Evening star., 1943-06-28
Munitions Train Fire
Blamed on Sparks
From Faulty Brake
Exploding Shells Bombord
Grand Junction, Colo;
At Least Four Injured
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo,
June 28.-Residents of this city
dug jagged shrapnel from their
yards and the walls of buildings
today as souvenirs of a terrifying
four-hour bombardment from
munitions set of by a freight
train fire.
At least four persons were injured
yesterday by particles Of high
powered shells, some Of which
hurtled mile from the siding where
the blazing cars were isolated by
trainmen.
Fire Chief Charles Downing's
right arm, torn by shell fragments,
was amputated. He was gwen two
blood transfusions.
Felled by Fragments.
Mr.. Downing was standing at the
corner of warehouse when q shell
landed So feet away, burrowing into
the ground. The shell exploded and
some fragments knocked him back
ward about 10 feet, at the same time
gashing holes in the metal wall of
the building.
The fire chief walked about two
blocks, was taken into an automo-
bile, and driven to hospital
A piece of the flying metal struck
Bob Walraven, railroad workman,
while he stood on a freight caboose
half mile from the fire. He suf-
fered possible jaw fracture.
Shrapnel also injured Mrs Virginia
Buckley and Henry Tebo, fireman.
Denver & Rio Grand Western
Railroad officials said today the fire
was caused by sparks flying from a
defective brake just as the freight
train pulled into town about 2 am.
Sharp reports awoke the community
shortly thereafter.
1T scared the daylights out of
people" said Joseph Lowe, Grand
Junction newspaperman:
Second Car Catches Fire.
OF the burning cars, Mr.. Lowe
said:
The fire would flare up then die
down. Then there would be other
explosions
They couldn't uncouple the two
cars because the fire was at one end.
Pretty soon the second car caught
fire, and there was a steady boom,
boom,' like cannonadlng
I'VE could hear the shells whistling
by. Bits of metal dropped all
around. There was quite a blaze for
a couple Of hours and fragments
flew all over the neighborhood
Some were picked up a mile
away. Shrapnel spattered against
roofs like hail.
About IN, four hours after the
fire was noticed, the noise died down
some, but every five minutes or so
there would be loud explosion and
the fire would flare up"
Two Cars Demolished.
The two cars were demolished,
and Mr.. Lowe said 'it looked like
they were sunk down from the rail
level about feet"
Betty Lee Barker was standing
on the porch Of her parents home
when a large piece of shell cat
through the roof and landed on the
bed in which Miss Barber had been
sleeping, scorching the pillow.
Hundreds Of townsmen, some clad
in pajamas, hurried down Main
street as close as they dared to the
tracks on the city's western out
skirts.
Railroad men discovered the fire
In one Of the cars soon after the
freight train pulled into Grand
junction. They cut off the two cars
and shunted them onto a track
about half mile west of the depot,
near a warehouse and lumber yaro
district.
Roofs and Walls Riddled.
THE freak damage done by the
explosions is comparable to cyclonic
damage" declared Clarence Kurtz.
hardware and lumber dealer.
Although the nearby buildings es-
capped fire damage, roofs and walls
were riddled.
Demolition crews were disposing
of shells which landed without ex-
ploding. The area was under mill
tary guard.
Grand Junction, city of about
$4,000 population on the Colorado
River in Western Colorado, has no
major war industries or large mill
tary training camps and the fire and
explosions came with crashing un-
expected fury.