looked down, and I recognized him as a brakeman by the name of Ben Shaw, belonging to the other train. "Is there anybody down there?" he asked."Yes," said I; "and for God's sake hurry up; get men and axes and cut me out; I am nearly smothered, and can't stand it much longer."
"All right," said he; "I'll see what we can do; but I don't believe we can get you out, for the fire is coming this way awful fast."
He disappeared, but I could hear him shouting as he went, and soon—though it seemed long enough to me—he returned with others, armed with fence stakes and wrecking-axes, and they fell to with a will, prying and chopping at the obstruction, On account of the smoke and heat, which was now almost unbearable down where I lay, they were unable to work more than three or four minutes, when they would be driven away, gasping for breath, so that not one blow out of three was effective. A chance blow with an axe loosened a large section of the side of a car, which fell over, one corner striking me a severe blow on the head, cutting the scalp, and nearly knocking me senseless. While apparently opening the way, in reality it closed it, for it fell in such a manner that if I had been above it I could easily have got out, but now I was completely covered in. It contained the door of the car, however, which was open a few inches, and if I could only pry that door back a little more, I should be able to get through, The question of life or death to me now was, could I do that?
I heard Simmons's voice, interrupted by violent coughing and sneezing, say, "How's that? Can you get out now?"
"No," said I; "you'll have to come down in the hole and clear away the door."
"Can't do it; we can't stay here another minute; but I'll throw you down these stakes, and maybe you can help yourself. Good-by, old man; I'm awful sorry for you." Then there was a clattering that told me he had thrown down the stakes as he said he would.
My eyes were so blinded by the pungent engine wood smoke, and I was so nearly suffocated, that I had but little strength left. One of the stakes lay right across the slight opening in the door, and in trying to turn it to pull it through I found I didn't need it, as the door moved freely in its grooves.
I quickly pushed the door back, and, by a great effort of will and my slight remaining strength, dragged myself through the aperture. I wasn't out yet, though, for overhead there was a solid sheet of flame, roaring in the wind like a furnace and completely covering my exit. Although still drenched with water, I could feel my hair curling with the intense heat.
There was one course and one only open to me; so taking as long a breath as I could, I shut my eyes and made a dive for liberty. I scrambled upward and outward, now burning my hands by contact with hot iron, and again tearing them on the jagged ends of broken wood, my head fairly bursting with the heat and suppressed respiration. Suddenly I stepped forward upon nothing; having no hold with my hands, I fell, struck on my side, rebounded, and fell again, down, down—I could have sworn for miles—and then unconsciousness came over me.
It seems that when I got out of the hole I rushed blindly off the end of a blazing car, piled high in the wreck, and in falling I struck on various projections of the wreckage, tearing off nearly all my clothing, which was a providence, as I was all ablaze, and finally brought up with a dull thud, as the reporters say, on solid ground, shaking and bruising myself dreadfully, but almost miraculously breaking no bones, though I had fallen from a height of thirty feet.
My leg, which had hindered me so much, was merely bruised and crushed, but was as black as your hat for a long time, and I was as bald as the day I was born.
It was assumed that I was dead, but kind hands extinguished the fire in my few remaining rags, and it was not long before signs of life were discovered in the bruised and blackened object.
I was carried to a nearby farmhouse, and kindly cared for until the wrecking-train returned to town, when I was sent to hospital.
Our engineer escaped without a scratch, but how he never knew; for all he could remember was, that he was looking right at the number plate of the approaching and at the same time falling heels over head up the side of the cut. Of our fireman not a trace was ever found, and as I heard nothing of him while under the wreck, I have no doubt that he was instantly killed and his body burnt up.
On the other engine the whole crew, engineer, fireman, and head brakeman, perished, and were consumed in the fierce flames that devoured the wreck and made
