The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-05-03
TWO CHILDREN BURN
TO DEATH At HELPER
Blazing Oil lgnites Home OF
Engineer Stahr, With Fatal
Consequences.
FOUR OTHERS INJURED
Mother Saves Little Ones by
Deed of Heroisrn, Result
of Collision.
FOUR OTHERS INJURED

Josephine Stahr. / years of age, and
her brother, Richard, 9 years, children
of Mr.. and Mrs. Joseph Stair, were IA
tally burned, and their mother and
three other children were painfully
burned, as the result Of COLLISION at
Helper between four runaway cars and
an engine early yesterday morning.
One of the cars hold large oil tank
filed with headlight oil, and when
the collision occurred the tank burst
and the oil, which was at once ignited
from the locomotive, spread about the
vicinity Of the wreck, setting fire to
six homes, including that of Joseph
Stair,
Mr. Stair, who is an engineer on tho
Denver s. Rio Grande, was out on a
run at the time Of the accident, and
his family were all in bed, The crash
broke the oil car and the oil was scat
tered over the Stair and other homes
Mrs. Stahr acted quickly and sue
ceedcd in getting three of her children
from the burning building before eth
er Of them was seriously burned. The
Are had gained such Roadway then,
however that 1T was only with the aid
Of friends, and after the first fHry or
the burning oil was spent that she was
able TO get the other children from the
house. They were so badly burned that
they died few hours later.
Cars Strike Engine.
An oil tank car. two cars loaded
with rails and caboosc were left on
sidetrack Mt Castle Gate and it is
said that the brakes were not Sc
curelv set. At any rate they started
down the long grade and. with con
stantlv increasing speed, dashed down
the three and n half miles to Helper.
They were going at q terrific rate when
they struck an engine on the main
track at Helper and the force Of the
collision with the heavily loaded cars
bursted the oil ear, scattering oil in
every direction,
Fire from the locomotive imme.
diately iguitcd the oil and six different
cottages over which it splashed were
soon on fire.
The home Of Engineer Stair was
closer to tho track than the other
houses. Mrs. Stair and five small
children were IN bed at the time of the
accident.
Aroused by Shock.
They were aroused by the shock of
the collision, and Imm ediatcly realiz-
ing her danger, Mrs, Stair carried her
three smallest children from the house
and then started TO return for the
others, The fire had then gained such
Roadway, however. that the children
were fatally burned before they could
be taken from the burning bWl,ling
Railway officials said last night that
an invcsti cation would he started a6
| soon as possible TO fix the blame for
the accident. Those in charge of train
No 93, from which the four cars were
cut ont, arc said to be old reliable
| employees Of the company. They were
Conductor T. +. Gleason and Brakcmen
j. c. Davis and j. S, Pope. While the
officials do not now fix tho blame on
anybody, they say that the accident
| probably was caused by the brakes on
| the cars not being securely fastened
or defective. The damage to the
locomotive and cars is about $s0oO
Late reports from Helper are to the
effect that Mrs. Stair is in critica!
condition from the shock and the burns
received in trying TO rescue her chill
drem from the burning home. She is
under Doctors care at Helper. Her
three Younger children. whom she
saved from the burning building are
not seriously injured.
The passengers on the Shriners' spe-
cial from Cleveland. o.. and Spring,
field. Mo-, which passed through Helper
shortly after the accident yesterday
took un liberal collection for the
mother and her children who were in
the fire. sending the money to the
mother as the train left Helper.