A Sportsman 115 



ville, succeeding in getting across the creek I crossed 

 the morning before, by going up higher, and got over 

 without swimming my horse. I was the first down to 

 Oil City to carry news of the conditions above, and the 

 first on my return to give news of the conditions be- 

 low. I succeeded in getting a bed that night and 

 obtained a good rest. 



The water had fallen, though still high, and the 

 town was still crowded as before. I concluded I had 

 seen enough of the oil regions and would return home. 

 The trains in and out from Titusville were running 

 ver>- irregularly, and I took the one out in the after- 

 noon for the Junction, where a change was to be made 

 to another train, to arrive in a short time, but the 

 expected train did not arrive until two o'clock in the 

 morning and was crowded to its utmost capacity, and 

 could in no way accommodate the passengers waiting; 

 but I succeeded in getting on and in checking my bag 

 to New York, which was fortunate, or I would other- 

 wise have lost it in the wreck which followed. 



The morning opened bright and clear, and after 

 breakfast at a stopping-place, I crowded into the front 

 smoking-car to have a smoke, the car and train being 

 as crowded as the train I came down in, with a large 

 number of passengers standing in the passageways and 

 between seats. The track was very rough, and water 

 flew out occasionally from beneath the sleepers as the 

 train passed on; still the train was pushed on with 

 great speed, so much so that I became much alarmed, 

 and one of the passengers remarked to the conductor 

 as he came along that he thought the speed was alto- 

 gether too rapid, with the condition of the road, to 

 which the conductor replied rather curtly, with an 



