The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-12-04
THREE MEN DIE
IN AN EXPLOSION
Continued from Page One.

Continued from Page One.
mepced at once. and at 1850 Saturday
morning wreck train with n large
force of men left this city with the
right Of way to Soldier Summit
short time later wrecking crews We're
hurried from Thistle and Tucker. ".
J. Bennett. master mechanic for the
road. left on the first train which he
could get for the scene of the accident.
The bodies of the unfortunate train
men were brought to this city in a
special train, which arrived at l:30
O clock Saturday afternoon, and were
taken to the undertaking establish,
rNant OF 8. d. Evans, where they wlll
be held pending funeral arrangements.
A. l.. Ward. conductor of the tram,
which was running ahead OF the extra,
acted as conductor Of tho special, short
" after the arrival of the special IN
this city. Mr. Ward made the Follow
ing statement:
Statement Of Ward.
"T was in the caboose Of my tram
when | heard the roar of the explosion
of engine 1899. The shock threw me
from my feet, but moment later oe.
ing unhurt ! ran to the scene OF the
accident FIagmen were sent ahead and
TO the rear, and the other men OF the
crew aided the living members of the
1899 crew in finding the dead:
''The engine was blown from the
trucks and was dropped beside the
track.
''Spcar's body was frightfully man
gled. His legs were crushed and man
gled and his arms were torn from the
body. His head was literally cut IN
two by flying metal or by impact with
something when he struck.
ssThe bodies of Goodale and Mathis
were also mangled, but their faces ana
heads were not crushed or badly dis
figured,
"There is no question but the three
men were killed without an instant 8
warning, and they did not suffer. 1t
was all over in the twinkling Of an
eye.
"Just as soon as we could get the
fapmcn out we went in search of the
bodies and picked them up and put
them in the caboose. Then we came In
as a special
''It is not likely that the cause Of the
accident will ever be known, as all OF
the men in the engine were killed IN
stantly. No one else could know def
though an investigation by the lnvestl-
eating board may bring out the cause,
"Goodale was known as n careful,
competent man. and his fireman, Spear,
also had good record, so Tar as 1
know.
Conductor Durkin's Story.
T. F. Durkin, 275 West Sixth South
street, conductor of the freight train,
returned to the city with the special
train this afternoon. Conducor Durkln
was in his caboose with his rear brake
man, w. II. Cain, when the boiler eN-
ploded. He and Cain were thrown to
the floor of the caboose, and as quickly
as they could recover ran TO the front
of the train.
"'The boiler had been lifted from the
frame and was thrown ahead fully 100
feet, and onto the eastbound mail track.
The explosion was at point two miles
east of Soldier Summit. The body Of
Spear, the fireman, was the first one we
found, From its condition and where
it was found we presume he must have
occurred. His body was found on the
tank. and his head was almost com
pletely severed from the body. The
arms and legs were blown off and the
body was horribly mangled otherwise.
"Tho next body we found was that
of Mathis, the brakeman. He had
been riding on the engine. His body
was found three car lengths back and
on the left side of the track. He, too,
Engineer Goodale's body was the
last ono found. 1t had been hurled
fully 400 feet into a field: His body
was not mangled as the others were.
"Goodale was considered one of the
safest men on the road, He had been
in service ten or twelve years and so
far as / know this was his first acci-
dent.
"Spears, the fireman, came here
l. 10
service here for a year or more and
was a careful man. Brakeman Mathis s
home was in California.
About the Dead Men.
Arthur s. Spear, the dead fireman,
ents in this city. He had been EN-
ployed by the Denver & Rio Grande for
several years and was popular with his
fellow employees and with the officers
of the company.
Matthis's mother, Mrs. f. C. Wright,
resides at Hollister, San Benito county,
Engineer Goodale lived at Schraven
terrace, 625 West First South street. He
was a native of Michigan and had been
in the west about ten years, all the
time In the service OF the Denver G. Rio
Grande railroad. He had been rail
roader since his boyhood, and was con
sidered one OF the most careful and
men in the service.
Goodale was a member OF the Masonic
a knight Tcmplar and had
attained the thirty second degree in
the Scottish rite He was also a mem.
ber Of the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers.
TO Have Married Soon.
Goodale was highly esteemed by his
associates He was man of steady
habits and had saved competence for
his old age. He owned a ranch near
Nampa. ida. said to be valued at near.
" $4,000. and had other property. He
recently lost nearly $4,000 by an unfor-
tunate investment in wildcat wireless
stock He was TO have been married
next spring.
Goodale 8 father, who lives at Nam
pa. Ida, came 10 this city n month ago
10 visit with his son, and is in the city
now lie was the first one informed of
his son S death, and is deeply shaken
| l.