The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-07-03
FOUR POWDER CARS LET GO.
PASSENGER TRAIN IN PERIL
Spectacular Explosion Near Hot Springs Shakes
the City and Tears Up Tracks Of
Three Railroads.
Mrs. Olson Flags Lagoon Train Headed for Burning Cars
Windows Shattered ard Passengers Faint.

magazine a short distance away. TheTs
were three cars of giant powder and
one of black on the track, which is be-
tween the regular passenger line Of the
Oregon Short Line and the lines OF the
Lagoon road and the Rio Grande. A
number of men were working along the
tracks and did not notice the start OF
the fire i'm the brush along the track
until it had spread to the powder cars
word Of warning and the men
dropped their tools and rushed for the
hills 1t was some time before the
first explosion occurred. This was q
slight one. but il aroused Mrs. Olson,
who hurried 10 the scene in time to
warn the Lagoon train. The first eX-
plosion occurred about $3.50 o'clock in
the afternoon. Nearly twenty min
utes later the other three cars explod-
I'd with a defamation that could be
heard for miles. The force of the con-
cussion was carried to Salt Lake City,
breaking windows along the way and
causing a decided shaking of buildings
all over the city.
Story of Eye Witness.
The shower Of flying stones and iron
was scattered over the passengers
/ from the Lagoon train, but no one was
injured. Clarence Anderson, one of the
! passengers. was standing beside a post
! a quarter Of a mile away when six
/ inch iron bolt crashed into the post =
1 few inches from his head
! 1T is a wonder that we escaped BEL
/ ing struck by the flying PARTICLES
said Mr. Anderson. They fell all
around Us. one piece of scantling two
feet long fell near me and was driven
six inches into the ground.
/ we did not know what the trouble
was when the train stopped. Mrs. OIL
son could not speak much English, but
/ from her excited manner we knew that
something was wrong. Ahead of US
We could see the burning ears. and
I several of US hurried ahead to iuvesG-
gate. We had not gone far when there
was dense cloud of smoke from the
place and then the explosion. I was
hurled about ten feet off the track, and
4 several others were thrown to the
| ground. Then We realized that if the
train had not been stopped that we
would have been within the danger
zone when the explosion occurred"
Passengers on the train who did not
know the cause of the delay, were
panic-stricken when the report was
heard. and the rush of air currents
broke every pane of glass on the train.
/ Women screamed ard one girl jumped
through an open window to the ground.
She was not injured beyond a few
slight bruises.
I Conductors Experience.
After the Lagoon train had been
stopped, Conductor Frank Bailey
rushed across the tracks to flag an
Oregon Short Line train that was due.
He had just placed the warning tor
pedoes on the track and was climbing
a fence near his own train when the
explosion occurred. He was thrown
from the fence and rolled down the
hill. being severely cut by stones and
pebblez. as well as badly shaken by
the shock. The Oregon Short Line
was brought to a stop in plenty Of time
to avoid danger. After the explosion
the Lagoon train backed into Salt
i Lake City. Those at the Lagoon were
taken to the scene Of the accident and
then transferred to another train and
brought back home. 1t will be a day
or two before the rOadbed is repaired.
j according to Superintendent PieTsOn OF
the Short Line. For the present Short
Line trains are running over the Rio
Grande track.
|, Simon BambeTEeT, president of the
Salt Lake & Ogden railway returned
at midnight from the scene Of the ex-
plosion He said the tracks of the La
COON road were being put into shape
rapidly, and that the regular schedule
would be in effect today, He said 200
men were at work on the tracks of the
Short Line