Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-06-10
C|oyerdaIe
0Ieomargarine
z lbs for Csc
Good for Table
Or
Cooking Purposes.
Graaf & Hayward
0 Q GROCERS, 0 0 0
Butchers and Bakers.
CARLOAD OF DYNAMITE.
TERRIFIC EXPLOSION ON PRES,
coTT, PHOENIX & SANTA
re RAILWAY.
Man Two Feet from the Car Only
Slightly lnjured-HoIe Eighty Feet
Wide Torn in the Eart1.


The Prescott J~ournaI-M Miner contains
the following account Of one OF the
most remarkable accidents that ever
occurred in the southwest, the ex-
plosion OF a carload OF blasting pow
der on the Phoenix and Eastern rail-
way. twenty-five thousand pounds
OF the stun exploded without injuring
q brakeman, who was two feet from
the end Of the car. The -JournalMin-
er says:
. About ten o'clock rriday evening,
= few minutes after No. 3, the south
bound freight train, had pulled out OF
Glendale, the top Of one Of the freight
cars was discovered to be On fire. and
= second glance at the car revealed the
fact that the car was the n that
was loaded with blasting powder con-
signed to Grant Brothers for use in
blasting in the construction OF the
Phoenix and Eastern railroad. With
remarkable GOODNESS and bravery
Brakeman J. McArdie, who discovered
the fire, gave the alarm and stopped
the train. He then rushed In between
the cars for the purpose Of uncoup-
ling them so the engine could pull
II away from the train and thus pre-
vent the destruction Of the train when
the explosion took place, as It was
certain it would, for the fire has gain
Cd such headway that It was seen II
would be impossible To put It out. put
the explosion took place sooner than
Il was calculated It would, and while
Mr.. McArdie was uncoupling the car
the awful explosion of $4,000 pounds
Of blasting powder occurred. The
most marvellous thing that has ever
happened In the territory al the facl
that Mr.. McArdie was not torn int
shreds-in fact he was only slight,
injured.
He was dazed for a time and does
not know himself how he escaped In
stant death. His escape is all th,
more wonderful when 1t Is understoo,
that the explosion tore up the earti
for eighty feet In length and three o
four feet deep and wrecked the tract
for nearly 100 feet
The powder car was the second ca
from the engine. Fireman Ship ha,
just jumped from the engine when TIL
explosion occurred. but EngineeI
Chas. Chambers was still In his cab
Both OF these men were more or less
injured and how they escaped death Al
marvellous. but their injuries are sale
10 be only slight, the worst being ths
deafness caused by the conclusion,
Conductor Wallin and about a hall
dozen passengers were In the caboost
when the explosion took place and sew
cral Of them were more or less In
jured, but none seriously. Judge
Baker and Chas. Akers were slightly
bruised and cut and a mar by the
name Of Sharp was cut above the
eye.
The train was made up Of eight
cars. Besides the car of powder there
was a car Of railroad spikes, two cars
OF ties, one car OF stationery for the
railroad offices at Phoenix, one q OF
merchandise, and two cars Of coal,
-Four OF these cars were consumed by
fire which caught after the explosion
The entire train would have been
burned up but for the good work OF the
citizens of Glendale and the train
rev and passengers, who pushed the
rs that were not wrecked back from
fire. The wood work 81 the eli
was all consumed and IL was
wise damaged 10 the extent OF
ST 900. while the total loss u
ppany amounts 10 about S6,out
covered BY Insurance.
plosion broke nearly all Tho
Q Glendale and was distinct
I'd felt in Phoenix, ten miles
news was AZ once sem
u offices in Prescott, and
bound passenger train
late, %Trainmaster Sto-
Nsengcr Agent Ane'
'mnert boarded the
and were on the scene as
.s~jon as the train could make the
run. The wrecking train was also or
dered from Phoenix and the injured
persons were taken to Phoenix, where