Year: 1875




AND FIREAIEN CARRIED INTO ETERNITY.


The people OF the town OF Bound Brook N j., were
thrown into a state Of great excitement yesterday An
explosion occurred about two and half miles east Of
that place In the early morning The particulars
Of the catastrophe folows:-A construction
train, consisting of engine, caboose
and several empty gravel cars, left Bound
Brook on the Easton and Amboy Railroad, shortly
after O'Clock A. M carrying fortyeigh laborers,
who continue the laying of tho double track OF
the road, which now extends only as far as Bound
Brook; Colonel Palmer P Thompson, foreman Of the
railway gang and the engineer fireman and bakemen
The engine pushed the ahead Of IT, the caboose
being directly in front The laborers were in the
caboose passenger tram from Easton was at
the time nearly due at Bound Brook, and the
construction train in order to allow the east
ward bound train 10 pass, was run of on the
switch which Is situated at Rartan Siding near Somor-
VILE While the switch, waiting for the tram from
Easton the boiler Of the locomotive exploded instantly
killing Thomas G. copie the engineer; Allan King,
brakeman, who standing on the rear platform OF
the caboose and Henry Ncoa an Italian laborer, who
sitting in the after part Of the caboose The noise
Of the explosion heard five miles from the scene OF
the accident, and


IT JARRED EARTH


as far away as Bound Brook which is two and half





the place where the disaster occurred and found that
the boiler had thrown 100 feet from where it
ploded Eye witnesses say that in its lifted
of part Of the roof of the caboose and made two
plee revolutions before finally struck the ground
When it did strike II dug hole the ground
Ave feet deep 1t had burst open from the fire box
TO the tubes, and the half the cab blown to
atoms. The remainder was generally battered and
ruptured The truck OF the engine blown fully 300
yards to the side of the track, and when found but
| OF its wheels attached to it. The caboose
1 gIn uhCIa haak
and large piece of its side being blown into spinters
/ Not pane OF glass was left IN any window The
smokcstack of the engine could not be found


Colonel Thompson was blown through the roof OF tho
caboose and the telegraph wire alongside of the
road which, he subsequently told his doctor he could
have caugnthold of in his descent, close he TO
it. He fell of the railroad ties, which fractured
his ribs on the left sde and crushed them into his
lungs causing him TO bleed internally TO great ex
tent He was very brave and kind hearted
When brought back to Bound Brook, although suffer-
ing excrucating agony from his wounds, wanted to
i walk home from the depot and said TO the doctor
! ''DocToR, NEVER MIND ME-


i Co. and attend to those who need you more than
are hurt than you think" which remark after
ward turned out to be true for the Colonel died before
four O'Clock He was very popular man in the town,
though he has resided there only a few months When
informed by tho Doctor that he could not survive his
injuries, he coolly sent for lawyer to draw up his
Patrick Feeney lnborer, had both his legs and
arm broken, beside being badly scaded. He too, suf
fered intense pain and died in the Bound Brook Hotel
about nine O'Clock in the morning


The explosion occurred about twenty minutes after
seven O'Clock A. NJ, when the train from Easton was
in sight Had it been delayed only few minutes
lon5er, when the passenger tram was along
side the i'll fated locomotive, the loss
Of life would have been terrible indeed. When the
the work Of assisting the wounded participated in
by passengers and employees alike.


THE DEAD AND MANNED


at put aboard the eastward bound train
conveyed back to Bound Brook. There they put
under the care of Dr. Field, who upon examination
found that only eight of those who the unlucky
had nl nlvT from hrr hn
alone would be unable to properly attend to many
patients he telegraphed for Dr. Stlnan, of Painfeld
who arrived very soon.


INQUEST.


Coroner p Bush notified Of the disaster and he
Immediately empaneled the following gentlemen as a
jury:-N. w. Provost Ephraim Merlett, Oscar Bush,
John Case John Conover VIM. Totcr, e. II. Redneld,
Jere Stats J. B. Van Doran J. Lair, J. d. Ermete
and Abram Whiteneck. The jury after viewing the
dead bodies proceeded TO the Of the explosion
and then adjourned until Thursday. In the meantime
those OF the injured men who lived about
Bound Brook were taken to their homes and about
twelve sent to St Michaers Hospital in Newark
very few had broken limbs but a large majority were
suffering from scads DR.. Field said last night that
only two three OF the men then uuder his
seriously wounded. It was announced late IN the
who had been sent to Newark had died on the
way there but 1t has since been ascertaned that al
though very badly scalded, McGce not yet dead
Several Of the other men had very narrow escapes
from death. William Carleing and Patrick McGarran
stated to the HERALD reporter that they thrown
forty or ny feet into the air Allan King, the brake
man, when found, had


NOT A FRAGMENT or CLOTHING


on him There several theories 10 the OF
the accident among the residents of Bound Brook.
One is that there sufficient water in The boiler.
II is known that the train left the depot in the
morning without taking in any water, but the
railroad authorities claim that she was fun
at the time Of leaving, having "watercd
up" on Saturday night Another theory is that which
caused by the statement OF the men who were
in the train to the effect that the engineer forcing
cold water into the boiler with the protector
at the time q the explosion, and u third
Is that the engine was built Of old iron
aud was, that account unit for use. The agent of
the road denies this, and says that the engine Cen
tralia by name, built by William Mason, Taun-
ton. Mass, Of new and good iron, about nine
years old Cope had been in the employ of the Eastou
and Amboy Railroad only few months, but