The sun., 1894-10-13
IT TURNED A SOMERSAULT.
sING ULAR EFFECT or a LoCoMo-
TIVE BOILER EXPLOSION.

Crwsrs Like q Roeket-Ths E.ai.eer
Tossed mp % . Neighborirs Ledge. but
Hs viii Recover-The Fire-ar Knisd.
one Of the most remarkable accidents in the
history Of steam rsilroading occurred at Glen
Ridge. n. j.. station, on the Bloom
field branch OF tho Delaware, Lacka-
wanna and Western Railroad, yesterday
afternoon. II Is rare thing for
locomotive boiler to explode. but In this case
not only did the boiler OF q passenger train
engine burst but 1t did II in such a way that
the great locomotive, weighing $4,000 pounds,
was tossed Into the air clear Of the ground and
turned over end on end. The engineer and fire.
man were both severely injured, and the latter
died about midnight.
Glen aidge station lies between Bloomfield
avenue and Montclair Out to Bloomfield the
railroad is double tracked. From Bloomfield TO
Montclair IL Is o single track road.
The station Is Just at the crossing Of Ridge
wood avenue, The avenue crosses the railroad
on a bridge perhaps twenty feet above the
tracks The roadbcd has been cut into the edge
OF ledge of rock at this point.
The station building which also contains the
Post Office, is built upon the top Of this ledge
upon level with Ridgewood avenue. upon the
north side Of the avenue. Opposite the station
IL the handsome building OF tho Glen Ridge
Club.
From the station building steps lead down to
the platform along the track. and another outside
stairway leads down from right beside the Glen
wood avenue bridge. The platform runs along
the west side OF the track right under the cu.-
out edge of the rocky bluff.
II Is OF plank twelve feet wide, and extends q
hundred feet or more TO tho north OF the bridge
and further to the south. A light shed covers it
all to the north and runs along under the bridge
and beyond for fifty or sixty feet. Beyond that
The accident happened TO- engine l28, which
was drawing the train which left Montclair for
Behind the engine were three passenger coaches
and at the rear OF the train a combination bag
gage and smoking car.
There were not many passengers In the train,
it arrived there about fiv. minutes later. In the
cab OF the engine were the engineer. Chas. Bor-
land, and Elmer Cum mings, the fireman.
Four other men made up the crew OF the train.
Master William II. Yard and Harry Snyder and
Alfred Essex, brakemen.
fore Conductor Stevens gave the signal TO go
ahead. and Fireman Cummings was still ring
the train approached the station.
Ensi9eer Borland pulled out the, throttle
lever, the big engine gave a snort and just be-
piosion which some who heard IL lIEened to q
cannon's discharge and others said was more like
Few persons saw what followed. hut those
who did will never forget II. A great blast OF
aaGsr a ss ssn snd Sos Ss snss ; .
cloud OF black dus. from the railroad bed. As
platform and turned this up against the edge OF
the rocks. standing Il upon end.
awsy from lis tender with crash, fise, clear Of
ss Ssrs sl.:s. :SG un S ~ shs. : %
air and iSnding eleer OF Pie tracks upon Its
Out on Of she cloud of Sey sa~ Too
air. and landed beside the Glen Ridge club
This was Engineer Boriand. As his engine
was shot up like a skyrocset by the escaping
was thrown clear OF everything except the
steam.
Cummings was not 80 fortunate. He stuck to
his post, and when the trainmen and passengers
swarmed forward they fourd him I'm the wreck
OF the smashed engine cab, not pinned fast, but
He was tax en- out and laid beside the track.
There were doctors on the train. but there was
a hospital. Borland was found where he fell
upon the ledge. He was scalded on the breast.
The explosion had carried away the wires OF
the telephone In the club house, but another was
bsds From there et the
at Montclair was asked 10 send an ambulance.
lt was, OF course. long time before the am
butchers wagon was pressed into service and
one Of the men sent 10 the hospital In that. Cum
mings's condition was seen To he critical from
the first. lie died about midnight. Borland
win get well. Both lived in Moptclair.
Cummings lived In Bloomfield avenue. He
leaves widow and one child. Within hour
after the disaster Roadmaster James Naphey
and Master Mechanic William Lewis were upon
the ground.
stayed and watched the work OF clearing the
road Iutil away into the night.
Train service beyond Bloomfield was sus-
pended. but the railroad people took the Mont
clair and Bloomfield commuters home from
Bloomfield by means OF stages.
its flight in the air II landed first upon It's pilot.
The smok kestack and all the lighter work OF tho
top or the engine lay crushed beneath its weight.
One of the four driving wheels had been
thrown on its axle, and the other hung all |
askew from its bearings. When some OF these
sible 10 see what had happened,
Standing on the overturned engine one could |
look right into what had been its frebox. The |
crate had disappeared, and the !
space was clear. |
Down in that hole one could see the steel
like paper: This was where the boiler had burst.
The main rupture seemed TO be on the right |
plate over the hre Master Mechanic Lewis |
said he had never seen a similar break, and he |
could offer no explanation OF its cause.
one OF the best on the road. As the |
engine can only be removed by disInAntling IL |
and rolling 1t across the track. MIR. Naphsy |
sumption OF trafio
He set a gang of men 20 work with crowbars, |
for trains 10 clear the wreck. This was ac-
cOmDlished about 4 .46 O'clock