88 Report of the Forest Commission. 



ominous heaving and a shriek of despair as the train toppled over into the hell 

 of fire beneath. A scene ensued never to be forgotten by those who escaped, 

 though every man will bear to his grave a mark of that awful moment . The 

 cars caught fire like so many paper playthings, and the men within, half 

 blinded and scarcely realizing anything except that they were being slowly 

 roasted to death, struggled fearfully to regain the track, where safety lay, for 

 a time at least. Those uninjured from the 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 it is impossible to secure details, 

 though enough is known of the scene that followed the hurling of the strug- 

 gling mass of men into the furnace of flame to say its like had never occurred 

 before. Superintendent Badger, of the Sinnamahoning Valley road, in charge 

 of the relief train, and who had worked the hardest of all to save the properties 

 of others, when the train ditched and rolled over so suddenly, must have been 

 injured so as to be unable to help himself, and owing to the smoke and panic 

 he was not found until too late — jammed in the wreck he had evidently slowly 

 burned to death. At this time — 9.30 — it is known that six others also miserably 

 perished at once or died soon after, and 30 others of the party were badly burned, 

 many probably fatally, owing to the fears that they inhaled the flames that 

 seemed to fairly spring into their faces. Seven others of the party are missing 

 and their fate is unknown, though they are likely in the charred wood of 

 the logs or train. Relief parties started for the scene as soon as the fearful 

 news spread, many male relatives of the men injured insisting on accompany- 

 ing 1he train, though they will hardly be able to reach the place of the wreck 

 unless the fires hive burned themselves out. Owing to the great devastation 

 done to everything in the way of the fire, communication is badly interrupted, 

 and it is impossible to learn the names of the men burned or those still missing. 

 As to the damage, it is known 40,000,000 feet of hemlock logs and timber and 

 25,000 cords of valuable bark have already been destroyed, and the fires are 

 raging without any appreciable diminution. This evening the people are 

 praying for rain, as it seems nothing but a drenching will quench the flames 

 that have grown so fierce; they must either be extinguished by the floods of 

 heaven or burn out for lack of material . A million beacon lights seem to ba 

 burning from every mountain and hillside, and the air is so oppressive many 

 workers faint from exhaustion, and are dragged away from a flame that has 

 done nothing as yet but steadily advance. 



Late dispatches from Austin confirm former reports. The body of the super- 

 intendent has been found burned to a crisp . The entire party would have 

 perished in the burning train or forest fire had they not immersed themselves 

 in a creek. The fires have been raging 48 hours. Twelve solid miles of lum- 

 ber in one district have already been burned and the end is not yet. 



Pittsburg, August 28. — This city and the surrounding country was this 

 afternoon enveloped in a pall of the characteristic smoke of burning forests. 

 It appeared rather suddenly, and its intensity deepened so as to bring on the 

 appearance of nightfall fully an hour ahead of the usual time . 



Inquiry at the local United States weather bureau developed the fact that 

 they had heard that similar dense smoke had been reported at Cleveland, 

 Grand Haven, Mich., Louisville and Cincinnati. Observer Grant said he had 

 noticed its strong smell, like that of a burning forest. 



