The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-05-15

A. A. Crane, cashier of the National
Bank of Commerce, was receiving con-
gratulations yesterday on his escape
from death or serious injury in the
Pennsylvania train explosion disaster
early Thursday aars morning one pile ana
Crane arrived on the Burlington, Sun
day. morning, walking with some diff
Guilty on account of cut in one foot
and with bits of courtplaster spread
over his anatomy. One serious cut from
broken. glass was Just an inch from his
clothes and his travelling eases be
daubed with blood. Mr.. Crane lost It's
paiamas, his hat and cuff and link.
His extreme good fortune in escaping
with his life was due to the fact that at
Philadelphia he was assigned to the last
berth in the last car. Passengers in the
first two sleepers and train hands were
$4,000 pounds of blasting. powder and
| then were burned with the rapid de-
struction of the entire train of seven
| sleepers and two baggage cars by the
| flames.
"Had it not been for the explosion
said Mr.. Crane, there would have been
no loss Of life, altho our train was max
gineer discovered the obstruction ahead.
The train stopped with sudden jerk,
and I was discussing the cause Of the
sudden stop with a man across the aisle,
when there were three successive ex-
plosions as if the Pintsch gas holders
on sleepers ahead had blown up.
"Then all of a sudden it seemed as if
air was filled with glass and millions
of flying splinters. 1t was something
I shall never forget. I threw my two
grips and clothing thru the window,
donned some clothing and went back
into the coach to see of what service
could be.
"Across the berth from the one
were both covered with blood. A gen
tleman from Pittsburg occupying the
adjoining berth from the one I oecu-
pied. assisted me in helping these
women. When we had gained the
ground outside the train there was a
sickening sight that beggars descrip-
ton.
"Men and. women torn, limb from
smeared with blood. some attired in
their night clothes and some with their
clothing torn completely from them,
were writhing and screaming in their
agony My soul rebelled at the scene
of horror. and with the two women q
whom my newly. made friend and had
assisted, we took a car for Harrisburg,
one mile and half away.'
Accident Was Unique.
Mr.. Crane says the disaster is one
which had never happened before and
probably never will again. He criti-
cizes the Pennsylvania company for
hauling carloads of powder in the mid
die of freight train, however, and for
not keeping it out Of the way Of pas
senger traffic. The powder belonged to
the company and was being hauled to
: Pittsburg for delivery to its contrac-
tors. .-'-
The Pennsylvania is four-track road
at the point of the disaster. Outside
was the passenger track and next to it
the freight track. The engineer of the
freight thought he saw danger ahead
from switching engine. He applied the
brake suddenly. An air pipe burst in
the middle of the train setting the front
end hard. The rear end, running loose,
kept up it's rapid momentum and forced
two cars over the passenger track. Be-
fore brakeman could get back the
passenger train was coming on. The
lagman says that the engineer appar-
emily paid no attention to him. The
train side-swiped'' the freight, and
within five minutes the powder was
ignited and the explosion occurred be-
fore anyone was aware Of the danger.
In the front cars the slaughter was ter
rible. In the last two cars the damage
was from flying glass and splinters. In
half an hour the train and the pinned
down passengers were consumed. 49,,