The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-05-14
Fifteen Tons of Dynamite in
Box Car at Beck's Hot
Springs Ignited.
WOMEN AND CHILDREN
FLEE FOR THEIR LIVES
Windows Broken in West Side
Residences; DetonatiOn Is
Heard for Miles.

/ Fifteen tons of dynamite exploded in
a car on an Oregon Short Line siding
at Beck's hot springs at 1920 Friday
afternoon, doing damage estimated at
$1,000, destroying the tracks Of the Ore
gon Short Line and Salt Lake & Og-
den railroads for distance of 100 feet,
paralyzing telephone and telegraph
service between Salt Lake and Ogden,
interrupting street car traffic here and
breaking windows in a number of resi-
dences in the northwestern part Of the
city. No lives were lost, and no one
was injured. Nine persons residing at
the McDuff home, about a quarter of
milo from the scene of the explosion,
narrowly escaped death, or serious In
jury, escaping from the house and
seeking refuge in a cave few minutes
before the building was wrecked. The
explosion was caused by FIRE, believed
TO have been caused by sparks from
passing locomotive.
Practically every section of Salt Lake
| heard the report of the explosion, and
many buildings were shaken Some
| thought the city had been visited by
an earthquake and newspaper offices
were immediately besieged with inqui
ries. After the truth became generally
| known, several hundred persons visited
the scene of the wreck in automobiles.
Flames Discovered.
| Flames were discovered issuing from
| the top of the box car bv John Nc
J Duff, who lives short distance away.
| McDuff s first thought was TO attempt
to extinguish the blaze, but on second
| l.. Il laI 70 o,rrl,f yS-nn
en- and children who were In the Me
Duff home and take them TO a place OF
safety. This he did, after which he
notified the crew of an Oregon Short
Line switch engine which, in tuTp, no
tilted the dispatcher S office In Salt
Lake. Chief Glore of the fire depart
ment was notified and started at once
for the scene.
The eight women and children in the
McDuT home, thoroughly frightened
when they learned that a car OF dyna-
mite was on fire, hurried up the hillside
back OF their home without waiting
TO don any wraps, or take any vaJuables
with them With blanched faces, the
terrified mothers led their children to
the shelter OF a cave. where they
waited with bated breath until the ex-
| plosion occurred.
The members Of the party that fed
from the McDuf home were Mrs. Jane
n, Hunter. Minnie McDut; Mrs; ote-
| phen Hatch, Reta Borlev, Mrs. James
| Houphton and three small children. The
| McDufT home was badly wrecked by the
| explosion Windows and doors were
blown in, tables overturned and furni
ture broken and scattered about the
house.
Trains at Standstill.
AS soon as the railroad officials were
notified. trains between Salt Lake ana
| oil slammed
and told to await orders. Sentlnels
were posted at the different approaches
to Beck IS hot springs TO warn trav-
elers. ,a,o
When Chief Glore arrived nj 12:lQ
the car was in flames. The fire chlet
. sought vantage point on tne nn,,s'ae .a;|,
about 800 wards from the car and await
ed tho explosion.
Two minutes before the crash sharp
report like n pistol shot was heard
; This was followed by a cracking SOUND
} and the molten explosive began surging z
through the openings IN tne cur,
, arose and flames leapcd into the arr TO
height Of twenty feet. minute
later came the explosion;
: With dcafcping roar the fifteen ions
! Of dynamite spent its pcnt-up iorce,
The ground trcmbled from the shock
and the concusson;o WIN ] i's ,o,caranS cen.'nS
nnIcs in tho vicinity us though they
were twigs Heavy steel rails were
twisted and bent into strange shapes
and hurled far from the spot where
the ear stood. The massive rear TRUCKS
! of The box car were Durled III hI. hn,
| ground thirty feet from where the.
| had stood.
Rain Of Steel.
: Sections of steel rails, cross-arms
10
nhone poles, heavy bolts, iron bars;
! sniltns and fish plates were hurled
. throupb the air, travelling IN some IN
I. siances hundreds Of feet distant
!. screecbinc like shrapnel. Gh1et plore
: standing several hundred feet a%ay
!. heard the warning sound ana ipoN'SE
, nm saw missile descending III nlS u',
J. rGcfion. II struck about twenty feel
!. distant and later was found 10 be an
!. eight- foot section of n steel ralL,
: For six minutes after tho explosion
! LIGHTER debris raiued upon tho carth tnI
!. y radius of 300 yards from whc1e NV
!. car stood, Fragments of wood ano
!. t;n,. niecos Of metal that had been dry
!. cn to great beighths came own Ike
: ash from a volcano.
:. The smoke lifted quickly. Where nu,
: = fcw minutes before the blazing cal
I. had stood, yawning black mole twen
/. ty-fye feet deep and loO fcet IA ti' 80,
). cumfcreuce. bore ihuOo r,.z,
!. terrific force Of tho explosion n Gan' Trom
sh ffesiSid poles the ground was sd il
i iercd with warped rails and bad!l
I, battered truck was partially eurlcd ~
!. the ground short distance from 'h'
!. excavation r o,,ao,
]. and tIra Oregon Short Line railroad
!: were covered Two feet deep IN mud ;I,I Mn'
!. debris @ for a distance of 100 feet IN, IN
I. roadbed had been pushed over over fully So
!. inches by the explosion, The grouh'
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