Mohave County miner., 1910-07-30
Another Terrible Boiler Explosion.


 boiler of engine 957 blew up at the
 west switch below McConnico, killing ] engineer Patrick Greaney instantly
 and terribly injuring fireman G. S.
 Coleman. The train stopped at the
 Hancock water tank and took water.
 After leaving the tank the engine crew blew the boiler out and as the blow off was stopped there was an in- stant explosion. The head brakeman was sitting on the seventh box car from the engine and part of the cab was blown over him and sheared of part of the rear end of the car. Red hot bricks and pieces of iron and as bestos packing were hurled over a large area of country. For a long dis tance along the road the bushes and weeds were coated with oil and soot.
 When the brakeman recovered from the first shock of the explosion he at once hurried up to the front end and began a search for the two enginemen. He found fireman Coleman lying on the left side of the train some four car lengths from where the explosion took place and engiI err Greaney was found on the right sI0e of the train about opposite that oi Coleman. Greaney was dead, his body being a bruised and scalded mass of flesh. Fireman Cole man was alive and conscious. He was taken at once to McConnico and a re- lief train with Dr. Whiteside and help aboard was hurried to the scene. Lat CT Coroner Smith and jury was dis, patched to the scene of the wreck. They found the boiler twisted and broken mass of iron. The massive boiler had been forced from the trucks by the explosion and hurled more than 400 feet from the point where the ex- plosion occurred. The train had evi- dently run two car lengths ahead af- ter the boiler had blown up, but the | drivers of the engine never left the track. The boiler struck the rails | over 300 feet away and crushed the massive steel rails, shearing them | away like straws, and then turned | over twice and laid full length in the | track. The crow sheet showed that | the water had been low and large | blistered patch was in evidence. It is thought that the water was blown of too low and that when new water was injected there came the great reaction that is uneXplainable on any scientific | basis.
 The body of engineer Greaney was taken to Kingman and is being pre- pared for shipment to Los Angeles, where it will probably be buried. The saddest part of the death of good old Pat Greaney is that he leaves a wife i'll in Los Angeles and six children under the age of majority. He was a fellow and his fellow -rainmen will miss his genial person llity forever.
 Fireman Coleman had his terrible injuries dressed by Drs. Whiteside and Jowle and he was taken to Needles afternoon, whence he will pc taken to Los Angeles. The poor ellow was suffering terrible pain, but showed the true hero through It all. He has but a small chance to survive, put believes he will pull through. To he coroner's jury Coleman stated that when the explosion took place the yuage showed over an inch of water, which, according to the calculation of he master mechanic, should give sev- ,n inches over the crown sheet.
 This is the second engine to blow up 'n this division this month and the hird death to result from this cause.