Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1900-02-02
FATAL WRECKS.
One Mouths Cluster Of Awful catas-
trophies.

trophies.
Railway men have saying That one
serious wreck will invariably be fol-
lowed by two others within the
month This superstition would seem
to be justified in view Of the follow
ing narration of actual events which
occurred during a recentmonth upon
a railway which does not run through
the state Of Rhode Island
The boiler Of a modern locomotive
carrying a steam pressure Of $50
pounds exploded while standing near
ia roundhouse preparatory TO going
out upon its trip. Nine persons we're
killed and few injured Those Killed
had all the clothing blown from their
bodies, and apparently every bone
was broken, yet the skin was broken
in but a few places, so that their APP
pearance was likened toAhat of sack
of grain An engineer was blown
partly through one Of The driving
wheels in an engine standing some
distance away, another was thrown
against & box car; still another, to-
gether with a woman and child, was
blown into pit in the nearby round
house; another man was thrown over
shed and fell on top of an engine
which was being coaled The driving
wheels we're blown of their aXles, the
frebox and machinery wrecked, while
the barrel of the boiler was thrown
over 400 feet.
The first section of a freight train
became acknowledgement did not go
far enough back-the second section
could not be stopped in time. The
locomotive of the latter ran through
the caboose on the first section and
| into a car of oil. The oil caught fire
and nine cars and one locomotive
we're burned up. The intensity of the
heat made lime of the neighboring
powders.
The engineer of a freight train on
mouDtain division (whO was sup
posed to have been drinking) got into
a quarrel with the conductor On ar
irving at the steepest part of the
down grade this engineer pulled the
Throttle wide open, the train crew
dubbed all the brakes and tried to
stop the train. But at the terrific
speed which the train was reported to
have passed a -station, the brakes had
little effect on the eight empty cars.
| The conductor finally cut off the'ca-
boose, but before it could be stopped
the engine left the track at a very
sharp,eurve. The engine turned over
| twice-the entire eight cars passed
over and beyond the engine-the ca
boose stopping at the side of the en-
| CINE. The engineer, fireman and a
| tramp were torn into a mangled mass
Of flesh and Hood, two brakemen
were badly injured, while the con
duetor (who had laid down on the
floor near the rear Of the cabooseD es-
capped uninjured.
An engine and caboose were or
dered tothe scene Of the wreck. The
roadmaster and train crew were in the
caboose. Upon turning over thesum-
nit this engineer Get the train roll so
fast that the conductor signaled to
stop, but he paid no attention to the
signals. Upon the frcman's calling
| his attention to the signals the en-
gineer hooked up che reverse lever
and pulled the throttle wide open
| the engine bounded forward and
Jumped the track at the first revere
curve. The engineer and fireman
were killed and those in the caboose
were all more or less iajured The
engineer was supposed TO have be-
come suddenly demented Railway