Arkansas weekly mansion., 1883-08-25
ARAD DAY FOR RAILROADS.

An Accommodation Train Runs Into Car
Loaded with Powder and Causes a Ter
rifle Explosion-Two Men Killed and -Four
Injured.
LEXINGTON. KY, August IT,
This morning a terrible accident oc-
Cured at Winchester, eighteen miles from
here. For four days past a car containing
400 kegs of blasting powder, consigned to
n. P Mason g. Co., late contractors on the
Kentucky Central extension, has been
standing on the siding at tW1nchester,where w
the Kentucky Central and chesapeake q
Ohio Trunk lines cross. This morning this
car Of nowder was standing on the &. & -.
track, just opposite the Ra1lroad Hotel AZ
Winchester, when the Mount Sterling q
Lexington accommodation, due at w lnches-
ter at 6: 2S a. m, arrived there on time.
The train is a mixed one, composed OF
smoking and baggage car, two passenger
cars and lot of freight cars; IL was nee, I
shipped to the siding, and there were cars
next to the engine, and before the train ar
rived at the depot the three cars ana dor,9 .ne
the road to make the siding at the
west end of the switch. At this time me
yard engine was shifting cars on Ine
Kentucky Central, and the train lay across
the Chesapeake 6. Ohio track. The engl-
neer of the accommodation train reversed
his engine and tried to back, but the de-
tached part of his train had no prakes, 1au ta
gotten under headway, and ran behind the
three freight cars and engine, forcing them
forward. The engine struck the car ioaueo
with 400 kegs of blasting powder, ana my II
with such momentum that it was broken
and several of the powder kegs were rup-
tured. This was ignited by SPARKS from
the engine, and explosion followed
which shook every house III winchester 10
its foundation stones.
Two men were killed and five others serl-
ously injured. Captain Charles u. NC
Michael, who ran down on top OF 1ne
brakes, was in the midst of the explosion,
and was thrown at least fifty yards; ms
eyes were blown out, and lie was pIackeHet ni'e.
all over with the powder. W hen assist
tance reached him he said, as he groped
around upon the ground, "Boys, am
goner. Good by. Send for my VIE ana
children. Tell my wife that was dolns
nv DUTY, but did not know that there was
powder in that car. Oh! oh! my poor wife
and children" The wife was summoned
by telegraph and left this city by special
train at nine a. III. for Winchester. de
was taken to the residence of DR.. Hubbard
TAYLOR but after great agony he died at
twelve m. Randolph Martin, conductor Oh a
construction train on the kenuucky eeh'Ial,
saw the collision, and ran TO render WhaC
assistance he could. He reached the train
in time to be blown a distance OF hfty yaroS
and killed instantly, being mangied INTO
pulp He leaves wife ana Iouf cnitusS, tra;n
The engineer of the accommodation traln,
Dennis Schuller, has never been seen since
the accident. The fireman, named Baxter;
ran off, crazed with fright, but after ware q,
safe. A negro man named Augustus NC
Kimm who was standing lOO yards from
the scene, had his jawbone broken by 1all-
ing timber. A brakeman named Johnson
was severely burned, but it is thought that
he will recover. Frank Hockersmlth, a
carpenter, who was at work on the new
passenger depot, was badly injured, but
may recover. Ed $. Hawks, junior partner TTt,r
in The Railroad Hotel near the depot; VIII
Baker, Henry jackson, and sew,
erai other attaches of the hotel
were seriously injured, although there IS
chance for them all to recover. AS GOOD
luck would have it, there were but few peo-
Pile around the depot at the time of the ac-
cident. Had it happened twenty minutes
later the fair train from Richmond would
have been in with a Large crowd ana the
loss of life would have been terrible. Inc
roof of the new pessenge" depot and R0r-
tion of its walls were blown away. The
depot was in process OF construction ana
was almost finished. Loss 500. The tall-
road Hotel, owned by the Hawks brothers,
was damaged to the extent of $1,000: 1t
was a new building, lately opened. Three
of the Kentucky Central freight-cars were
blown to atoms, portions of them being
carried a distance of 800 yards, and the en-
yfne OF tho Chesapeake q Ohio accommo-
dation train was almost a total wreck.
The citizens of Winchester did all thaC
pity and humanity could porompt 10 al1e-
viate the suffering of the victims. Z. ID.
Emmons, the Local Agent at Winchester
for both the Kentucky Central and Chesa-
peake 6, tOhio Road, is held Responsible
by the people of Winchester for the whole
accident, from the fact that he held car
load of powder on the siding there Tor Iour
days, in antagonism to the laws of Ken
lucky, which specifically states that pow
der shall not be kept upon railroad switch
longer than twenty-fOur hours at a t1me
Mr.. Emmons is highly esteemed person,
kegs of powder did not explode, but re-
manned intact.