Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1891-05-16

between two burning sideways at
Moore's Run. Superintendent Badger,
of the Sinnemahoning valley railroad,
was burned t. death. Five others were
fatally burned and many others dan
gerously injured. The whole train was
burned, the men scattered and the full
extent of the loss of life and number Of
injured has not yet been ascertained.
CoUDERsPoRT, Pa, May 12.-At
Moore's Run, on the pretty Sinnema-
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 fire, but were finally
obliged to retreat. The men hastily
boarded the train and started to make
run to another point, when it was
found that they were hemmed ia by the
forest fire on one side and a huge skid
way of logs on the other. 1t was finally
decided to dash past the burning skid
way, and the engineer and fireman with
face covered with dampened cloths
and their hands and arms wrapped in
wool mounted the little engine and
puliCu OuJ JuTouSh buO wal u hh+s.
The seventy-five exhausted men gath
cred in groups on the flats for protec-
ton or lay on their faces on the floor.
AS the blazing furnace of logs was ap-
preached the heat became unbearab BILE
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 great
est terrible thing occurred. The engi-
neer had forgotten that such great heat
would surely spread the rails, and he
pulled the throttle wider in the hope OF
ooner escaping from torment of heat
and smoke Then there was n lrirch,
an ominous heaving, and shrek of de-
spair as the train toppled over into the
hell of fire beneath. A scene ensued
never to be forgotten by those who
escaped, though every man will bear to
ais 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
roastsd 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 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 mass of men into the furnace
of flames, to say its like had never
occurred before. Superintendent Bad
ger, of the Sinnemahoning Valley road,
was in charge of the relief train, and
worked the hardest of all to save the
properties 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-jammed in the wreck he
had evidently slowly burned to death
AT this time-9:30 p. NIT 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
hat they inhaled flames that seemed
o fairly spring into their faces.
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. Relief parties started for
the scene as soon as the fearful news
spread many male relatives of the
men injured insisting on accompanying
the train, though they will hardly be
able to reach the place of the
wreck unless the fires have burned
themselves out Owing to the great de
vast,tion done to everything in the way
of the fire communication is badly in
terrupted, and it is impossible to learn
the names of the men burned or those
still missing. AS to the damage it il
known 10000, 900 feet of hemlock log:
and timber and $4,000 cords of valuable
bark has already been dc stroyed ant
the fires are raging without any appre
ciable diminution. This evening tn,
people are praying for rain, al
it seems nothing but drepchint
will quench the flames that hav,
grown so fierce they must either b.
j extinguished by the floods of heaven o
burn out for lack of material A million
beacon lights seem to be burning from
every mountain anu hiilSiuo anu ohe ai
is so oppressive that many worker
faint from exhaustion, and are dragge'
; away from flame that has done moth
} ing as yet but steadily advance.
Late dispatches from Austin confirm
former reports. The body of Superin
tendent Badger has been found burne,
to a crisp, and the entire party woul
, have perished in the burning train o
, forest fire had they not immersed them
selves in q creek. The fires have bee
raging forty-eight hours, twelve soil
! miles of lumber in one district have a.
; ready been burned, and the end Is nc
yet. " 20
Quarrel Over Ownership OF Land Result
In the Murder of Two Men.
| Me- Q..a ~.