The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1905-02-10
EXPLOSION blows
TRAIN FROM Rails
A PECULIAR DISASTER IN NEW
YORK RESULTS IN DEATH
OF TWO PERSONS.
SCORE OR MORE ARE
KNOWN TO BE INJURED
Cause of Awful Accident May Never
Be Known as Both the Engineer
and the Fireman of the Wrecked
Train Are Killed.

Utica, n. Y, Feb. 6.-Two trainmen
lost their lives and q score or more
OF passengers were injured in a wreck
on the New York Central railroad at
Whltesboro, three miles west of here,
at an early hour Saturday. None of
the injured was dangerously hurt, their
wounds being mainly cuts and bruises.
The dead are: John Allen. engin-
eer, and John Brennan, fireman of the
locomotive on the western express.
Among the injured was State Supreme
Court Justice Warren B. Hooker, of
Fredonia. He was severely bruised.
Entire Train Blown from Rails.
AS this train was passing the Buffalo
special, east-bound, the boiler of the
locomotive of the west-bound train ex-
ploded The force of the explosion and
the upheaval of the engine threw the
entire train of Il cars composing the
Special from the rails as ii it had
been a string of toy coaches. The
rear Pullmans toppled into a ditch on
|. the side of the track, but the forward
cars were hurled into an adjoining
field al distances varying from 10 to
40 feet. Several flew from the sup
porting trucks and wheels and plowed
deep into snowbanks, their ends being
demolished by the impact.
The west-bound train did not leave
the track.
The knowledge that an accident had
happened came to the sleeping pas
who hn
stopped with suddenness and shock
which threw the occupants of the
berths backward with great force, in
some cases tossing them out on the
floor When the extent of the disaster
to the east-bound train became appar-
ent to the srescuers, they expected to
find many dead and injured. An hour
or more was devoted to eXtricating
passengers from the interior of the
sleeping cars, but while many were
found to be cut and bruised, no one
was dead. The work of reaching the
passengers was carried on in a freez-
ing atmosphere which benumbed the
feet and hands, and which caused
grea: distress to such of the 7escuers
as had responded only partially
clothed. .....
Explosion Awakens Residents. .E.
The roar of the explosion awakened
nearby residents, who assisted in re-
lieving the imprisoned passengers
Sleighs were procured and several of
the injured were taken to the Whites
boro sanitarium. The arrival of a re-
lief train from Utica fastened the COM
plete examination of the overturned
cars. Some of the injured were taken
special train was made up and the
west-bound passengers were carried on
to Buffalo.
Cause May Never Be Known.
From the fact that Fireman brennan
was instantly killed and that Engineer
Allen lived but a few minutes, the
cause of the explosion probably will
never be known. Both men lived at
Albany.
The strangest feature of the acct
dent, as it appeared to an onlooker,
was that the boiler of the west-bound
locomotive was resting midway be-
tween the rails of the east-bound
track at a point where the eastern
train had passed. This suggested the
theory to trainmen that the boiler had
struck the second car of the east
bound train rs it rushed by at the
rate of so miles an hour, the blow
causing all the following cars to be
hurled from the track.
Most of the people who were injured
were in the sleeping car on the east
bound train that was opposite the en-
CINE of the west-bound train. at the
instant of explosion. This car was
lifted from the track and hurled about
so feet away, and is said to have
turned over several times in the flight
1t was so badly wrecked that it's oc-
cupants could not be gotten out for an
hour after the accident. The total
damage arising from the wreck in
property loss is estimated at about
100000.
Father and Son Killed.
Chicago, Feb ga man and his son
were killed by an inbound Chicago &
Northwestern railroad train at Fuller
ton and Western avenues Saturday. Ac-
cording to the police Jacob Starichk and
his son were picking coal on the tracks,
which are elevated at this point. The
boy had a sled, which was on the in
bound railroad track. When he heard
the warning whistle he ran to his sled,
fearing it would be demolished. The
father, seeing his sons danger, cried to
him and attempted to save him and
both were killed.
Fatal Result of Collision.
Poughkeepsie, n. Y, Feb. Cone
man was killed, another probably ia
tally injured, third seriously hurt
and locomotive and several cars
were wrecked in rear-end collision
between freight trains on the Highland
division of the New York, New Haven
& Hartford railroad, four miles east
of .Poughkeepsie bridge, Saturday. All
the victims were trainmen.