The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-05-15
FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT.
The Shocking Catastrophe at
Fountain, Col.
WIDESPREAD DESTRUCTION.
Ter Ito Explosion of Naph 'ha.
spreadiug Death and Dessruc-
Jtion- The Losses.
The Fountaio Horror.

FOUNTAIN, Colo, May IA horrib' e
railway casualty occurred here at 2.45
this morning. At 241 tae north-bound
Thunderbolt stopped at the station for
orders. she had hardly come to a
standstill, when q caboose with four
loaded freight cars, which had broken
away from a through freignC at Colo
RADIO Springs. thirteen miles away. came
dashing down long grade at lig htning
speed, crushing 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 tank
OF naphtha, which, IN being wrecked,
scattered oil over the depot. cars and
adjoining buildings, caught fire, and in
an instant everything Was sheet of
hames. The engineer aud fireman es-
capped somewhat injured. a Pullman
and two day coaches. passengers were
hastily detached from the burning
baggage car and run down the track to
safe distance from the fire, which
had now enveIoped the depot and was
rapidly approaching the car OF the rum
away freight, when the alarm was
given that this car was loaded with
powder, and for every ono to run tor
their lives. All who heard the warning,
attempted to obey, but had gone but a
short distance when II 600 pounds of
Giant powder. with which the car was
load d. exploded, shaking the earth as
though by an earthquake. Twenty
houses in the city were almost totally
destroyed, together with the new Bap-
fist 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
wheels and timbers were carried with
| terrific force for half mile A number
of freight cars standing on the side
track were blown to atoms. The pas
sengers in the Thulderbolt 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 National Lumber Company
took fire I'd was completely destroyed.
People standing quarter of a nile
from the explosion were hit by the hy-
ing fragments and were badly wounded.
The dead are.
| G. f. Smith, usansgsr OF the Newton
extinguish the flames at the depot.
81 badly wounded that he died within
an hour. A piece of iron was blown
through his body leaving hole two
inches in diameter.
The burned remains of an unknown
man were found underneath the engine,
after the fire had been extinguished.
Lawrence Weichart, German car
penter, while assisting to put out the
fire ut the lumber yard, was struck in
the head by flying timber, causing
concnssion of the brain, from which he
died within two hours.
II. Hulchins, merchant, 60 years, was
standing at door some distance away,
and was struck by bar of iron; he
died this afternoon.
The wounded number about thirty
none of them viii die, although all are
painfully wounded.
The loss to the town, which was
completely ruined, is estimated at $50,
900, while the amount to the railroad
company is varlously estimated at
from S75, 600 to 100000. All the wounded
are residents of this place except w.
Knight, of St. Louis, andJ. c. Mann.
OF Tombstone, who had their ia ;es badly
cut.