Foster, 1903

Of Running Freight Engine Blows Up at Foster, Kentucky

The boiler of an engine drawing a heavy freight train on the Chesapeake and Ohio Road exploded last night while the train was running at a good rate of speed near Foster, Ky.  The engine was in charge of Engineer Sidels and Fireman Ed Murphy, both of whom were scalded, but not seriously.  Mike Malloy, a brakeman, who took the place of Head Brakeman Hatty Caldwell, was killed.  He lived at 30 East Sixteenth St., Covington.  The two injured men also lived in Covington. The engine was known as a hog engine and was one of the first-class freight engines of the road, and thought to be in perfect condition.

The train that it was hauling was not an especially heavy one, and the railroad men cannot account for the explosion.  Then the boiler let go two cars of the train were thrown off the track, and for a short time traffic on the road was stopped.  The engineer and fireman were brought to this city and given every attention.

from the Cincinnati Enquirer, December 22, 1899