The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1899-02-08
EXCITING RACE FOR LIFE.
The Engineers Story Of an Incident
that Nearly Cost His Life and
Thousands Of Others.

Dofc- calU int OAu Guy EllccA tcuct
lively, as he refilled his pipe and re-
turned the tobacco pouch 20 the con
ductor, sit is just twenty-seven year'
ago tonight since had an experience
which mighty near drove me from the
road. Mebbe If 1t had I'd been better
off to-day, but that's neither here mol
there. II you fellows care TO listen I'll
tell about it while we're waitin' here
for No. to pass"
"Let her go, Bill" chorused the
crew, for the engineers stock Of stories
was known and appreciated by every
man on the division.
'Well," began the veteran, ss he
settled back comfortably, ''that was
long before We had many Of the Inn
provements now used. Ii was before
the days Of pipe lines, and every gallon
of oil burned east Of the mountains
had to be shipped by rail. At first il
was all in barrels, bat il wasn't long
till some one invented the tank-car FOR
carryin' 1t in bulk, and then the fun
began for the train hands. Perhaps
you don't see anything particularly
unusual in the idea Of a tank ear, ex-
eeptin' its bad smell, but II you imag-
inc one of them things loaded to the
last gallon and in a blazini wreck
you'll begin to understand what /
mean.
"when an oil tank caught fire there
was only one or two things 10 be done.
One was TO git away from it right
quick, the other was to keep 1t from
doin' any more harm than il had 10.
No use tryin' to put out the fire. No,
sir. Might as well turn hose on hell
itself. Water made il worse. OF
course. when a tank began to burn It
was only n matter OF few minutes till
il busted or exploded just like an en-
CINE, exceptin' much worse. Every
crew used to carry an old army muskei
Ia the caboose, and when a tank
jumped the track and took fire the men
would shoot holes into her TO let the
oil out and prevent an explosion. Fact.
KILN tanks we used to call it.
zone night when our turn came il
was one Of them oil trains. We started
out an hour ahead Of the night express,
and barrin' accidents were due at the
summit twenty-five minutes ahead Of
her, givin' me fifteen minutes to drop
back TO the halfway passin' sidin and
stlll clear her by ten minutes.
Everything worked smooth as
clockwork on that trip. We got to the
summit in good time, and when we
cut loose from the rear end the car in
spectors were just beginnin' to tap the
wheels and examine the ruHnin' gear
of the tanks. We had plenty Of time
to make the switch, an 80 We were
joggin' along slow and easy, back
wards, of course, and was wonderin'
how much extra time had made that
month, when suddenly my fireman,
Pete Jones, give yell.
Whats the matter, Pete?'' 1 asked,
startled like.
Matter! For Gods sake, look up
the traekw
al looked, and was never more
scared in my life. Away up the line,
mebbe two miles and a half, was a
blaze as big as barn sfire, and growin'
brighter every second. We didn't need
to ask each other what It meant. We
knew. 1t was the oil train, or part OF
it, broke loose and runnin' away, and
on fire to boot.
"a man has to do some mighty
quick thinkin' at time like that, and
the whole case sprung into my brain
like a flash. Them cars were comm
down on us like a streak Of CREASED
lightnin', and behind Us the express
was coming up at pretty good clip
and mighty close at hand, too. We
were sort of between the devil and the
dark blue sea. as the sayin' is.
zone thing we might have done and
saved our own lives all right, and that
was to jump off and take to the woods,
but I'm glad to be able to say that
while the same thought came to ME
and Pete, we both put il aside straight
of. We railroaders don't set up to be
heroes or any OF that kind Of thing,
but there's mighty few Of US who
wouldn't take his dose like that rather
than be responsible for the KILN Of a
whole trainload of unsuspeetin' pas
sangers- No, sir. We stuck to the old
engine, but that didu't mean we were
goin' to be either roasted or blowed up.
Not much. That is, if We could pre-
vent it.
"'We'il run for the thrOw-Off switch,
Pete l yelled across the boiler. He
understood and nodded. pulled her
out full and the old engine gave a jump
and then bumped herself down the
mountain. It was a good three miles
to the throw-of switch, which was a
blind sidin', put in to catch runaway
cars by turnln' them Off into the
woods. If we could get there quick
enough to get the switch unlocked and
turned, and if the oil tanks would take
the sidin' at that terrific speed instead
of keelpin' right on, and If the express
didn't crash into Us from behind, we
would stand chance 10 pull through,
but If any Of these Ifs failed, we'd 90
up in a mixture Of cars, helpin' en-
CINE, express train, explOdin' oil tanks
and Dustin boilers, covered with glory
and blazin' coal OIL"
pleasant prospect, wasn't it?n
"WeIl, our old engine didn't run,
she flew, and back Of Us came that
wild train, a real hell on wheels. Pve
often thought since what q great pro.
cession we made ehasin' down the hill
that night. After decidin' what to do,
I turned my back on the runaway can
and faced down. / had TO for the sake
of my nerves, as wen as to see wheFe
We were goin'. Only once ] looked back,
and that was when We were about a
quarter Of mile above the switch ]
wanted to see where they were. They
were only about mile away and gain
ing fresh speed every second
"'You jump and throw the switch,
Pete 1 yelled to the fireman, and