TERRIBLE TRAIN ACCIDENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 145, 20 June 1891, Page 5

TERRIBLE TRAIN ACCIDENT.

INTO THE FLAMES.

A DREADFUL EXPERIENCE

TERRIBLE FATE OF MANY MEN,

CoPDJEKSi'OKT (Pa.), May 11,—To-night the little towns of Austin, C'ostollo, Guloton and Moor's Run in Potter county are ou tho verge of panic, two especially being threatened with annihilation from tires that seem to form an impenetrable wall on every aide. For several days past the ekiea have beon lighted with tirea in overy direction, and the iiames crept steadily toward the helpless towns, until it was seen the people must tight. At Moor's Run, on tho Sinnamahoning road, a train load of seventy-five willing men, sent out horn Austin Sunday night, had boen fighting back the tire by every conceivable means. They made trenches, piled up earth and lighted lires, bub were linully obliged to retreat.

The men hastily boarded the train and started to make the run to another point, when it was found that they were hemmed in by forest h'rea on one xido and a huge skid way of burniug logs on the other. It was tinally decided to daah past the burning skidway, and the engineer and fireman, with their facsoa covered with dampened cloths and their hands and aims wrapped in wool, pulled through tho wall of firo. The seventy-five exhausted men gathered in groups on tho flat cara for protection or lay - on their facos on the floor. As the blazing furnace of logs was approached the heat became unbearable, and the smoke was so blinding and stilling that the men wero obliged to cover their mouths with clotha. J List opposite a point in the burning logs where tho heat and smoko and flame were tho greatesb a terrible thing occurrod. The engineer bad forgotten that such a o-roat lieub would surely warp the rails. Suddenly there was a lurch, an ominous heaving and a shriek of despair as the train toppled over into tho hell oE tire benoath. A scane ensued that is nover to be forgotten by those who escaped, and every man will bear to lu3 grave a mark of thab awful moment.

Tho cars caught fire like so many playthings, and the men within, half blinded, and ecarcoly realising anything , , except that they wero being slowly roasted to death, struggled fearfully to regain tho track, whero safety lay, for a time ab least. Those uninjured from tho fall and only smarting from the pain of the intense heat, bravely turned their burned, blackened hands to aid their more unfortunate fellows.

At this hour (10 p.m.) it is impousible to secure details, though ib is known that Superintendent Badger of the Sinnamahoning Valley Railroad, who was in charge of bho train, went down under somo of the wreckage and undoubtedly burned to death. Six others also miserably perished at once or died soon afterward, and thirty ethers of tho party were badly burned, many probably fatally, having inhaled tho flames. Seven others of the party are missins and tlie ' r f ilteJ '' s unknown, though they aro likoly in tho charred wood of the logs or the train. Tho remainder of the party saved theinsolvea by lying down in the creek. Relief parties started for tho scene cis soon ac the fearful newa spread, but will hardly be ablo to reach tho place of the wreck unlees the fires have burned theinselros out.