The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1888-05-18
A TERRIFIC EXPLOSION.
Six Lives Lost and Great Destruction
Caused to Property-Collision of Trains
Brings About the Calamity.

! ASAAhSo aoOub titt
/ FOUNTAIN, Col, May ia most horrible
! railway catastrophe occurred here at 2:45
yesterday morning, The north bound
"thunderbolt train stopped at the station
for orders, and hardly came to a stand
still when a caboose and four loaded
freight cars, which had broken away
from through freight at Colorado
Springs, thirteen miles away, came
lightning speed, crashing into the express
and piling the caboose and first car in ruins
on top of the engine and baggage car.
The car next to the caboose was
huge tank of naptha, and the oil
was scattered over the depot, cars
and adjoining buildings This caught fire
and in an instant every thing was in
sheet of flame. The engineer man.
aged to escape without any injuries, but
the fireman was struck by flying timber
and seriously injured.
The Pullman ano two day coaches of the
passenger train 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 rap
idly approaching the last car of the runaway
freight, when the alarm was given that this
car was loaded with powder. The people
in the vicinity had hardly time to get away
when 1900 pounds of giant powder, with
which the car was loaded exploded. The
| report was distinctly heard in
Pueblo, twenty miles away, and
the houses in this city shook
as from as earthquake. Twenty houses
in this city were totally destroyed, toge-
ther with the Baptist church, which was
blown from its foundations and scat
tered over acres of ground. Men
and women were knocked senseless,
and pieces of broken rails. car-wheels
and timbers were carried with ter
rife force for half mile Rails were torn
from the track and carried 100 yards and
driven three feet into the ground, while
a number of freight cars standing on the
side track were blown to atoms. The
passengers on the ''thunderboltn were
severely shaken up and a number were cut
| by pieces Of glass from the windows, but
none were seriously injured. The yard Of
the Newton Lumber Company took fire and
was completely destroyed People stand
| ing quarter Of mile from the explosion
were hit by flying fragments and badly
/ wounded. The killed number six persons,
| as follows:
| G. F. Smith, manager Newton Lumber Com
| pany, piece of iron blown through body, max
] ing a hole two inches in diameter; died an
| hour after the explosion; unknown man,
| burned remains found under the engine; I'M
known man, travelling C. B. & @.
| pass, asleep in caboose and supposed
! to have been instantly killed; Law
! renee Weihart, German carpenter, while
| assisting to put out the fire in the lum-
| ber-yard was struck on the head by flying
| timber and died in short time Mrs Wedrig
| while standing 600 yards from the track, was
| struck on hehead by flying bolt and died in
| two hours. FL. Hutchins, merchant aged 60
| years, was standing some distance away and
was struck by bar of iron. He died.
About thirty people were more or less
badly injured. 1t is almost impossible to
| get any accurate figures as to the amount
OF damage. The loss to the town. which is
| completely ruined, is estimated at $50, 000
while the amount of the railroads loss is
variously estimated at from $4,000 to $780,
| l00