Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1868-11-12
.aNfws ana glIstfllaniJ.
Explosion Of 4 Iayeenl0ily0 on the Ohio
ana Mississippi Railroad Five Per-
sons Killed ana Several Wounded. ~

ana MlsslsslpM Railroad Five. Per
sons Killed ana Several Wounded. = 8
CnscrxSATI, Oct, GOA terrible rAihoad
accideht took place at Grand Pit, station
distant about f8 miles rom this city, on The
Ohio and Mississippi railroad, about 8
o'clock last night a special freight train
leftthe city at 9:25, last evening, IN charge
of Mr.. Mills Howe, conductor, and Jafies
Gardner, engiileer Reaching Grand Pit
about "a O'Clock, the train was stopped on
the main track for the purpose Of taking
wood for the engine. Shortly after the
train stopped, and while the bTakesman
was passing the wood aboard the tender,
tbs, engineer oiling the engine, the fireman
'piling the wood as it came aboard, and the
conductor and party Of little
boys standing alongside the engine,
which was the powerful freight locomotive
No 19, the locomotive exploded her boiler
with report that waa heard for miles
around, and with a force that killed the
conductor, fireman, and one Of the boys
outright, and wounded two more Of the
boys, who have since died. The engineer,
Mr.. Gardner, and O brakeman named Hem
~ Howe, brother of the conductor, Mr.
Mills Howe, were also injured quite severe
ly. SO terrible was the fofeeof the explo-
sion that the engine was shattered into o
thousand fragments, some Of which were
thrown 10 the Kentucky side Of the Ohio
river, o distance of nearly q mile; while
others, large and small, have since been
picked up al around theseene of the acci-
dent, within radius Of 1000 yards, The
conductor Mr. Howe was lifted up and
thrown against the wocd-pile, and struck
in the face and body with several fragments
of the boiler, and SO fearfully mangl ed
and burned by the escaping steam as 10 be
almost unrecognizable. Both legs
were broken, his body crushed TO q Jelly,
his face and neck gashed, aud skull crush
ed. The fireman, John Mullone, who was
standing near the fire. doors, was also hor-
ribly mangled, and instantly killed. One
of the boys, named John Smith, son of
an employe Of the road, residing at Grand
Pit, was blown distance Of 800 yards,
against gravel bank, and instantly killed.
He was about twelve years old His broth
er, o few years younger, was also blown a
great distance together with the, flying
wood, and so badly injured that he has
since died, Another boy, Thomas Muir
ply, about l6 lyehrs old, was lifted mp and
thrown q distance of 80 feet, against q
wood pile, Which fell on his body, com
pletely hiding it from view. He dieda few
minutes after being taken from the debris.
His little brother, about years of age, was
blown distance Of 40 feet, into o lot of tall
weeds, where he was afterwards found,
crying Justify, but comparatively slightly
injured MIR. Murphy, father Of the boys,
resides at North Bend, about fye miles be
low the scene Of the disaster. How the en-
gineer, Mr.. Gardner, who was standing
within three feet OF the engine when she
exploded, escaped death, is mystery. He
was knocked down and pretty seriously in
jured in the head, shoulders, and hips. -
He was taken TO Lawrenceburg last night,
in an insensible condition, but OF last ac-
counts had recovered his sconsciousness and
was in fair way Of recovery. Henry
Howe, the brakeman, had his hip and
knee crushed, and received internal inju-
ries, which, it is feared, will prove FATAL
Several other persons were slightly bruised
and scratched by the flying fragments. 2