Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1907-11-24
MangIed Victims of Ffightful
Accident at Mountainair
Brought to Hospital Here
Last Night,
CONTRACTOR LIVES WITH
BODY MASS OF WOUNDS
Unfortunate Man VIII Die as
Result of Injuries by Pre-
mature Explosion of Dyna-
mite; Companion Badly Hurt.

With gaping cavities where his eyes
had been. with both hands torn off
half way to the elbow. with one leg
gone above the knee and the rest Of
his body a mass of wounds. the un-
conscious form of Edward T. Martin.
a railroad contractor on the Santa Fe
CUTOFF, arrived here last night at 7:i5
O'Clock on a special train after a race
for life across the plains from Noun
tainair. Martin received his frightful
injuries from the premature explosion
of a dynamite blast he WIS tamping
while at work at Mountainair. A. g.
Trice, who was assisting Martin, was
also injured, and was brought TO the
Santa Fe hospital here with Martin.
Martin was mangled beyond r%ecognl-
ton when he arrived here last night.
and there Is no chance of his recoV-
cry. Trice while suffering %eXcruciat-
ing pain from torn face, arms. legs
and body, has a fairly good chance.
according to the physicians.
The accident occurred at $40
o'clock. The men were standing above
the hole in the rock into which a
charge of giant powder had been
placed. and Martin vas manipulating
the tamping iron. He evidently drove
the iron home a little 90 heavily. and
the resulting explosion of the heavy
charge hurled the men several feet
away from the hole. Trainmen who
saw and heard the explosion rushed to
the assistance of the men. and in ten
minutes they were on a special train
in charge of Conductor w. ID. Reed,
who saw that everything possible IN
the way Of emergency measures was
done for the relief of the injured men.
There was no physician at Mountain
air. and il was not until the special
met another bearing surgeons with
bandages and medicine at Becker,
forty miles away hat the victims re-
ceived medical attention. Becker is
lust fifteen miles east of Belen. and
Or. W. d. Radcliffe. Santa Fe sur
geon. assisted by DR.. Dempsey. had
started for Mountainair to meet the
other special on instructions wired by
Conductor Reed. To the latter and
his crew Is due great credit for the
fight they made to save the life OF the
contractor. Mountainair is a good
eighty miles from here, the vic
Tins Of the explosion reached the hos
pital three hours and fifteen minutes
after the accident. Considering the
time lost in transferring at Becker
and Belen. and the fact that trains
are limited to twenty-five miles an
hour over the new line. the perform
ance was a splendid one.
Martin vas a terrible sight. His
eyes rolled from their sockets on the
pillow when he was placed aboard the
special, and he was absolutely unrec-
ognizable. That he was not Instant
ly killed is a miracle. as he received
the full force of the explosion directly
beneath his feet.
Mrs. Martin. wife of the contractor,
accompanied her husband here on the
special, and was Frustrated when she
learned that he would not recover.
Married But Three Weeks.
There is an added note Of tragedy
and pathos in the frightful accident
in the fact that Mr.. and Mrs. Martin
were married but three weeks ago
and had just returned 20 the con
tractors post OF duty from their non
eymoon trip.
The train was met at the station by
two ambulances from f. II. Strong's
and taken to the hospital. where the
injuries of the men were dressed, and
they were given every attention pos
sible.