On Thursday night last, just after train 12 (which passed Randolph 4 hours late) reached Salamanca, the steam heater in a parlor car exploded with a terrific report. Every light of glass on the car was broken, a large hole blown through the roof, and the car otherwise shattered. At the time the car was standing at a switch - the passengers, 17 in number, had just left and no one was in the car. Conductor Russell was standing a few feet distant, but miraculously escaped uninjured. Had the accident occurred but a few moments before it is probably that more or less of the passengers would have been injured.
Note: The train was running on the Erie Railroad.
Source: Courant Supplement. Randolph, New York. January 16, 1879.