The Red Cloud chief., 1897-05-07
ALTON ENGINE BLOWS UP
Kills the Engineer and Fireman-Occurs
ut Kansas CITY.

Kills the Engineer and Fireman-Occurp
ut Kansas City.
KANSAS CRY. Mo-. May s.-whcn
Chicago & Alton freight train No. ;01.
eastbound, stopped at the depot at
First street and Grand avenue at o:5j
o'clock this morning to take on a pass
enger, the locomotive exploded, kill
ing the engineer, II. II. Roberts of
Slater and injuring the fireman.
Charles Pardoncr, Of Slater, Mo-. so
severely that he cannot live. A dozen
men standing on the depot platform
had narrow escapes from death.
The freight train Of ten cars and a
caboose left the Chicago & Alton
freight depot at Twelfth and Santa
Fe streets at $3.50 o'clock in charge OF
Conductor Blakeman. The train does a
local passenger business between Kan
sas City and Slater, Mo-, and the con-
ductor had orders to stop at the Grand
avenue depot and take on passengers,
IL there were any. II was twenty-five
minutes before the train cleared the
yards and reached the depot. Engineer
Roberts had put on the brakes and the
train had just come TO q standstill
with the locomotive opposite the
freight depot, 100 yards east of the
passenger depot, when there was a
terrific explosion. The next instant
the air was filed with coal dust and
steam and a shower Of coal began fall
ing on the passenger depot and SUR
rounding buildings. Men in the vicin-
ity ran into buildings for safety. and
many narrowly missed being crushed
by falling pieces of coal and fragments
OF the engine cab.
When the steam and smoke had
lifted 1t was seen that the end of the
boiler just over the FIRE box had blown
out. ". 49, r.!
Those who Witnessed the accident
say they saw the engineer and fireman
carried about 100 feet in the air on the
crest OF q great cloud of steam and
coal dust. Engineer Roberts, whose
seat was on the right side of the en-
CINE. was thrown entirely over the
freight depot and telegraph wires to
the south Of the engine. He struck
the ground about twenty feet south
OF the depot and ut least 800 feet from
his engine. His clothing was almost
completely stripped from his body.
The left side Of his skull was torn
away, his arms and legs were frac-
tured in many places and the flesh Of
his body was horribly scalded by the
steam.
From all indications Fireman Par
doner was shoveling coal at the mo-
ment OF the explosion. He fell sew
enty-fve feet to the north of the en-
CINE between the rails of a switch.
He lay on his right side. his head to
the engine. Those who reached him
first thought he was dead, but when
Police surgeon Hyde came he said
Pardoner was alive. He was sent to
the city hospital in an unconscious
condition and was alive at noon to-day.
His right leg and skull were fractured,
he was frightfully scalded and his
face was cut and burned black.
Windows OF houses in the vicinity
were shattered by the force Of the
explosion and fragments Of flying
coal.
Officers of the Chicago & Alton say
they cannot understand the explosion.
The engine was an old one of Baldwin
make and had been In service for
many years on another division of the
road. Two months ago IL was placed
In the shops at Slater, Mo-, and after
being repaired vas brought to Kansas
City for service.