CRASH EXPLODED CAR LOAD OF POWDER

TREMENDOUS EXPLOSION IN THE YARDS AT OLEAN.

CAR BLOWN HUNDREDS OF YARDS

Strangely enough no one was injured - engine crews jumped to safety.

Olean, N. Y., March 13 - A bad freight wreck occurred this morning in the yards of the Pennsylvania railroad in East Olean, in which the lives of hundreds were imperilled (sic). At 3:50 o'clock, a swith engine was backing among which was a car of powder. An incoming freight from the south collided with the switch engine in a dense fog. The collision caused the car of powder to explode with a terrific noise, sending one car nearly 300 feet away against a house and pieces of limber hundreds of feet where they were found lodged in trees. The incoming train had three cars of dynamite which fortunately did not go off, although several cars next to them were demolished.

Engine Crews Jumped. Engineer Benjamin Greenwood and Fireman R. f. Herrington of the switch engine, jumped just in time to avoid the crash which demolished their engine. Fireman Frank Newell, of the other train, jumped but Engineer Dan Stumpp stuck to his post. His engine was somewhat injured. Altogether there were seven cars demolished. The explosion of the car of powder was heard all over the city. There are fourteen houses on Railroad Avenue directly opposite the scene of the explosion, and on the other side within a few hundred feet are many more hosues. Had the dynamite gone off hundreds would have been killed. As it is no one was injured.

Fort Wayne News, Fort Wayne, IN 13 Mar 1903
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Transcribed by Lori Hedges. Thank you, Lori!