Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-05-15
HOME AFFAIRS.
AWFUL DESTRUCTION CAUSED BY
AN EXPLOSION.
A Great Turf Event-SulIiyan Breaks
with Pbillips-News from the
Buffalo Hunters.
lspEc1AL DIsrArcHEs TO THE RpooRD.U.ros.
HORRIBLE CATASTROPHE.
a Town Ruined and Many Lives Lost by
the EXPLOSION OF a Powder Gar

a Town Ruined and Many Lives Lost by
the Explosion OF Powder Gar.
FOUNTAIN (Col.), May 14th-A horrible
railway casualty occurred here at 2:45 this
morning. AT PAL the north bound thun-
derbolt train stopped at the station for
orders. She had hardly come to a stand
still when a saboose with four loaded
freight cars, which had broken away from
through freight at Colorado Springs,
thirteen miles away, came dashing down
the long grade at lightning speed, crashing
into the express and piliDg the caboose and
the first car in ruins on top of the engine
ard baggage-car. The car next to the
caboose was
HUGE TANK OF SAPHTHA,
Which being wreck ed scattered all over the
depot, cars and adjoining buildings and
caught fire, and in an instant everything
was in sheet of flame. The engineer and
fireman escaped, somewhat injured The
Pullman and two day coaches of the pas
senger were hastily detached from the
burning baggage-car and ran down the
track to a safe distance from the fire. which
had now enveloped the depot and was
rapidly approaching the last car of the
runaway freight, when an alarm was given
that this car was loaded with powder, and
for everyone to run for their lives. All
who heard the warning attempted to obey,
but they had gone but short distance
when
THE SEVENTEEN THOUSAND POUNDS OF GIANT
POWDER
With which the car was loaded exploded,
shaking the earth as though by an earth
quake. Twenty houses in the city were
almost totally destroyed, together with the
new Baptist Church, which was blown
from its foundation and scattered over
acres of ground.
Men and women were knocked senseless,
and pieces of broken rails, car " heels and
timbers were carried with terrific force for
half a mile. A number of freight cars
standing on a side-track were blown to
atoms.
The passengers in the express train were
severely shaken up, and number cut by
pieces of glass from the windows, but no
one was seriously injured. The yard of
the Newton Lumber Company took fire
and was completely destroyed. People
standing
QUARTER OF MILE
From the explosion where hit by flying
fragment and badly wounded.
The dead are: c. F. Smith, Manager of
the Newton Lumber Company. He was
trying to extinguish the flames at the depot
badly wounded that he died in an hour.
A piece of iron was blown through his
body, making hole two inches in diane
ter.
The burned remains of an unknown
man were found underneath the engine
after the fire was extipgushed.
Lawrence Weichart, German carpenter,
while assisting to put out the fire in the
lumber-yard, was struck on the head by
flying timber, causing conclusion of the
brain. He died in short time.
Mrs. Wedridge, while standing six hun
dred yards from the track, was struck on
the head by flying bolt, and died in two
hours.
H. Hutehins, merchant, 60 years old,
standing at his door some distance away,
was struck by bar of iron, and died this
afternoon.
The wounded number about thirty, and
none of them will die, although ali are
painfully injured
THE TOWN RUINED.
The loss to the town, which is completely
ruined is estimated at $50 600, while the
amount of the railroad compauys loss is
variously estimated at from $4,000 to
100000.