Delaware gazette and state journal., 1902-11-06
THREE KILLED BY EXPLOSION.
Locomotive Wrecked ON the Baltimore
Ohio Railroad Near st. Denis, Md.

OHIO RAILROAD Near st. DehisS hhs
Baltimore, Md, Nov. BIN consequence
Of the explosion of the boiler of engine 1724
of the Baltimore u Ohio railroad, drawing
q load of "a coal cars from Brunswick to
Baltimore, the engineer, fireman and head
brakeman were Killed yesterday morning.
The accident occurred about O'Clock,
few hundred yards northeast of st. Denis on
the inbound passenger track.
The dead are Eli W. Biggs, 36 years old,
1917 Belt avenue, engineer.
Orville B. Hunt, "a years old, 1857 South
Charles street, fireman.
Charles o. Stallings, 26 years Old, East
Heath street, brakeman.
Mr., BigRs and MIR. Hunt wsre killed in
stantly. Mr.. Stallings died within two hours
without regaining consciousness.
Although the shock was. felt by all the
residents in the neighborhood of the rail-
road at st. Denis, Relay and Haethorpe,
there is but one eye witness, and his Identity
is not known to Coroner H. V. Luton OF
st. Denis.
A. F. Dougherty, night operator at Relay
Station, was talking to the man yesterday
morning. To Mr.. Dougherty he said:
was walking along the Phliadelphla, WE
mington IL Baltimore railroad tracks, which
pass under the Baltimore Il Ohio, within
few feet of where the accident occurred. As
watched the train putting along, my ears
were suddenly deafened by Tremendous
explosion and | saw the huge boiler lifted
distance of $50 feet. could distinguish
three forms rising with it, and the noise
seemed to have hardly died away when the
| lnangled body of the engineer landed at my
| feet, 300 feet from the locomotive and 80
| feet below the Baltimore a. Ohio tracks.
| He was dead when he struck the ground.
| The body of Mr.. Hunt was found lying
on the culyert over which the Baltimore q
/ Ohio tracks cross, just above that of his
mate. Mr.. Stallings was lying unconscious
| on the other side OF the culvert.
Drs. Arthur L. Williams of Elkridge and
S. d. Davis of Baltimore, physicians in the
employ of the company, were on the scene
/ within a few minutes after the accident.
They pronounced Mr.. Stalings' injuries
fatal, and after he had been carried to the
Relay and efforts made to relieve his suffer
ings he was placed, together with the dead
| men, in the baggage car of the passenger
train from Frederick, and reached Balti'
more shortly after 10 O'Clock. DIR. Davis
and the other members of the train crew
Conductor w. II. Liysey and Brakeman
J. w. Peters-aecompanied them TO Balti
more. Mr.. Stallings died at Henrietta street
on the way in.
Coroner Luton of st. Denis will hold tht
inquest in the case of the other two men Al
the st. Denis Police Station this evening
and Coroner Otto NJ. Reinhardt of th'
Southern district, Baltimore, will inyesti
gate the death of Mr.. Stallings.
Opinions differ as to the cause of th
accident. An official of the road, who wa
seen at the scene of the wreck, felt sure tina
it was due to the failure of the engineer Z
keep a sufficient supply of water in tn
boiler. He explained the fatality by sayini
i that the deficiency of water had permitte'
the crownpiece to become red hot. Con
, ductor Ligsey, who rode in the caboos
with Peters, while the others were in tn
cab, and knew nothing OF what had occurre
until the report came and the train, stoppe
L. ...ss bt,aLy ff n EtnnHaf1Il
I not tend to that opinion. He seemed /
Z think that there was some flaw in the crown
. pisce. He said that all precautions had bee
r taken when they left Brunswick, seven houl
before, and that there had been no difficult
on the run.
Richard Flannery. the operator at til
Relay tower. said that when the train passe
r him, three minutes before the accident, Il
f engineer was at his window and spoke
i him. SO that he had no apprehension of in
! pending danger any more than had II
4 other men.
The engine was built at the Richmon
Locomotive Works ana was of the consol
g dated type. 1t had been in use but 20 da.
l. and was valued at $4,000.
J. Immediately after the accident Superb
II tendents Fitzgerald and Spurrter were
A the scene and messages were dispatched
- the homes of the dead men. By tho tin
the bodies reached the establishment
William j. Tickner IL Sons, 42l We
IS Camden street, the members OF the railrot
70 organizations to which the men belong
II were busy consoling the bereayed fanlili
a. of Mr.. Hunt and Mr.. Biggs.
n Mr.. Stallings' body was taken to Unde
taker j. O. Stevens, Fort and Bate
avenues.
During the afternoon the bodies of Il
engineer and fireman we're taken to the
homes and all through the evening steat
I'd stream of fellow -workmen who live in I
y. neighborhood poured into both houses. Tl
II white-haired mother of the engineer be
N over tine coffin of her son in silent grief.
Traffic was delayed about three hours
=. the boiler. which lay on the westboul
- track $50 feet from its truck, which, wi
m the cars of the train, remained on the raj
"a Two extra locomotives pushed the train In
I'd Baltimore at about $50 O'Clock, but
in huge boiler, its sides crushed ss one wou
ta crush tinfoil tube, was not lifted to
"a wrecking train until II O'Clock. and it v
~ O'Clock before it was brought to Baltimol
IN During that time large crowd of peop
r many OF whom had walked from Baltimo
gathered about the wreck.
MIR. Biggs was 36 years old and leaves
aged mother and widow and six childr
ay living at 1917 Belt avenue. The Oldest ch
10 is boy of IL years and the youngest ba
=, of Eve months. Mr.. Biggs' neck is said
IN M have been broken, one leg was bat
US 1nangled and the top of the skull crushed
@, MIR. Hunt lived with his parents, Mr.. a
in Mrs. Edward S. Hunt of 1852 South Char
k, street. He was married year ago last Al
re- to Miss Anna Tull of Townsend, Del. III
he have no children. The widow is visiting
= ~ relatives in Townsend and information
Is- her husbands death had not reached
re last night. Mr.. Hunt was badly bruised
ey over the body and head and apparently d
b, from shock.
Mr.. Stallings was son of Mr.. and N
Oliver Stallings of Plane No. 4, Freder
county, the station just beyond Mount All
10 on the Baltimore 4 Ohio railroad. He !
~ not married and had been boarding .
~ East Heath street. His father. was notii
rs. and reached Baltimore late last event.
I'm The son was badly cut about the head {
ed body.
ed All of the men we're experienced trainn
Id. and, the company officials say, had alw
"a been regarded as cautious and trustwort