Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-07-07

| they first entered the region of burnin;
woods.
| The woods on either side of the tract
were ablaze and the heat became sitting
| Sometimes the wind swept clouds @
sparks and flames across the track, blind
| ing and terrifying the men. But the en-
gineer and fireman stood by their posts.
They were rushing through clouds O
smoke. which prevented them from see
ing the tracks ahead, but Big Mike neve
once flinched. The tops of fallen tree
lay across the rails, but the engine hurles
them aside without once checking tn,
terrible speed.
breath and prayed for some relief. How
much farther would they have to run t.
get beyond the fire area?
Mikes attention was attracted by
groan, and he turned to see his fireman
sink down on the floor in a dead faint.
Now | am in for it, Mike muttered
81 can't keep the fire going too"
He tried to pull the rope connecting
with the train. but found that the fire haG
burned it to pieces. He shouted aloud tt
the conductor, but he knew that abov.
the roar and blast of the fire his voice
could not be heard.
But something happened that surprised
him more than if the conductor had ap
peared. The iron cover of the water
tank suddenly moved, and then deliber
ately stood upon end, while face ap
peared out of the hole.
As Mike stared he recognized the fea
lures of the lad who had pleaded so hard
to go to Stony Brook with him. Mike
looked at his helpless fireman and drew
long breath.
"Well, now that you're here, suppose
you help NE. Can you shovel coal?"
In a moment the boy had crawled out
of the water tank, and he swung the
shovel so successfully that the fire burn
ed brighter than ever.
''Is it cool in the water tank?" Mike
asked, looking longingly at the hole.
'Yes, much cooler than out here" the
lad replied.
"Well, go back into it, then, until
need more coal I'll call you when it is
time"
BERTHE jumped back into his cool hid,
ing place. But before closing the top he
threw bucket of water over the pros
trate fireman and another over Mike.
proceeded, until it seemed as il no hui
man being could live in such super
heated atmosphere.
Berthe soused the engineer again and
again with the water from the tank, but
even the water inside was getting warm,
and it failed TO bring the same refreshing
relief.
They entered dense patch of fir trees,
where the smoke rolled up in pitchy black
clouds. Great flying banners of flame
fioated down upon the engine and cars
from the trees on either side. The cars
were ablaze in dozen places, and the
tracks were warped and twisted.
Big Mike began to grow faint and diz-
w. sensation of falling seemed to
come over him, and he unconsciously call
ed to his boy companion for help.
BERTHE opened the top of the tank TO see
if the engineer needed more wafer. As
he did so he saw that the engineer had
been overpowered with the heat and
smoke. and. though sitting up, with his
hand on the lever. he was unconscious.
In his fall backward the engineer had
accidentally shut off the steam, and the
pounding train was rapidly slackening
its pace. To stop an instant in such a
desert of fire meant death to all on the
train!
He did not know much about a steam
engine, but in this terrible run through
the fiery woods he had watched the en-
gineer mechanically, and he soon found
that he could stop or start the huge mon-
ster at will In few minutes the en-
CINE was going as fast as ever. They
we're rushing along 70 miles an hour.
Hidden in his water tank, he had not
experienced the full intensity of the heat,
but now he prayed for strength. He
knew that his own life, that Of his moth
er and of hundreds of others depended
upon him.
GLOW much longer? How much lon
ger?" he gasped.
Nothing but the roar Of the fire an
swered him. He looked steadily ahead,
but there was no relief in sight.
He closed his teeth and renewed his
energy for an instant. Then his strength
tagged and waned again. His spirits
were dropping TO the point of yielding,
when suddenly the clouds around him
seemed to tighten up.
The volumes of smoke were less dense,
and ahead of the engine he could see a
clear space. He caught glimpse of the
track half mile beyond.
In a few moments more the relief
train rushed out of the fire area and en-
tered new world. where binding smoke
and flames no longer made life n torture.
4 cleared space in the woods revealed
the small village of Stony Brook, and on
the platform of the station were gathered
800 anxious, frightened. but thankful peo-
pie.
The next morning the daily papers of
the whole country were full of an ac-
count of how a boy of 1G had carried the
relief train through the Wisconsin forest
fires and saved the lives of 500 people,