The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-01-20
TUNNEL WAS AFURNACE
Story of the Burning Tunnel
Near Williams, Ariz.
Told by Passengers on the East
Bound Train.
"Gay Coney Island" Girls Make Lark
of the Accident and Indulge in
Skirt Dances and High Kick
ing in the Snow.

Passenger train No. 2, due to leave
Topeka at o'clock Wednesday morn
ing, did not arrive in Topeka until 7:O5
in the evening, the IA hours delay being
caused by the burning of the Fairview
tunnel nine miles west of Williams,
Arizona. The heavy timbers support
ing the tunnel were set on fire from
the sparks of the engine on NO. that
went through on Monday. When train
No. 2, that left Los Angeles at $3.50 Sun
day, reached the tunnel on Monday
morning they found it still burning and
that travel through it was impossible.
Pullman Conductor Rathbone said:
I'VE left Los Angeles Sunday and ar
rived at the tunnel Monday morning.
1t was burning so fiercely that it was
impossible to get within few feet Of
the mouth to say nothing of having
train go through. The tunnel is about
400 feet long and goes through a noun
tain that is about so feet high. The
tunnel is supported with heavy tim
berS placed very close together. When
we arrived there the fire had been
burning for several hours and looked
as if it would burn for several days.
The draught through the tunnel was
from the east to the west. We stopped
at the west end of the tunnel and the
flames were leaping out of its mouth
and up the sides of the ledge to the
top. The smoke was pouring out and
the side Of the ledge was black to the
I'VE had to wait some time for No.
to arrive from the east. When one ar
rived the transfer of passengers and
baggage commenced. Around the ledge
is a distance of about 1,5OO feet There
was snow on the ground about eight
inches deep. A trail was quickly beaten
and the passengers of No. were trans
ferred to train No. 2, and No. passen-
gers were transferred to No. l, and the
two trains turned back over the road
they had come.
ION our train was the Gay COney
Island company &c in all. They, with
all their baggage and scenery we're
transferred around the ledge ana they
continued their journey to Texas' Inc
baggage and scenery and mail were
carried on the backs of MezSicanS. 1t
was impossible for wagons or horses
to make the trip over the rocky ground
Fires were kept burning along the trail
and to watch the passengers and bag
gage carriers of one train working
their way eastward over the trail and
those from the other train working
their way westward looked like a line
of big ants travelling over mountain.
THE girls in the COney Island COM
pany thought it was great sport. One
of them did a skirt dance along the
way and another one tried to kick
bundle that a Mexican was carrying on
his head.
syThere was an invalid lady on No 1
and she was carried on a. stretcher
from her train to the other. Although
the passengers naQ TO Walk d SOO0
ways and were delayed many hours,
they took the misfortune good natured-
ly and appreciated the fact that the
company did everything they could to
lessen the Inconvenience caused Dy
the disaster.
Foreman Matthews and Parker and
ROadmaster Lyons had charge OF the
men who were fighting the fire. They
were all in the tunnel when with but
moments notice it caved in. Roadmas-
ter Lyons was buried under falling rock
Fravr-
after he was taken cut. Matthews was
taken out alive but badly crushed and
burned. He was sent to the hospital at
AIbuoueroue but I understood he died
after reaching there. It was supposed
that there We're three Mexicans buried
in the tunnel"
Mr.. Henry Klein of Los Angeles was
on train No. that had to transfer.
I'VE got to Ash Fork for breakfast
said Mr.. Klein, land there we were
told that the tunnel was on fire and
that we would have to wait till the fire
was put out. We ate breakfast and
were then told that the fire could not
be put out and that we would have to
be transferred around the tunnel to the
train on the other side. We got to the
mouth of the tunnel in a few minutes
and found it burning f1ercely. It was
just like fiery furnace The flames
were Ieaping out of the tunnel skyWard
and it was so hot that a person could
not get within so feet of the opening.
While we were there the tunnel sud
be heard for miles. We were told that
five persons had been killed and injured
in the cave in. We passengers from
California who are not used to snow
had quite an experience in walking
around the mountain. We carried our
hand baggage and our trunks are to be
sent on the next train. From the looks
of the fire I should suppose that it
would burn for several days.
There were three corpSes in the bag
gage car of No. 2 and they had to be
carried around the mountain by Mexi-
cans. For the present passengers,
baggage and mail will have to be car
ried around by way of the trail from
one train to another. The railroad Off
Gals expect to build a temporary track
around the mountain so that the trains
can make the trip until the tunnel is
rebuilt. The tunnel is made through
a ledge of limestone in johnson can
yOn. Since the caving in it is thought
by the road engineers that it will be
better to blast off the roof of the tun-
mel and make a deep cut through the
tunnel. AS in all tunnels a track walk
er is kept on duty there which would
not be necessary if it were a cut. The
fast trains have been making the trip
by way of Phoenix and FL Paso
Travel from the west has been badly
delayed on account of the trains from
California being late. The Gulf con-
nections of the regular No. went
through yesterday as first at O'Clock.
| The regular No. went through as a
| second section at 5 o'clock and No. 2
IA hours late, went through at 7:O5 as
/ the third section of No. 6.