Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1890-01-05
MIRACULOUS ESCAPE.
A Terrible Explosion Down at Bsnwood
Yesterday Morning.
4 B. 4 0. LOCOMOTIVE BOILER
Lets Go With Report Which is Heard for
Miles.
THE STORY OF THE ACCIDENT,


in Bsnwood, and which was very distinctly
heard and felt as far away as Wheeling
Island, occurred at the Junction, at
twenty-five minutes of eight o'clock yes
terdsy morning.
The trouble was with the boiler of
Baltimore and Ohio locomotive No. 442,
of which Alfred Cunningham was engin-
eer and David Goehring fireman, and the
accident occurred at the lower end of the
station platform, about fifty yards south
Of the station building.
The engine had run down from the
yards in this city, and was going past. the
station at the rate of about four miles an
hour. When the point above indicated
was reached, the boiler exploded, and
when the steam cleared away, there was
nothing left Of the engine save the steel
frame, driving wheels and truck, sur
mounted by some tangled and twisted
bars, rods and tubes. The force of the ex-
plosion was such as TO damage the track,
and tear up the platform in the vicinity,
while car load of furniture which was
standing short distance away, on an
other track, looked as though it had been
subjected to half hours bombsrdment
by field piece.
In very few moments large crowd
was attracted to the scene, and search was
at once began for the engineer and fire.
man. 1t was supposed, as matter CT
course, that both men had been killed, but
to the great surprise both men were not
only alive, but comparatively well.
Engineer Cunningham had quite an ex-
perience. He was thrown by the force of
the explosion over the freight cars which
were standing On the side track, clear
across the B. & o. right of way, to and
over the track of the Ohio river railroad,
and finally slighted in an old corn field.
He was not much the worse for his rapid
transit, and when it is consid-
cred he cleared one hundred and
sixty feet at one flying leap, his
escape seems little short of miraculous.
Before he was found he had got on his feet
and was walking back to where his engine
had stood. To newspaper man Engineer
Cunningham ssid:-
81 was carrying $50 pounds of steam,
and as we approached the station there
was three guages of water. About twenty
yards north of the station building
threw the injector on, and we ran on past.
The explosion then resulted.
Mr.. Cunningham was badly shaken up.
Fireman Goehing was found lying be-
tween two cars. He. the rear portion of
the boiler and fire box, and the fragments
of the cab, all left the engine about the
same time. The iron work fell first, and
then Goehring settled down, with the re-
mains Of the cab lying over and partly on
aim. He went towards the bank, and
when found, he was bleeding profusely
from cuts about the head and face. A
flying fragment Of iron struck Track
Foreman Boyd in the calf of one leg, caus-
ing q painful wound, and fourth man,
one Of group of five or six, who were
standing on the platform when the explo-
sion occurred, was eighty cut in the side
of the face by piece of sheet iron.
These comprise the casualties. That
half dozen lives were not lost is, under
the circumstances, one of the strangest
things imaginable.
So great was the force of the explosion
that fragments of the engine were hurled
over a wide area. One of the boiler fues
was found at the railroad bridge across the
river, nearly quarter of mile away, and
other fragments, some of them quite large,
were thrown nearly as far. The engine
bell seems to have disappeared altogether,
as it was stated last evening that no trace
Of it could be found. The freight cars in
the vicinity, as well as the tender, were
Left in pretty bsd shape. One car, loaded
with school furniture, was about torn to
kindling wood, and large amount ofiron
must have been hurled through it. The
station building was also somewhat dam
aged.
The wrecking crew was at once put to
work on the remains of the engine. the
broken and splintered wood work was
gathered up and burned, while the re-
mains Of the engine were hoisted upon fiat
cars and brought up to the city. Last
evening the track was clear, and trains
were running right along, as usual.