White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1914-10-25

The incident referred to occurred at
Boulder. Colo. August 10, 1907,
when the Colorado and Southern
freight depot was apparently fired by
incendiaries. The fire resulted in a
fearful explosion, that caused four
deaths and cores of injuries. The
property loss was more than $780,
600. All this death and havoc wal
caused by the explosion of forty
seven 50-pound boxes of giant pow
der. The Denver News OF August IL,
1907, tells the story in all Its de-
tails and says:
But for the heroism of George
Whitley, son of NJ. s. whitley, to
whom the powder was consign-
ed, the entire town would have been
destroyed. Reckoning on the basis
of the terrible carnage wrought by
the explosion which did occur, and
the loss 1t caused in property, 1t can
best be understood what the fearless
ness of this boy saved In life and
property to Boulder when 1t is un-
derstood that the took out of harms
way eight times the amount of ex-
plosives that were on the car caught
IN the flames.
Eight tons of giant powder other
than the carload which exploded, was
on a side track consigned to M. s.
Whiteley, a local hardware dealer
and former mayor of the town.
George Whiteley Is this mans son.
He is 25 years old and holds the
Colorado Rhodes scholarship al Ok
ford. With courage seldom equal
ed, he a to the car filled with this
tremendous shipment of concentrat-
ed powder, which vas itself CON-
mencin to blaze at the sides and on
the top. This was before the explosion
of the smaller quantity of giant
powder, and as the track was built on
a grade. the boy called to his assis-
lance a few men. who pushed with
iron bars, and started the load down
hill.
But the terrible to life
contained in the car would have done
just as much damage had 1t run wild
and collide6 with something down
the track, or been derailed. So
young Whitley climbed aboard and
manaed the brake. Standing on
top of eight tons of giant powder,
tonges OF flames reaching out about
his feet, he ran the a over two
blocks out of the danger district, put
on the brake to stop 1t, and then
fastened from place to place, beat
out with his coat the little beginnings
of a fire which soon would have reach
ed the giant powder, that would have
Icreated an explosion so much more
serious than what did happen, that
even the contemplation of horror oil
that proportion chills the blood"
Continuing, the story of the Boul-
der tragedy says:
George Andrew Whitley. the hero
of the Boulder fire, is a nodes
young man and has Stunned notori-
ETY. concerning his daring feat. He Is
one of the nerviest men that evel
graduated from ne state university
This spring he was a member of the
Merlin college football team, and
nearly fatally injured when n oil
his kidneys was torn open in a game.
Even then he attempted to stay in
the game, although the wound was
bleeding internally.
No chances. at that time, were
neld out by the doctors for his re-
coyery. He has been recuperatine
FOR the last three months, not having
recovered his health and strength.
when questioned about his feat
he said: why, it was nothing at
ali. | was on my way home from the
Boulder club dance and went down to
see the fire. 1t was pretty hot, but
| knew dad had some dynamite on
some of the cars that was being
transported to the powder house up
the canyon. So, | at once got busy
and tried to find it. Luckily, | found
1t on a track by itself. 1t was al
most in the center of the fire and the
intense heat had scorched the car and
partly set il afre. | knew that, I'M
less something was done mighty
quick, the whole blamed thing
would go up. So | turned up my
collar, ducked my head and ran
through the fire to the car. The iron
ladder vas hot as the dickens, and |
climbed up and opened the brakes
and telling members of the crowd
what the car contained, called for
help to get it out of danger. The
crowd got cold feet and refused to
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