Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-03-08
FLY FROM BURNING TRAIN.
wild Ride Down Mountain side, Fol-
lowed by Burning Cars Full of Oil.
PHILADELPHIA Times.)

lively, as he rehlled his pipe. and return
ed the tobacco pouch TO the conductor,
'it Is just twenty-seyen years tonight
since l had an experience which mighty
near drove me from the road. Mebbe IL it
had I'd been better off to-day. but that's
neither here nor there. II you fellows
care to listen I'll tell about it while were
Waitin' here for No. 8 10 pass"
Let her go. Bill" chorused the crew.
for the engineers stock OF stories was
known and appreciated by every man on
the division.
We'll" began the veteran as he set.
tied back comfortably, that was long be-
fore we had many Of the improvements
now used.
THAT 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 1t was all in barrels. but it wasn't
long till some one invented the tank car
for carryin' it in bulk. and then the fun
began for the train hands. Perhaps you
don't see anything particularly unusual
the idea Of a tank car. exceptin' its
bad smell, but If you imagine one Of them
things loaded TO the last gallon and in a
blazin' wreck youll begin to understand
what l mean.
when an oil-tank caught fire there was
only one or two things to be done. One
was to get away from It right quick. the
other was to keep It from dom any more
harm than it had 10. No use tryin' to put
out the fire. No, sir. Might as well turn
a hose on hell itself. Water made IL worse.
OF course. when a tank began TO burn
it was only a matter of a few minutes
till she busted or exploded just Ike an
engine, Cxceptin' much worse. Every crew
used TO carry an old army musket I'm the
caboOse, and when a tank jumped the
track and took fire. the men would shoot
holes into her 10 let the oil out n pre-
vent an explosion. Fact. KILN tanks,
we used TO call 1t.
zone night when our turn came II was
one of tnem oil trains. We started out
an hOur ahead Of the night express. and
barrin' accidents were due at the summit
twenty-five lainutes ahead of her, givin'
me fifteen minutes TO drop back TO the
halfway passin' sidin' and stll clear her
by ten minutes.
Everything worked smooth as clock
work on that TIP. We got 20 the summit
in good time, and when We cut loose from
the rear end the c~ar-inspectOrs we're just
beginnin' to tap the wheels and eXamine
the runnin' gear of the tanks. We had
plenty Of time 10 mike the switch, and
50 We were josgin' along slow an easy.
backwards, Of course, ana was wonderin'
how much extra time / had made that
month, when suddenly my fireman. fete
Jones. give a yell.
WHATS the matter, Peter l asked.
startled like.
Matter! For Gods sake. look up the
track!'
II looked. and was never worse scared
IN my life. Away up the Inc, mebbe two
miles and a half, was "A blaze as big as
q barn afre, n CROWN brighter every
second. We idn't need 20 ask each other
what it was. We knew. 1t was the Oh
train, or part of II. broke loose and
runnin' away and on fire TO boot.
"A man has to do some mighty quick
thinkin' at a time like that and the whole
case sprung into my brain Ike a hash
Them cars We're comm down on US like
a streak Of creased lightnin'. and behisd
us the express was comm up at a rat
Tim good clip and mighty close at nand,
too. We were sort Of between the deyll
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 lump off and take 10 the woods,
but I'm glad to be able 10 say that while
the same thought came 10 me AID Pete
we both put il aside straight OF. We rail-
readers 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 tIain-.oad OF un-
suspectin' passengers. No, sir. We stuck
70 the old engine. but that didn't mean
we were goin' TO be either roasted or
bowed up. Not much. That IS. II we
could prevent IL.
"'Well. run for the throw-on switch,
Pete ! yelled across the boiler. lie under
stood aud nodded. l pulled her out full,
and the old engine gave a jump and then
bumped herself down the mountain. IL
was a good three miles TO he thrOw-off
switch. which was a blind sidin put in
10 catch runaway cars by turnin' them
of into the woods. II we could get there
quick enough n get the switch unlocked
and turned. If the oil-tauks would take
the sidin' at that terrific speed, instead
OF xeepin' right on, n If the express
didn't crash into VI from behind. we
would nave a good chance 10 pull through,
but IL any of these IFS failed, we'd 80
up IN o mixture OF cars, helpin' engine,
express trains, explodin' oil-tanks, and
Dustin boilers, covered with glory ana
blazin' coal-Oll."
pleasant prospect. wasn't III
well. our old engine didn't run. she
few. and back Of US came that wild train.
a real hell on wheels. I've often thought
since what a procession We made chasln
down the hill that night. After decidin'
what 10 DO, / turned my back on The run
away cars and faced " j had TO for
the sake Of my nerves, as well as to gee
where we were goin.' Only once | looked
back. and that was when We were about
a quarter Of a mile above the switch. |
wanted to see where they were. They
were only about a mile away, and gainin'
fresh speed every second.
You jump and throw the switch.
Pete | yelled 10 the fireman, and then
run for your life; I'm goin' 10 stick 10
the engine!
talk. l begun 10 git nervous then, for II
Impossible to carry out our plan
with them cars so close and comm so
wicked. Pete crawled out On the tank,
and dropped fair and square on his feet,
with KEY in hand as we passed the
switch. He turned IL and run.
'I brought the engine 70 a standstill
two or three telegraph poles below.
Might as well see Il through right here
I thought. II they AXE the switch I'm
All right. and II they don't I've got no
chance anyway against the express and
so | waited developments.
"Great Jupiter. what a sight that was
as them oil tanks came tearing COW tho
track Ickety-split. A man don't want to
be up against such a job twice.
"Zip. the first car struck the switch.
.Rul. you're a goner,' thinks l.; she's
comm straight on But / was wrong. FOR
fust like a twistin' snake the runaway
train curved around onto that sidin' and