed By
the strong breeze and strengthened by the
speed Of the train, swept against the front
passenger car, and il was m~omentariiy in
danger OF catching fire. Either the car
must be cut off from the burning tram or
word taken to the engineer. Brakeman
Anderson volunteered to DO the latter.
He crept through the clouds OF smoke
and flame which swept across the
fat-cars and climbed across the
ton Of the burning house cars from
which the flames now that shot into the
air. The p]erlous trip was made in
safety, the only mishap being a badly
burned hand, which was bhstered when
Anderson grasDed the brake iron GA the
top OF the car to pull himself up. When
the engineer saw the situation be decided
to run for the Iron Mountain water tank
a uIile and a half distant. The run was
made in less than two minutes but when
the tank was reached the coaches were
50 full of smoke that it was impossible 10
see from one end to the other and were
SO hot that the font one was abandoned,
the passengers going to the rear car.
As the burning cars pulled alongside
the water tInk the rope used to pail the
big iron spout down caught fire and
burned of and the next moment the
tank itself was on FIRE,
Flames shot threateninply toward the
big windmill and for a few omeut a
general CONFEDERATION seemed inevitable.
The burning cars we're ~uncoupled and
pulled away from the tank until one of
the crew climbed up the side and secured
the valve rope. Then the cars were
pushed back and deluged with water.
The crew, with r, S. Van Tassell and a
LEADER reporter, who we're passengers on
the train, carried water from the creek
near by and put out the fire at the wind
mill, tank and the fat cars which had
caught in a number of places. The two
house cars we're pushed back aud forth
under the big stream from the tank and
completely submerged. The ire. how
ever, had gotten between the iron and
wood of the rnnf and into the lumber
packed into the cars aud it was necessary
to Dull what remained Of the wood. work
OF one Of them to pieces. Mr.. Van Tassell
swung an axe to such good effect that in
half an hour the car was completely dis
mantled and the train wa able to pro
coed.
The contents of one of the cars were
completely destroyed and all that would
burn in the second one was badly damaged.
The fire caught from a spark OF the Daua
Coal. which causes considerable trouble
of thus kind wherever used. The train
men did quick and effective work in sub.
DUNG the fire and. with the passengers,
will not be likely to forget very soon the
exciting run to the water tank.