River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-05-17
A TERRIFIC EXPLOSION.
Six Lives Lost and Great Destruction
Caused to Property Collision of Trains
Brings About the Calamity.

Six Lives Lost and Great Destruction
Caused to Property-ColIisIon of Trains
Brings About the Calamity.
FOUNTAIN, Col. May "a 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 anG four loaded
freight cars, which had broken away
from p through freight at Colorado
Springs, thirteen rifles away, came
dashing down the long grade st
lights sag speed, crashing into the express
and pillng me cabOose and first EAR in rOinS
on toy of the engine and baggage car
The car next TO the eaboose was a
huge tank Of naptha. and the oil
was scattered over the depot. cars
and adjoining buildings. This caught fire
aud in an instant every thing was in
sheet OF fame The engineer man
aged to escape without any injuries, but
the fireman was struck by flying timber
and seriously injured.
F. The Pullman and two day coaches Of the
passenger train Were hastily detached FROM
the burning baggage-car and ran down the
track TO q safe distance from the fire. which
had now enveloped the depot and was rap
idly approaching the last ear OF the runaway
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-
thcr with the Baptist church, which was
blown from its foundations and scat
tered over acres Of ground. Men
and women were knocked senselcss.
and pieces of broken rails. car Ieels
and timbers were carried with ter
rife force for half a mile. Rails were torn
from the track and carried 100 yards and
driven three feet into the ground, while
4 number Of freight cars standing on the
side track were blown to atoms. The
passengers on the 'thunderbolt" were
severely shaken up and & humber were cut
by pieces of glass from the windows but
none were seriously injured. the yard Of
the Newton Lumber Company took hre and
was completely destroyed. People stand
ing quarter Of a 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
paLy, piece OF iron blown through todyt 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 on {. i. & @
pass. asleep in cabOose. and supposed
10 have been instantly killed; Law
renee Weihart, German carpenter. while
assisting to put cut the fire in the lum-
ber-yard, was struck on the head by a flying
timber and d ed in a short time. Mrs. Wedric.
while standing CD yards from the track, was
struck on the head by flying bolt and died in
two hours II. Hu:chins, merchant aged 81
years. was standing some distance away and
was struck by bar Of IRON. He died.
About thirty people We're more or less
badly injured. II is almost impossible to
get any accurate figures as to the amount
of damage. The loss to the town. which i
completely ruined, is estimated at 500 O0a
while the amount of the railroads loss is
variOusly estimated at from l5,090to SlO0,-
OOD