Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-21
Shock Felt for Thirty Miles.


The full extent of the disaster was re-
vealed at daylight, but the death list will
not be complete until workmen have cleared
the debris and the injured are out Of dan
ger.
According to trainmen Of the freight. the
explosion of the powder was caused by the
conclusion of the passenger train, which
was slowing down for Sanford.
Another theory Is that gas escaping from
an oi-pipe line entered the powder car
standing by the pipe and that a spark from
the passenger locomotive ignited The gas.
The belief was also expressed by one or two
persons that the disaster was due to the
act of tramp or some one who may have
fired shot into the car.
Explosion Terrific.
Besides the passenger train, eight freight
cars were blown to pieces by the explo-
sion. Huge masses of iron were found hum
| dreds of feet from the track The tank of
the passenger locomotive was hurled 100
feet.
The wrecked train and eight freight cars
were consumed by fire which broke out in
the debris. The other cars were pulled out
| OF danger. Not building in Sanford es-
capped damage. Windows were shattered.
| dishes and furniture broken and several
doors were torn from hinges.
The accommodation passenger train was
| running from Indianapolis to Nation, III.
| 1t was a dark night and heavy rains had
converted the streets and tracks at Sand
| 1OrQ INTO q pOnO. Inc RESIDENTS Were go.
| ing to bed and lights in many of the houses
| had been extinguished when the freight
| train drew on a side track to let he passen-
ger train go by. Shortly afterward the
| ting brakes as 1t approached the freight
| train.
Train Blown Into Air.
Just as the passenger train was abreast
| Of the powder car the contents Of the latter
| exploded. The entire passenger train was
| blown from the tracks into the air and
crashed to the earth, tangled mass of
wood and steel. beneath which lay forty
human beings. Fire broke out In the wreck
| age, and before the eyes of the residents
who rushed from their homes many were
| burned to death. Aid could not be rem
| dered on account Of the fire.
BY the glaring light of the burning
best for the wounded. The residents of the
| village threw open their homes to the in
jured and worked heroically all night
Cries of the injured amid the cracking of
| the flames greeted the ears of the rescuers
| who worked frantically. but were soon
forced back by the terrible heat.
Nursed by Injured Wife.
One of the first men taken out was l.. F.
Rose OF Nation, engineer Of maintenance
of way OF the Big Four road. One of his
| legs was broken and he was severely
| bruised. He was carried to c. E. Mars
house, which. although partly destroyed by
| the explosion. was converted into an emer.
! gency hospital Soon Mrs. Rose was
brought In, painfully bruised, but she rail-
| lied to assist In the care of her husband
| until she collapsed from nervous shock.
Others were pulled from the ruins as the
| flames advanced, while the men frantically
| labored to disentangle the human forms
from the wreck and hunted for the injured
| blown far from the train. and the women
| OF Sanford cared for the injured.
| After the IRE drove the rescuers away
| they searched for scattered persons until
the heat died down. and then began drag
gtng out charred bodies. When the bla ze
| shrank to a smoidering pile lanterns were
| brought. Men continued to search nearby
| fields, where pieces OF bodies and wearing
| apparel were picked up.
There was no efficient IRE department to
l fight the flames, and the bitter cold added
l to the suffering.
| Bodies Blown Long Distances.
Under the wreckAge Of the baggage car