The morning call., 1891-05-12
ROASTED TO DEATH.
Terrible Predicament Of a Party
Of Brave. Men.
A Relief Train Surrounded by an Immense
Wall Of Fire.
The Cars EnVelOped In Fierce Flames and
Seven Persons Fatally Burned-0therS
hlSSing-YillageS Destroyed.
Special to THE MORNING CALI.

CoUDERsPoRT Pa.), May 11.-To-night
the little towns of Austin, Costello, Galeton
aud Moores Bun In Potter County, are on
the verge of panic, two of them especially
being threatened with annihilation from
fires that seem to form an impenetrable wall
skies have been lighted with fires in every
direction and the flames crept steadily to-
ward the helpless towns until it was seen
that the people must fight.
At Moores Run, on the SHINE Mahoning
road, train-load of seventy-five willing
men, sent out from Austin Sunday night,
have been fighting the back fires by every
conceivable means. They made trenches,
piled up earth and built fires, but were finally
obliged to retreat The men hastily boarded
the train ana started to make a run to
another point, when it was found that they
were hemmed in by forest fires ON one side
and huge skidway 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 seyenty-fiye exhausted men gathered
in groups on flats for protection, or lay on
their faces on the floor. AS the blazing
furnace OF logs was approached the heat be-
came unbearable and the smoke was so
binding 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 fame
were greatest, terrible thing occurred.
The engineer had forgotten that such
great heat would surely warp the rails.
Suddenly there, was q lurch. an ominous
heavlng and shrek Of despair. as the train
toppled over into the hell of fire beneath.
A scene ersued never to be forgotten by
those who escaped. though every man will
bear to his grave mark of that awful mo-
ment.
The cars caught fire like so many play
things, and men within half-bllnded and
were being slowly roasted to death strug-
gled fearfully to regain the track whore
safety lay, for time at least Those unin-
jured from the fall, and only smarting from
the pain of Intense heat bravely turned
their burned blaekened hands to aid their
more unfortunate fellows.
At 10 o'clock at night it was Impossible to
secure details, though 1t is known that Su-
perintendent Badger of the SinnemahOning
Valley Railroad. who was in charge of the
train, went down under some OF the wreck
age and was undoubtedly burned to death.
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 eharred wood of the logs or train.
The remainder of the party saved them
selves by lying down in the creek.
Relief parties started for the scene as
soon as the fearful news spread, but will
hardly be able to reach the place Of the
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 buried or missing. AS to damages,
it is known that 100000 feet of hemlock
logs and timber and %, 600 cords Of valuable
bark have already been destroyed and the
fires are raging, without any appreciable
for rain, as it seems that nothing
but drenching will quench the flames. A
million beacon lights seem to be burning
from every mountain and hillside, and the
air is so oppressive 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 has already
been burned. and the end is not yet.
NEwAYGo (Mich.), May 11.-Forest fires
are raging in this county. The villages of
Ota, Fields and Park City have been entire
ly DESTROYED and the hotel and depot at Lii
ley are all that remain in that village. The
abOve-named places are villages of about
800 population each.
WARREN pa, May 11.-Forest fires in
this section have caused the loss of nearly
100000 to the oil men in the destruction of
tanks and other property.