The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-01-06
Ia WONpREPull EyPI0SlON.ls
u. & o. Engine Blows Up ut Benwood
I hut Kills M OIle.-D ii rne tilOtlk lcscnu W

All. & o. Engine liiows UP 1T Denwood
hut Kills No Ons--1iirneulous Escapes.
Saturday morning about halt past
seven O'clock Baltimore 4 Ohio engine
No. 442 exploded at the Benwood station,
while Engineer Alfred Cunningham and
Fireman David Gehring were in the cab.
Both men were blown clear away from
the engine, and the machine itself was
literally ] torn To pieces, but strange TO
say neither Of Sthe& men was severely
hurt. The engine had gone down from
this city and was passing tho upper end
Of the Benwood station platform when
tho explosion occurred. Nothing was
left OF the engine except the wheels and
a part OF the under gearing, the boiler,
cab, and upper parts OF tho machine
being scattered over q large piece. Of
.erri,ory.HA car load OF furniture esand.
Ing on another track nearby was splin.
tered by; the flying pieces Of the locomo..
tive, tho station platform was torn away
and the station building peppered with
pieces OF iron. A n hi n,
1t was naturally supposed BY the
crowd that gathered, TINT tho men In
tho cab bud been torn. to pieces, and IN
search \ for their remains was begun,
Engineer Cunningham was thrown over
the freight cars on the B. Il O. siding,
and clear over the Ohio River road into
4 corn Geld, one hundred and sixty feet
from his starting point, He lit on his
buttocks and ' was not 3 hurt, and was
walking back toward the engine when
frBt seen. r. II; e ltsssty5{t
Fireman Goering and IA part of the
cab aud Grebox, took another direction,
lie was found over toward tho river
banklwith, u piece Of the cab lying over
aud upon him. He was bleeding pro.
fusely from several cuts about his head
and face. lie was not severely hurt and
will not be laid up. st si25s1'2
Track Foreman John Boyd was struck
in tho cllf ofs the leg by a piece OF iron
and : pretty severely ctlt, and al un.
known man standing on the platform
was slightly cut on the side OF bis face
by a piece OF flying sheet iron. s & (
The force OF tho explosion was SO great
that the pieces Of The engine were scat.
tered over a wide area. Que boiler tube
was found on the Ohio side, Of the river
near the Baltimore & Ohio bridge, and
other fragments, some 4 Of them quite
large, were thrown to equally great dis.
ta.ftes. The freight cars ind tender
standing close by, showed the bad effect
of their bombardment, aud looked as il
great chunks Of iron had been shot
through them from cannon. II y "a
Engineer Cunningham said concerning
heaccident: II was carrying 100 pound
Of steam, and as we approached the Sta
ton there was three: guages OF water
About twenty yards north OF the station
building l threw the injector on, and
we ran on past. The explosion then
followed" ;lf;it..E55s3t sy!,ts &
81 The wrccking crews were put to work
and the pieces Of the wreck that coult
be found were loaded on cars and brough
to this city. BY evening the track wa,
cleared. and trains were using the tracks
as usual. y \;
The loss to the company. will probab
ly reach about $40, 900. The engine wa,
totally wrecked, and two loaded freigh
cars with their contents were almos
totally wrecked. = 81 Z.