Rensselaer Union, Volume 1, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 September 1869 — A Conductor Fatally Earned. [ARTICLE]

A Conductor Fatally Earned.

A A’EBT painful accident teceutly occurred on the Boston tt Albnfiy Railroad at Newton, near Boston. Tito Victim was a conductor on a freight train. It appears that in the freight train that left Boston at 7 o’clock in the evening were some “ compromise ” cars, upon which. Avere two tanks, each used for the transportation of petroleum,in built. The tanks had boon empited at East lios|pn, and were on their way to Erie to be replenished. They arc large and cylindrical in form. In Rm cen- • tre of' oacliViftthcm iaarLorifite, Avldch Is ‘bridged by * plank, upon which conductors and brakemen can pass from one car •to another. It seems that Mr. Bamuol Preston, when near Newton Centro, about' seven miles from Boston, had occasion to pass over one of the oil cars. He had his •lantern in his hand, and las soon as he reached the first tank the fire of his lantern ignited the aAsos Which Were generated by the residue of the pertoleum, and an explosion immediately took place. The top of the tank was |)|ow* off and She interior at once became a livid sheet .of fire. lutQtbis Uic uirftKftniate n*m instantly fell, and although , he made the most strenuous exertions to extricate himself, in which lie-iyas finally, successful, it ' Avas not until he had been Tearfully burned. In his agony he ran ip to field close by. One of the employes about the depot saw him and hastily got a blanket, and by *ing caused. .He w«» frightfully burned, but did-nqt iqse his except Tor a 4i}w moments. 1 In renwivihg bis | clnthing the skin from his and legs came off in shreds.. His arms and hands were. Radiy blistered, and he was ■considerably bufned'W the' body as well. ■ln spite of his sufferings he did not lose iconsciousness, but was aWe in some degree -to relate how the accident ocentred: After intense suffering, death came to his tho next morning. . j t —Some statistics nws«d£lng the number )ot deaths from, yiiilaqce hr ifyjr have just becnrllliM I>y tfte-Tfrrhrt VFbvernment. In 1867, 2,026 Jifunjctdcß.were commuted, or 10.84 for ivery lOfi.OOffiinhamtants. In 12.02; Great Britain, 1.05; and Belgium, 0.16. Tho greatest number of homicides occurred in Southern Italy, therq being, 19.84 for every 100.000 lnhftbltafitS;' Whllt)' in Northern Italy the average waS 3,70 for every 100,000 inhabitants, Oampared with 1808,'there was a decrease itr IS6T’ ift* the total unmber of violent deaths to the extent of 481. Of the 2,620 homicides committed during 1867, 264 arc described as involuntary, 2,259 as voluntary, and 103 as (nfimtlcidcs. Gs the last named there was a diminution of 84 in 1867 com pared with 1866. j ■. L • .t | . ' * —A California gambler bet hi*, artificial teeth on the result of a game aid Idit, '