A special train of sixteen cars was making its way on the Eastern Railroad, heading for Augusta, Maine with the entire homeward bound Fourteenth Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment of seven hundred troops aboard. In Cedar Swamp, it encountered a raging forest fire, with flames on either side, reportedly reaching forty feet into the air. The oil on the locomotive wheels caught fire but the train accelerated through the woods to safety. No injuries were reported. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
"Thrilling Scene - A Train of Cars Running through Burning Woods," Portsmouth (NH) Chronicle, September 18, 1865, p.1.
Record Data
Date Certainty
Exact
Type
Crime/Disasters
