The Lemmon herald. (Lemmon, Perkins County, S.D.) 1912-1917, 1912-11-01
Fatal Boiler Explosion
Boiler of Freight Engine bursts
while train is within two miles
of Lennon, and two lives are
wiped out and a bad wreck re-
suits.

Twesday morning about O'Clock
the engine boiler, OF a westbound spe-
cial freight train, exploded at point
two miles east of the Lennon "N."
The engineer, f. G, Seeley, and a
brakeman, who was in the cab at the
time, VIM. Breitung, met instant death
while the fireman Grooms, escaped as
by miracle. The terrible force Of the
element as it freed itself, threw the
engine trucks and tender across the
track, causing two cars following to
be wrecked. The road bed and track
were demolished for distance of 400
feet, causing the road to be tied up for
ten hours.
The explosion is one of the most
terrific the Milwaukee had to suffer
yet, and the death of two good men
adds horror to the occasion. 1t appears
that one of the injectors had not been
working and that Seeley had reported
this defect, but had received instruc-
explosion took place, Just as the top
of Il grade was reached, at the cross
ing two miles east of the Margason
farm.
Grooms, the tiremanwho so strange
ly saved his life by leap mere sec
ond before the steam burst its fetters
tells that shortly before the fatal mo-
ment he had shoyeled coal into the fire
box AMI in attempting to close it, the
doors were forced open and flames
burst out Engineer Seeley, on seeing
this, shouted ''jump,' which advice
Groom, followed landing ba d V
shaken up and bruised, at a point ten
rods east of the explosion. When help
| arrived. the bodies of the unfortunate
Seeloy and BreitIng were found lying
dead on the crossing, within ten feet
of each other, Breitung within rod
of tht track, his body injured but lit
| tie; Seeley lay in pool of his blood.
mangled into a shapeless mass.
One OF the remaining tralnmen had
to walk distande of nearly three
miles to the depot, to give notice of
the shocking accident, and as the tee-
graph wires had been injured, it was
some time later before the defect was
remedied and help could be called.
| W hen finally "a train arrived fromMc-
| Intosh, the remainder of the wrecked
train was drawn back, the bodies OF
/ h,, u I,,I 1.
| injured fireman to.the MobrSdge rail.
road hospital.
| A visit to the scene of the wreck re-
vealed the terrible force of the dis
aster. The engine trucks lay across
| the track, with the tender mingled with
them, showed up TO this were TWO re-
! frigeratOr ears loaded with mineral
water. One OF these had been com
| pletely cut in two, The boiler lay about
300 feet further west, where it hadbeen
| hurled by the explosion. Itseems that
it few straight along the track, hit
! ting the ground about midway, then
| vaulting, hitting the ground again
| and continuing on for another hundred
| feet to where 1t came to rest on the
! track Pieces of the engine were scat
/ tered over the prairie, some Of them
as much as 600 feet away. a large area
showed by the melted snow how far
the released steam had spread.
f.. G. Seeley, the dead engineer, was
we'll known at Lennon, and was one
of the oldest engineers on the system,
close friend of many of the railroad
officials. His home was at Marmarth,
where he had nice home. He leaves
/ a wife and three children. VIM Brei.
F., tung was also an old employee, and
had decided to quit after a few more
/ runs, with the intention Of going on.
to some laud in Montana, which he
4 had taken up. His home too was at
Marmarth, and he is mourned by a
widow and nine children.
! The engine was No. o6l6 the train
in charge of Conductor Steinstra.
There is no doubt but what the explo-
sion was caused by Lack Of water, due
to failure of the inlector> to work.
\ wrecking train arrived about 10
O'Clock A. m, in charge of Sunerln-
tendent tichrrd,. and trains could
pass about ZOO p IN.