| From the Macon (Ga.) Telegraph |
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| August 10, 1863 |
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| Terrific Explosion on the Central {(of
Georgia)} Rail Road |
| About five o'clock this
morning the locomotive Beauregard, with her tender, conductor's car
and several platform cars, proceeded from the depot of the Central
Railroad bound for Station No. 2 to load with wood for the use of the
depot. The train left the depot, the locomotive reversed, and
proceeded up the road. The engineer blew his whistle as usual at the
Augusta road crossing, one mile from the depot, and about two hundred
yards west of it the boiler of the locomotive exploded with a terrific
report. The doors of the residences of gardeners in the neighborhood
were burst open, window shutters forced back, and the windows rattled
as though it had been an earthquake. |
| The engineer, Michael Leonard,
a native of Ireland, of county Meath, was instantly killed. His lower
extremities were found on the locomotive, the upper with his bowels on
the tender, which parted the coupling with the locomotive, and was
driven three-quarters of a mile to a point opposite the Ten Broeck
Race Course. |
| Mr. Michael Leacy, a native of
county Wexford, Ireland, was the fireman. He was found in the bushes
on the north side of the track, insensible, having received severe
internal injuries; he lingered about fifteen minutes and died. He
leaves a wife and two children. |
| Mr. George W. Adams, the
superintendent of the road, Capt. Wm. Burns, master machinist, Mr. R.
M. Barthlemas, foreman of the carpentershop, Capt. Doyle, of the
inward freight department, with gangs of hands proceeded to the scene
of disaster. The locomotive was a complete wreck; the bed of the
tender was torn out; the conductor's car, which was ahead of the
locomotive, was badly torn up and thrown off the track; three platform
cars had their trucks so badly injured they were thrown on the sides
of the road that the track might be quickly repaired. Mr. John M.
Palin, the conductor, and Tom, the property of Mr. Geo. W. Adams, were
in the conductor's car and received slight injuries. |
| Bill, the property of Mr. P.
Whelan, was on the rear portion of the tender when the explosion took
place, but was not injured. The track of the road was considerably
damaged, but a strong force of hands soon cleared the wreck, and
communication was restored about 9 o'clock. The loss to the road is
fully $10,000. |
| The locomotive Beauregard has
been in service for the past fifteen years; latterly it was used for
switching purposes in the depot. |
| This is the second locomotive
that has exploded her boiler on that road. The previous accident
occurred about eight or ten years ago. The locomotive Beauregard was
in good order, having been recently repaired. The cause of the
accident cannot be at present ascertained, though it is supposed that
the water, which was pumped into the tender the night previous, leaked
out, and, finding a deficiency of steam, the Engineer suddenly let the
cold water into the red hot boiler, and thus caused the explosion. |
| The report of the explosion
was distinctly heard in every portion of the city. |
| Savannah Republican |
|