A TRAIN OF FIRE.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 100, 28 April 1888, Page 6

A TRAIN OF FIRE.

A THRILLING SIGHT ON A KEN TUCKY RAILROAD GRADE.

Louisville, April s.—Four cars of blazing oil rushed clown tho fjrarle of Muklraughs Hill at midnight last nipht at the rate of a mile i minute, and the few startled inhabitants in that section looked out of their windows to see what they supposed was a comet flyyng down the railroad track. Freight train 17 on tho Louisville and Nashville road reach Muldraughs station about 11.30 o'clock. Tho last four cars wero loaded with barreled oil. Tho conductor noticed a leak in one of tho barrels and pot in the car to fix. His lantern was aceidently broken, and. instantly there was an explosion. Tho conductor was blown through the window, and fell unconscious and! fatally hurt on the side of "the track. Two men named Clarke and Sbeele, who were helpinp him, jumped for their lives, but their clothes were saturated with tho burning oil, and they were fearfully scorched, and will dio. Tho trainmen, seeing thoy oould do nothing towards stopping the fire and realising the danger to the rest of the cars, saw no alternative but to cut loono tho burning cars, although tho Louisville passenger was due in a little time. The men unloosed the coupling and trusted to luck that the passongor.might escapfi cl&uger. .',".' ■'." ~.,- ~ '.", The incline on which tho freight was steaming up is four miles long and very steep, and tho l.opse.ned oars shot backward with rapid and over increasing speod. When they started on the wild run downward all four cars were enveloped solidly in flames. Tho spood in which they made the descent caused tho flames to stream high behind them like the tail of a comet, and there were constant explosions of barrells ot gasoline, which sounded like intermittent thunder.

The run down slope was made in lightning time. Fanned by the wind the fire made quick work of the cars, and when the bottom was reached nolhing was left of them but the blackened trucks and iron barrel hoops.