Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-10-01
BOILER EXPLOSION
DEALS OUT DEATH
ENGINEER GOOD is DEAD AND
FIREMAN AND BRAKEMAN
MANNED.
CAUSE OF DISASTER Is BEING
INVESTIGATED BY
THE OFFICIALS.

Portage, Wis, Sept. 2S.--With q
crash that hurled fragments of steel
and brick for hundreds of feet and
awoke the entire city, the boiler of
locomotive No. 1873, hauling freight
train No. 50 Of the Milwaukee road,
blew up outside the railroad yards In
Portage Sunday morning at o'clock,
killing the engineer and badly injur-
ing the fireman and brakeman.
The dead:
Fred J. Good, engineer, 81 years
old, married, 1851 Park Hill avenue,
Milwaukee.
The injured:
Christian j. Hanson, fireman, 433
Tmrty-first avenue, badly scalded;
condition precarious.
B. n. Taylor, brakeman, lives In
Milwaukee; terribly scalded and left
arm broken.
Hanson's escape from death was
miraculous. He was in the cab with
the other two men when the explo-
sion occurred and was thrown out on
the track Taylor was hurled over a
high fence into a marsh thirty feet
away.
Engine Frame on Track.
The explosion scattered red hot
brick and cinders into the marsh
lands, setting fire to the dry grass.
The grass burned briskly for a time,
but the fire was put out by the res
cuers from Portage and Milwaukee.
A strange feature was that the
frame of the locomotive remained on
the track. None of the freight cars
was derailed,
The accident occurred just before
the train pulled into the yards on its
run from Milwaukee. 1t left Milwau-
kee Saturday afternoon at 3:15
O'Clock, in charge of Conductor Louis
Stiltz. The other member of the crew
was Brakeman Herman Hess of Nil
waukee.
The train had pulled up on the
northern division of the road, direct
ly west of the Ketchum point bridge
and was stopping here for orders.
Suddenly a terrific explosion oc-
Cured The three men were hurled
into the air. The roof of the cab and
the headlight were thrown hundred
feet down the track. The boiler was
torn into thousands Of fragments
which were scattered far into the
marsh on either side.
Forced in Burning Marsh.
The shock aroused the city and
soon hundreds of people were running
down the track, headed by Conductor
Stiltz.
The unfortunate engineer was found
living in a mass of red hot brick from
the firebox, fifty feet down the track,
His Jacket and clothing were burned
away, his body was terribly scaIded
and his head cut He was i'll a semi
conscious condition. The rescuers
and number of physicians carried
him in a stretcher 10 a waiting ambu-
lance and he was hurried to the office
Iof DR.. B. c.. Meacher where he died
two hours later.
Taylor was lying in the burning
marsh when found. In few seconds
more he would have burned to death,
He was also removed TO DR.. Meacher !
office. Hanson was thrown out Of the
cab. He arose in a dazed condition
and ran to the end of the train where
he dropped. He was also placed in
care of doctors. Both men are in a
serious condition, but it is believed
they will recover.
Debris Being Examined.
After the rescue a call was sent TO
Milwaukee for wrecking apparatus. A
steam derrick was sent, accompanied
by Division Superintendent Percy G.
Eldredge and Trainmaster William b,
Hinrichs. The wrecking crew reached
and within a few minutes the track
was cleared of debris. Until the ar
rival of the derrick traffic had been
blocked
Inc cause Oh the eAploS' ION hdu AOI
been determined It is known that
water was taken at Horizon. After
the explosion the water tank was
we'll filed, but little water from the
boiler was found along the track. The
officials are examining the debris.
Fred J. Good entered the employ Of
the Milwaukee road twenty years ago.
Since 1899 be had been an engineer.
He was a member Of Division No &C,
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.