The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-04-15
B0ILEREXPL0DES
On Locomotive While the Train
Was In Slow Motion.
TWO MEN ARE KILLED.

The Accident Occurred on the Ashe.
vile Line of the Southern Railway
Near Hillgirt, N. C. The Accident
Was Not Due to Low Water. The
Big Engine Was Blown Into Scrap
Iron.
The explosion of a locomotive on
the Asheville division, a brief account
of which was published, was a most
unusual as we'll as most shocking
casualty. The Asheville, Gazette
News has the following account Of
the explosion:
"The remains of Engineer George
L~auderback, one of the victims Of q
terrible accident neal Hillgirt, on the
Asheville & Spartanburg line Of the
Asheville division, about Saturday
midnight, when the boiler Of engine
No. 62S blew up with frightful re-
suit, were shipped to Augusta, Ca.
for interment. The remains of Fire
mai w. M. Kemp, the second vie
tim Of the accident, were sent to
Gambler, ten miles from Asheville,
where the interment occurred.
1.-THE frightful accident cast q
gloom over the railroad boys of the
division. The remains of the two
trainmen were brought here and CIV
en- in charge Of Browns undertaking
'parlors, where the bodies we're pre-
pard for burial. During the morning
many trainmen and others visited the
undertaking establishment. The ac-,z
cident was the one topic of converse
ton, while much speculation was in
dulged in relative to the cause OF
the explosion.
THAT the explosion was not due to
low water is certain because 1t has
been established as fact, according
to trainmen, that Engineer Lauder
back stopped at Hendersonville. just
six miles from the scene of the acct
dent, for water, filling up before MAX
ing the run from Hendersonville into
Asheville. 1t Is said that the accident
may have been due to q defective
boiler. Such an accident as that of
Saturday night never before occurred
the Asheville division within the
memory of the oldest railroad men.
THE track at the scene of the &C
cident was badly torn up and 1t was
not until shortly before noon the next
day that the damage had been re-
paired and trains sent past the scene.
Train No. IA from Asheville to Spar
tanburg was held here several hours
awaiting the clearing of the tract. .
THE explosion, it is believed, oc-
Cured while the train was making
between 80 and 35 miles an hour. 1t
made a frightful noise and aroused
farmers in the Hillgirt section for q
mile or more around, who came
nocking to the scene to learn the
trouble. The boiler was literally
blown to pieces, while the great mo-
gul of the rails was almost converted
into scrap iron. The drivers were
blown a way and the entire engine
lifted and blown so feet or more from
the tracks. Four of the seven cars
constituting the extra freight were
derailed, two of them, 1t Is said, be-
Ing hurled clear off the right of way.
THE brakeman of the freight had
a morrow escape. He had, just q rev
seconds before the explosion occurr-
ed, left the engine or near the en-
CINE and gone to the rear OF the
train. Had he remained near the
engine another minute or two a third
victim would have been added to the
list. The engineer and fireman were
hurled a great distance through the
air and their bodies almost blown to
pieces.
when picked up Fireman Kemp
was disembowled and one, leg and
an arm were missing. These mem
bers were found, however, some DIS
lance from the body. Engineer Lauo'
erback was also terribly mangled.
THAT death was instantaneous Is
certain. The men never knew n
struck them. Conductor W. {. Dry
son was in charge of the extra freight.
He escaped %uninjured. The freight
was headed for Asheviile and was
inst turning the hill at Hillgirt' IL
niles from Asheville, when the eS-
plosion occurred. In discussing n
affair one railroad man declared that
an accident almost SIMILAR occurred on
another division Of the Southern
some time ago, a boiler exploding
while the train: was in motion n re-
shifting in the death of the engineer
and fremen."