Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1891-10-08
BURNING TRAIN.
A Stock Train Ran Into a Runaway
Car Loaded With Oil at Buff
alo, N. D., Taking
Fire Burning Sixteen Cars Of Cat
tie, Killed Two Men, and
Injured Two Others.

Further details are now to hand, and
an intelligent idea can be formed of how
the accident occurred. Freight train
No. GO was going west and reached Buff
falo about 1890. where they had orders
to sidetrack to meet an extra stock train
coming east. The train ran in on the
switch, where Car of oil was standing.
This they meant to bump and push it
along the track to give room for the
train to clear the switch at the east end.
BRAKEMAN GALLAGHER RAN .
forward and climbed on the oil car when
the freight engine struck it, intending
to set the brake and stop it as soon as it
had gone far enough. When he tried
to do so, he found that the brake would
not work, and the car rapidly began to
gather momentum as it rolled down the
grade toward the main track. I'm
fortunately as it turned out, the switch
at the west end of the side track is what
railroad men call split switch, which
allows car to pass over it without leav-
ing the track. Had the oil car left the
track at the switch the accident would
never have occurred. As soon as he
found that the Car was getting beyond
his control, Brakeman Gallagher. who
had pluckily stuck to his post on the
car, signallea to the engineer of the
freight train, who quickly cut of his en-
CINE and started on a race to
catch the runaway car. This
having passed the switch in
safety was rapidly gaining speed as it
rolled down the steep grade, while
LESS THAN FOUR MILES
away was the heavy stock train coming
east all unconscious of the hidden dam
ger which awaited them. Again and
again did Brakeman Gallagher tug at
the brake-wheel in vain endeavor to
check the speed of the flying car but
his efforts were of no avail. Equally
hopeless was the attempt of the freight
engine to catch it from behind All
that could be done was done, yet every
second brought the illfated crew of the
stock train nearer to their doom.
In about three minutes from the time
of starting, the brakeman on the top of
the flying Car saw the headlight of
the coming train twinkling in the dis.
lance. The car had then run nearly q
mile but was still on the down grade
and increasing in pace with every click
of the wheels as they passed the rail
joints. Brakeman Gallagher knew that
in two minutes more the smash must
come, yet he still stuck to his post, and
frantically waved his lantern as the dis
tance between them
RAPIDLY LEssENED,
and the light from the rapidly ap-
preaching headlight began to glimmer
on the converging rails in front, and
illuminate the flying telegraph posts.
At last be saw that he had done all that
man could do, and that remaining
longer at his post could do no good, but
would be only throwing away his own
chance for safety, SO giving one last
twist to the useless brake wheel he
jumped to the ladder and leaped from
his car when about three lengths from
the engine
Almost as he struck the ground the
crash came, and simultaneously with
the sound of the collision, came roar
of flames as the gasoline with which
the oilcar was loaded caught fire, and a
billow of fame twenty feet high mounted
above the doomed stock train as it
passed over the ruined car before STOP
ping. Engineer Curtis, who is as care
full man as ever ran an engine on the
Northern Pacific, had seen the car and
shut off his engine and applied the air
brakes, though the
ENGINE WAS NOT REVERSED.
In the cab, besides Engineer Curtis,
were Fireman Dodge and Brakeman
Beaton, and all of them stuck to their
posts till the crash came, when the train
was still running slowly, but did not
leave the track. When the engine
struck the car in an instant the cab was
filed with fame, and the mems clothes
were soaked with the scattered oil. Fire
man Dodge jumped on the north side of
the engine, but he had not run more
than fifty yards when he fell, the
flames having completed their deadly
WO4A. WHICH, AouAu 4O Wd5 LYNX Ou
his face on the prairie, his hands
in front of his face in the vain endeavor
to protect his eyes. His whole body
was fearfully burnt, the flames having
continued their work till there was
nothing left to feed upon.
Engineer Curtis jumped on the oppo-
site side, and as soon as he got outside
the circle of burning oil on the ground,
THREW HIMSELF DOWN
and rolled on the ground in the vain
endeavor to put out the flames, but as
fast as be smothered them on one side
of his body the saturated clothes would
burst into fame again in another place,
though he managed to protect his eyes
and mouth to some extent, and so did
not inhale the flame.
Brakeman Beaton also tried to put
out his burning clothes by rolling on
the prairie. but with no better success
than his unfortunate companion. In
rolling over and over, however, he came
to the edge Of the ditch at the side of
the track, and began rolling in the sand
and throwing it on his head and face,
by which means he succeeded in putting
out the fire, although not until his head