Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-06-07
LOCOMOTIVE EXPLODES.
Terrific Force Of Steam Evidenced in
Many Ways.

Baltimore, Md, June 2.-Engineman
William H. FauIds of the Baltimore
and Sparrows Point Railroad company
was blown to death yesterday by the
explosion of his engine, which was
wrecked en- the track Between Sellers
and Turner stations. HIS fireman,
Augustus H. F. Heise, was fatally in
juTed. With long string of empties
in tow the big engine was toiling up
the slight grade from Sellers, when,
without warning, there was a terrific
explosion.
In an instant the big engine was
mass of twisted iron and splintered
woodwork. Engineman Faulds was
thrown $50 yards through the air, and
his dead body landed beside the track.
He was scalded so badly with steam
that the skin on exposed parts of his
body was ready to peel off. His leg
and thigh and left arm were broken
and he probably received internal in
juries, so that his death was instan-
taneOus. Fauld's watch, an open-face
silver one, presented a curious appear
ance when taken from his pocket.
Steam had condensed upon the inner
side of the crystal and the watch case
was filled with fine sand and steam,
where it had been blown by the explo-
sion. It had stopped at 1864 o'clock
probably the exact time of the ex-
plosion.
Fireman Heise landed beside the
where he was found He had a COM
pound fracture of the leg and was
badly crushed. Willing hands hur-
ried him to the hospital where he died.
The scene at the wreck gave some
idea of the awful force of the explo-
sion. The train crew heard faint eX
plosive noise above the rattle and
rumble OF the empties, many of them
steel cars. Conductor Dobson, who
was in the cabOose at the rear of the
train, hurried forward to investigate
thinking that steam pipe had burst
Farm hands at work in the pea patch
es near the track said the noise of the
explosion was terrific and they felt the
rumble of the conclusion.
G. G. Thomas, a worker at SparroWS
Point, had missed his train and was
walking from Dundalk along the track.
He had just passed the freight train,
giving a friendly hand-waye TO the en-
gineer, with W10-l he was acquainted,
when the explosion occurred and threw
Thomas against a telegraph pole, but
without iniuring him.
The track was blockaded with the
debris Of the engine The massive
steel framework of the engine upon
which rests the boiler and superstruc-
ture was spread out like a gigantic
metal V. One driving wheel was
thrown over into the field at the side
Of the track the siX-inch axle having
been snapped off clearly near the mid
die. The air pump, which had been I'M
der the seat of the engineman in the
cab of the engine, was blown about 159
yards to the left of the track, opposite
to where the engineman's body was
found. Splinters of the CAP were scat
tered about the surrounding fields. fall
ing like a shower of kindling wood up
on the growing pea vines.
For distance Of several yards on
each side of the track the earth is
brown and scorched, as if the blast
from furnace had passed over it.
Just after the explosion the SCOT, ashes
and fine coal particles from the engine
formed black pail upon the surround
ing land.
All the force of the explosion seemed
to be upward and to each side, for the
engine tender had only one wheel de-
rallied and was not injured.
Engineman Faulds had been en-
pioyed at Sparrows Point for about 13 |
years and had won many friends by his |
careful attention to his work. Fireman |
Heise was unmarried.