Fred Moeschberger rescued Charles W. Stanton, Jacob K. Amsler, and Charles G. Forcht from burning, Eightyfour, Pennsylvania, March 27, 1940. At night while Moeschberger, 45, locomotive traveling fireman, and the other three men were riding in the cab of a locomotive, the locomotive was derailed and turned on its side. The four men were thrown heavily against the then lower wall of the cab, and muscles and ligaments were torn loose from Moeschberger’s ribs. The end of a box-car crashed into the rear of the cab, blocking the cab except for an opening 18 inches by eight inches near the upper end of the rear edge of the cab. Steampipes in the cab broke; and two jets of steam struck the rear wall a foot and a half from the opening, filling the cab. Moeschberger, who was dazed, crawled to the box-car and located the opening, which was nine feet above the ground. He crawled out and descended to the ground. Fearing an explosion, he ran 100 feet; and then he thought of the other men. Tying a wet handkerchief over his mouth, Moeschberger returned to the cab and got his head, arm, and shoulder through the opening. Heat in the cab was intense. With a flashlight he guided Stanton, 47, brakeman, and Amsler, 47, locomotive fireman, to the opening, and with effort and suffering pain from his injury, he pulled Stanton and then Amsler through the opening and aided each to the ground. He tried to pull Forcht, 60, locomotive engineer, out, but flesh sloughed from Forcht’s hands. Moeschberger then scooped cinders from under the lower side of the cab to a window opening and crawled into the cab. Avoiding the steam jets, he pushed Forcht until his head and shoulders were through the upper opening. Crawling out of the cab by means of the window opening, he climbed to Forcht and aided him out of the cab. Forcht and Stanton sustained severe injuries but recovered. Amsler, who was badly scalded, died two days later. Moeschberger sustained no burns but was disabled for three months. 38623-3201
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