A RAILWAY HORROR.

Mataura Ensign, Volume 7, Issue 400, 14 October 1884, Page 5

A RAILWAY HORROR.

The burning of a circus car nine miles north, of Greeley was attended with indescribable horrors. The burned car was next to the engine in a train of seventeen oars, containing Orion's Anglo- American Circus, which left Fort Collins about midnight for Golden, over the Oreuley.Sulfc Lake.iuid Pacific road. The train was leaving Windsor, a ■ small station neat 1 Greely, running about twenty-five miles ah hour, when Engineer Collcpriest discovered a car 011 fire. Ho reversed the engine and threw open the whistle. valve. There were sixty men in *he car, arranged in three tiers of berths r>n either side. The forward side door was closed, and men, in bunks, were sleeping against it. The rear-side door was also closed, and the men who awoke discovered that the lower unoccupied berth next to it, containing rubbish, was on fire, filling the car with smoke and cutting oft: escape on t'ja-t side, The only menus of vgriitis i[vus through a small window between tho car and engine. John Pine, of Kdgcrton (Wis.), and Elmer Mill, of lowa, crawled through the opening and tiled to pass iv water from the water tank. Owing to the suffocating g;.ss it was difficult to arouse the sleepers. Some were kicked and bruised in a shocking manner, and pitched out of the windows. The .screams of those unable to get through tho blockaded aperture wero terrifying. The wild glare of th.c (limes and the cries p£ th» burning y'cUms writhing with agony qn the oaotus bods caused the wild beasts in the adjoining car to become frantic with tenor, making the scene appalling. The performers, who occupied the rear cars, gazed with white faces on the awful spectacle. In the midst of the confusion two or three heroic souls appeared equal to the occasion, and bravely cut their way to their com.na.n-: ions, to find them already in \hp agony of ! dea+U, Aliserc Lake, in charge 'of- the ; animals, and iris friend Kentj' walked over ' the cactus in their bare feet, pouring buckets of oil on the blistered unfortunates and wrapping them in blankets. ; An old PacifioJJcoast sailor named IVP-pftn^ld,' ! formerly of JPo.repfiu.gfc'a s.howY^as. terribly ! bqrned. i\|ea^time the engine had. gone to ! Grcqley for assistance, [returning with Ik tfesse Hawes, president p,f the Ss;siq 'jtfetfjeal Association. Many of the rescu.e4 in being pulled through the SjOiftU window, had J' v a 'b s broken fir joints dislocated. At Z 1 avliffht a Jiat car carried tho cb^a b o d | es fa into Greeley for The County Comhiisolouers buried the remains iv a huge coffin, 7ft wide and 10ft long, in the Greeley Cemetery. The Rev, Mr Reed^ of the Presbyterian CfU'>vois, conducted th.c funeral services. I'ho coroner empanelled a jury, which was unable to learn the cause of the fire or any important facts, as the managers with the remainder of the company lef t immediately for Golden to iilJ their afternoon engagement. It is impossible taget a complete list of the deaxj, s'vs jfju.-my had been engaged but a day \ ov two, and their names are unknown. The names of the dead, as learned, are as follows : Alexander M'Leod, of Mar.isette, Wis. ; Thomas M'Caiboy, of Independence, la. ;• John, Kelly, of .^w York City J the others' ! \vcr» kn^^-ji J^lverlhorn^ Andy, "-Frenchy,," ' ■f Y>W^> George, Sraitbie, and one. unknown. ! A number or the reioued agree that in the oar were two b .rrels of: gasoline, which were | espio led either by sparks from the engine, or . froii a naked torch, \vi,th which the men were I accustomed to, light themselves to be<L • — '. Pen^er $(e\\s 4 '-