St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-05-15
SIX PERSONS KILLED.
A Car of Giant Powder Explcdes Wit
Fearful Results.
A VILLAGE ANNIHILATED.
Sixteen People More or Less Severely
Injured in the Terrible
Catastrophe.

horrible railway catastrophe occurred
here at 2:45 this morning, which has no
parallel i'll the history of the state. At
2:41 the NOrthbound "ThunderbOlt''
stopped at the station for orders. She
had hardly come to standstill when a
caboose 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 piling the cabooSe
and first car in ruins on top of
the engine and baggage car.
The car next to the caboose was
a huge tank of naphtha. which,
in being wrecked scattered oil over the
depot, cars and adjoining buildings,
caught fire, and in an instant every
thing was in flames. The engineer
managed to escape without injury, but
the fireman was struck by flying tim
Der and seriously injured. The Pullman
and two day coaches of passengers were
hastily detached from the burning bag
gage 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 freIghtS, when
the alarm was given that this car was
loaded with powder, and for every one
to run for their lives. All who heard
the warning attempted to obey, but had
gone but short distance when the II,
600 pounds of giant powder with which
the car was loaded exploded, shaking
the earth as though an earthquake. The
report was distinctly heard i'll Pueblo,
twenty miles away, and the houses in
this city shook as from an earthquake.
The scene after the explosion is beyond
description, every one of the twenty
houses in the city are
ALMOST TOTALLY DESTROYED.
together with the new Baptist church,
which was blown from its foundation
and scattered over acres of ground.
Men, women and children were Knocked
senseless, and pieces of broken rails,car
wheels and timberS were carried with
terrific force for half mile. Rails were
torn from the track, carried 100 yards
and then driven three feet into the
ground, while number of freight ears
standing on the side track were blown
to atoms. The passengers in the Thun-
derbolt were severely shaken up, and
a number were cut by pieces of
glass from the windows, but none seri-
ously. The yard of the Newton Lum-
Der company took fire and was com
pletely destroyed; people standing a
quarter of mile from the explosion
were hit by flying fragments and badly
wounded. Immediately after the acct
dent, wrecking trains with physicians
started to the scene to clear away the
debris and care for the dead and
wounded, which now number five dead
and thirty mole or less injured. The
dead are as follows:
c. f. SMITH, manager of the Newton Lum-
Der company. He was trying to extnguish
the flames at the depot when the explosion
occurred. He was badly wounded, a piece
of iron being blown through his body, max
ing hole two inches in diameter lie died
an hour later.
The burned remains of an unknown man
was found underneath the engine after the
fire was eXtinguished.
An unknown railroad man. travelling on II
Chicago, Burlington d Quincy pass; light
complexion, sandy moustache and hair.
slightly lame. five feet eight inches in height
He was in the caboose asleep when the
freight reached Colorado Springs, and it is
supposed he was i'll the car at the time Of
the collision, being INSTABILITY killed
LAWRENCE WElHART, German carpen-
ter, while assisting to put out the fire in the
lumber yard, was struck on the head by fly
ing timber, causing conclusion of the brain,
the victim dying soon after.
Mrs. WEDRIG, while standing 500 yards
struck on the head by flying bolt and died
in two hours.
II. HUTCHINS, q merchant sixty wears
old, standing some distance away, was struck
by an iron bar and died this afternoon.
The wounded were:
WALTER LOOMS, leg broken; serious in
ternal injuries.
CHARLES S. HATCH, hip broken; injured
about the head and face; seriously.
Mrs. j. NJ. HATCH, injured about the head
and shoulders; serious.
Mrs i. ID. LUBECK, face and body seriously
hurt.
Miss MAMIE HATCH, face and body slightly
bruised.
A. L. BELL and wife, injured about the
face and chest; slight.
WILLIAM BUTLER. the breast. serious.
Miss NJ BELL, arm broken and disOcated
Miss LULU BELL, face and body badly cut
and bruised.
II. B. BoswoRTH ankle broken.
II. MURRY, face badly cut.
Miss MARY DENNY, hip dislocated
A. j. BENEDICT, badly hurt about the face
and thighs: his wife's face and arms were
badly bruised.
w. KNIGHT. st. Louis, face cut.
j. C. MUM. Tombstone, face cut.
An unknown man. supposed to be Frank
Shipman, was killed.
The coroner's jury after viewing the
dead adjourned to meet at Colorado
Springs, Wednesday next. 1t is almost
impossible to get any accurate figures
to the town, which is completely ruined,
is estimated at $50, 900, while the amount
of the railroad cOmpany's loss is vari-
Ously estimated at from $4,000 to
100000.