The Mysterious Freight Train
Fire
Noon. August 17, 1963. Home of James Smith.
12 Birch Avenue, Carlsbad, New Mexico.
"I'm telling you, it just exploded."
"And where abouts were you when it 'exploded'?"
"Well, let's see nowÉ We had passed outta Carlsbad 'bouts an hour before."
"Please describe to us just what happened on August 15."
"I felt this big bump, kinda. I didn't know what happened. Then I smelt smoke, an' since all the windows was closed, I figured there musta be a fire. That's when I got real scaredÉ"
1:30 P.M. August 17, 1963. St. Johns Hospital. Burn Treatment Ward. Room of Mary Louis. Room Number 3.
573 North Ridge Road, Carlsbad, New Mexico.
"Ms. Mary Louis! Ms. Mary Louis, we need to ask you a few questions."
"Go on."
"Okay. Where were you when the fire started?"
"In my seat, readin', an' mindin' my own business."
"Did you see how the fire started?"
"No."
"Describe exactly what happened."
"I was sittin' there in my seat, whens suddenly the train jus' jerked forward. Next thing I 'member is feelin' real hot and not bein' able to breathe or see nuttin."
"Do you have any idea why the fire might have started?"
"I know how it were started."
"Do you mind telling us?"
"Those damn cars we picked up was jus' filled with stow'ways from Mex'co. One o' em got sceered o' the dark an' lit a match. Ended up litin' his clothin'."
2:00 P.M. August 17, 1963. Carlsbad City Morgue. Office of Carrie Ont, Certified Medical Examiner.
715 Desert Avenue, Carlsbad, New Mexico.
"So, have you determined why Dean McMann and Jerry Anders died yet?"
"Yeah, it was just as I thought. They died of smoke inhalation and severe burns to most of their bodies. There was hardly anything left to examine."
"Is there and way to tell what caused the fire through their remains?"
"Not that I know ofÉ"
4:00 P.M. August 17, 1963. Carlsbad Train Station; Office of Martin Westward, Station Master.
2929 Tumbleweed Road, Carlsbad, New Mexico.
"So you regulate all the trains that come through this station, right?"
"That's right, everyone of them. Hehe. We even check all the freight cars for stowaways."
"Train 14b, the one with the fireÉ"
"MmmHmm."
"É Came through here, correct?"
"Yes, yes, of course! It would have to, being on this track and all."
"Did it stop at this station?"
"Yup, even picked up a few freight cars."
"How many? Do you remember?"
"Let's seeÉ That would makeÉ Three! It picked up three cars here."
"Do you happen to know what was in those cars?"
"Can't say for sure, but something worth quite a bit of moneyÉ If you wanted to know what, you'd have to ask an inspector."
"How do you know the cargo was worth a lot of money?"
"I don't, but the freight cars were green, meaning that they should be put at the end of the train, away from the engine and hot smoke."
"Why does that make the cargo expensive?"
"Well, freight at the back of the train stays in the best condition. Somebody wanted that cargo safe when it reached its destination."
9:00 A.M. August 18, 1963. Super Star Motel, Room of Jack Morale, Train 14b's Conductor. Room Number 23.
89 Desert Rose Street, Carlsbad, New Mexico.
"So Where were the three freight cars that you picked up at Carlsbad station placed on the train?"
"On the back, of course. They were made out of metal, painted green."
"Okay. Could you please explain to us why there were passengers on a freight train?"
"Yes. Well, you see, I always have at least one passenger car on my freighter. You make a sight more money with people than with freight and the tracks that you take tend to be prettier more scenic routes. Oh, and there's just something special about carrying people on your train, you know that your responsible for other people's happiness, you know, people are the most delicate cargo of all."
"Oh, okay. So, In what order were the cars in when the train caught fire?"
"First the engine, of course, and then the coal car. After that there were three of four freight cars, the passenger car, the three that we picked up in Carlsbad, and then the caboose."
12:00 P.M. August 18, 1963. Carlsbad Train Depot. Office of Mark Green, depot's owner and manager.
112 Blazing Sun Avenue, Carlsbad, New Mexico.
"Do you know what was in the three green freight cars sent to the Carlsbad Train Station on August 14, 1963 which the train 14b picked up on August 15, 1963?"
"Yes actually I do, oversaw the loading of those cars myself, plus its right here in our record book. We keep tabs on all the cargo in the depot."
"What was in them?"
"Bat guano. Every year we send one shipment out of the caves up to somewhere in Utah. This year it came in a month early."
"Bat Guano?"
"Yes, I'm sure of it."
1:30 P.M. August 18, 1963. Carlsbad Caverns Management Building. Office of Greg Plat, Director and Overseer of Carlsbad Caverns.
4 Cavern Road, Carlsbad, New Mexico.
"Why yes, we send a shipment of bat guano every year. It makes great fertilizer, and we catch a high price for it."
"When do you normally ship the bat guano?"
"Late September or Early November."
"Why was this year's shipment sent in mid-August then?"
"What! We sent the guano already?"
"You weren't aware of that?"
"No, of course not! We just got all new management, someone must have made a mistake in the schedulingÉ"
"Why is it so important for it to be shipped in the fall?"
"It's important not to send it in the summer, it's so hot, and the containers that we use are metal. You see, the guano that we harvest here is so rich in nitrates that it will begin to spontaneously combust if it reaches a temperature of more than seventy-five degrees FahrenheitÉ"
In conclusion, exploding bat guano, which reached high temperatures while being shipped to Utah in metal cargo containers on August 15, 1963, caused the mysterious freight train fire. The explosion, and the ensuing fire resulted in 2 deaths and three injuries.