The 1940 train explosion that killed my great-grandather

Like many young boys, I had a fascination for trains. Certainly, the thundering noise and the mammoth scale could fill a child's mind with awe and wonder. However, I have always suspected that a piece of family lore — one only spoken of in hushed tones — may have been the true inspiration.

One of the first toys to lodge in my memory was a homemade train. It was royal blue with red and yellow detailing. My great-uncle made the boiler from an oatmeal container and fashioned the rest out of wood, save for the roof of the cab which was tin from a coffee can.

The engine and tender had an unrivaled level of sturdiness, just like the real thing. It was designed for a toddler to straddle the cab, propel it forward with his legs and ring a bell on a string. It survived to join Johnny West and friends on many adventures.

You see, I had grown up with stories of my great grandfather, Otto Winters, a German immigrant to Wausau who was a brakeman on the Wisconsin Valley Line of the Milwaukee Road. And, of course, the railroad was famous.

Construction on the line started from Tomah in 1871 with the objective of moving the vast timber resources of central and northern Wisconsin to market. It reached Wausau in 1874 and Merrill in 1880. It continued to move north with the timber harvest until it reached White Star Lake, north of Minoqua, in 1895.

The timber lasted until 1937, and the railroad brought the first tourist as the northwoods economy changed. In began with the Fisherman's Special out of Chicago in 1919 and later carried passengers on the North Woods Hiawatha starting in 1936.

We look back with romantic eyes, but there was also a harsh reality. On February 5, 1940, residents of Wausau and Merrill woke up to headline news of a train accident. The day before, Engine No. 1036 had blown up while hauling freight north from New Lisbon. The Interstate Commerce Commission report stated that "the force of the explosion tore the boiler from the running gear and hurled it forward 265 feet where it struck on the front end (and) then rebounded 75 feet forward." The explosion killed engineer Richard Grorich, fireman Alvin Jantz and brakeman Otto Winters, who were all riding in the cab.

The ICC report concluded that the engine's "crown sheet had failed due to overheating caused by low water." In 1940, such a finding of human error meant the railroad owed no settlement to the families of its late employees.

The railroad rebuilt Engine No. 1036 and continued to run it until 1954 when diesels replaced the last steam engines.

The obituary of the time charitably listed Otto Winters as survived by one grandchild, although it would still be another two months before that grandchild, my father, was born.

Our ancestors were no strangers to hardship and tragedy. For that, we owe them reverence as well as romance.

Keene Winters is a member of the board of curators of the Wisconsin State Historical Society and a member of the local Pomeranian Club of Central Wisconsin.