, 1891-05-12
A RIDE TO DEATH
Terrible Catastrophe on a
Pennsylvania Railroad.
Hemmed in on All Sides by
Walls of Fire,
A Train Attempts to Dash
Through the Flames.
Unfortunately the Effort is
Unsuccessful.
o. " Mil
Six Men Perish at Once and
Others Missing.

C~oUDERsPoRT, Pa, May Il.-Tonight
the little towns of Austin, Costello, Gale
ton and Moore's Run, in Potter county,
are OF the verge of a panic, WI
especially being threatened with annihila-
ton from fires that seem to form an i'm
penetrable wall on every side. For several
days past the skies have been lighted up
with fires in every direction, and the
flames crept steadily towards the helpless
towns, until it was seen that the people
must fight. At Moore's Run, on the
Mahoning road, a train load of willing
men sent out from Austin Sunday night.
have been fighting the back fire by every
conceivable means. They made trenches.
piled up earth and lighted back fires, but
we're finally obliged to retreat. The
men hastily boarded the train and
started TO make the run to another point.
when it was found thatthey were hemmed
in by forest fires on one side and a huge
pile of burning logs on the other. 1t was
finally decided to dash past the burning
skidway, and the engineer and fireman,
with their faces covered with dampened
cloths and their hands arms wrapped in
wool, pulled through the wall of fire.
The seveutY-fve exhausted men gathered
in groups on the fats for protection or lay
on their faces on the floors. As the blaz-
ing furnace of logs was approached the
heat became UNDESIRABLE and the smoke
ur,R a.. klWlr-w 81 LN.A.-. NI.N IL u.1-
were Obliged to cover their mouths with
cloths.
Just opposite the millions of feet OF
burning logs. where the heat and smoke
and fame we're greatest, terrible things
occurred. The engineer had forgotten
hat such great heat would surely warp
the rails. Suddenly there was a lurch,
an ominous heavlnR and a shrek of des-
pair as the train toDpled over into the
hell OF fire beneath. The scene that
ensued will never be forgotten by those
who escaped, though every man will bear
to his grave the mark of that awful mo-
ment. The cars caught fire like so many
playthings, aud the men within, half
blinded anu scarcely realizing anything
except that they were being slowly roasted
to death, struggled f%earfully to regain the
track. where safety lay, for a time at least
Those uninjured from the fall and only
smartinR from the pain of the intense
heat, bravely turned their burned and
blackened hands to aid their more unfor-
Inmates.
AT this hour 90 p. M 1t is impossible
to secure details, though it is known that
Superintendent Badger OF the Mahoning
Valley railroad, who was 10 charge of the
train, went down under some of the
.-..l II -l-H.-l1 - =.
death. Six other persisted at once or
died soon afterwards. and thirty others of
the party were badly burned, many prob
ably fatally. having inhaled the flames.
Seven others of the party arc missing and
their fate is unknown. though they are
likely IN the charred wood of the logs or
train. The remainder of the party saved
themselves bv lying rOwn in the creek.
Relief rarfies 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 burnt them
selves out. OSing to the devastation
done to everything in the way of the fire
communication is badly interrupted and it
is impossible to learn the names of the
men burned or missing. As to the damage
done it IS known that 40, 900, 900 feet of
hemlOck logs and timber and 25, 900 cords
OF valuable bark have already been
destroyed and tie fires are raging without
any appreciable d%iminution, People are
praying for rain as it seems that nothing
but a drenching will quench the flames.
A million beacon lights seem to be burn,
ing from every mountain and hillside aud
the air is so oppressive that many workers
faint from exhaustion and are dragged
away from the flames that have done
nothing yet but steadily advance. Twelve
solid miles of timber in one district have
already been burned and the end is not
vet.