Evening star., 1923-01-22
TRAIN BOILER BLAST
K|LLS3|N VIRGINIA
Dead in Locomotive Ex.
pIosion Near CuIpeper
Are AIexandrians.
SNAPSHOTS
Special Dispatc to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
ALEXANDRIA, Va, January 22.-
Three Alexandria trainmen are dead
as the result of the explosion Of the
boiler of a Southern railway freight
train engine, southbound from Po-
tomac yards to Monroe. Va, yesterday
afternoon at Inlet, two miles north
Of Culpeper.
The dead are:
Engineer Samuel Harrington, forty
five years old. of Del Ray; survived
by a wife and three children.
Fireman John T. Curtin. thirty
four, years old, of Braddock; survived
py his wife and two children.
Brakeman George w. Allenworth,
,thirty-two. 1913 Duke street; surv1v-
ed by his wife and two children.
The train was going twenty miles
an hour when the explosion occurred
All that remained of the big locomo-
tive we're the driving wheels. which
remained on the track. The remain
der of the engine was hurled about
100 yards. The three bodies also. were
hurled the same distance and badly
mutilated.
AlIenworth Died Later.
The remainder Of the crew Of the
train picked up the body of Allen
worth, who was still alive. He was
placed on board a special train and
rushed to the University Hospital
Charlottesville, where he died ias'
night.
AIlenworth had hts arms and legs
broken and was scalded and also SUI,
fered internal injuries. 1t Is reported
that when he was placed aboard tne
train that he begged to be killed sc
great was his suffering:
The train was In charge of Con
ductor l.. G. Walker and consisted OIL
fifty-two cars. Conductor Walker and
E. H Tompkins. a f1agman. were In
the caboose at the time OF the ex-
plosion.
The railroad officials do not know
the circumstances regarding the place
Allenworth was at the time OF the
accident, although it is believed that
he probably was in the cab of the
yards about II o'clock yesterday
News Of the accident was received
at the chief dispatcher's office a few
minutes after the accident and soon
the office was besieged by relatives
regarding the accident. The men
eagerly read every incoming dispatch
and from the early dispatches 1t was
not thought that Alienworth was IN
jured fatally.
Cause Undetermined.
The cause of the accident is un-
determined.
All three men were popular and
we'll known in railroad circles Har-
rington had been on the road for
twenty years, Curtin ten years and
AllenWorth ten years. Allenworth
was q native of Manassas Harrtng-
ton was a member of the Brother
Curtin was member of the Brother
hood of Enginemen and Ffremen
Alexandria Lodge, No. 75S. Benevo-
lent and Protective Order of Elks and
an overseas veteran. His wife was a
Miss BI adley. He was a son of Chris
topher Curtin of this city. Allen
worth was a member OF the railway
brakeman's union and also an over
seas veteran and q member OF the
Cardinal base ball club
The first two bodies to arrive here
were those of Harrington and Curtin
A group of about 200 persons stood
silently at the railroad station as
placed in an undertakers wagon
They were carried to Demaine's NOR
tuary chapel and prepared for burial
At the undertaking chapel relatives
and friends of the men were on hand
and after Curtin's father viewed the
room the group Of about 100 rail-
road men and friends Of the men
viewed the bodies.
Mrs. .AlIenworth CoIIapses.
The body of Allenworth did no,
arrive from Charlottesville until 12:1s
o'clock this morning. Mrs. Allen
worth was at Wheatley's chapel wher
the body Of her husband was brought
in. She collapsed.
Harrington, in addition to his wife
and children, leaves two sisters and
two brothers. Mrs. Janet Cronin and
Mrs ]. w. Stone. Joshua Harrington
of Alexandria and Peter Harrington
of Walnut Cove, N. c.
AS a result of the explosion the
track was torn up for a short dis
tance and traffic was delayed three
hours and fifty minutes. The debris
was cleared away by crews from the
! Potomac yards and also from Char.
Iotf +