The New York herald., 1869-06-06
THE EXPLOSION IN DUTCHESs COUNTY.
Its Terrible Efects-Heartrending Scenes
One Killed-TwO Badly Injured-Several
Slightly Hurt.

It's Terrible Efects-Heartrending Scenes
One KiIled-TwO Badly Injured-Several
Slightly Hurt.
PoUGHKEEPsIE June 8, 1864
Full particulars of the premature blast explosion
near Poughquag on the line Of the Boston, Hartford
and Erie Railroad have been received. It occurred
about six O'Clock yesterday afternoon. At that
hour three men named John Donahue, Patric K
Dual and John Murphy, all laborers, at work
In what Is known section ffty-six OF the road as
the "the deep cut" They were preparing for a
heavy blast, and had already placed two kegs OF
powder into q seam in the rock. John Donahue,
the foreman. stood over the seam with iron
tamping rod in his hand, ramming down
the powder. by accident the rod struck
the side Of the rock, when sparks were
emitted and the powder becoming ignited
terrific explosion took place, the report oelng
heard long distance. For a few seconds the air
was filled with huge rocks OF dirt, &C., while
the thick smoke entirely obscured the fatal spot
from view. Donahue was blown all OF thirty feet
high IN air. and when his BODY came down 1t pre-
cesp ana both Were bssnS %a @
their sockets One leg was broken In several places
aud the arms were terribly burned, the coat
sleeves and flesh being stripped from them; yet
with all these injuries he was alive and conscious.
HIS watch. which was IN his vest pocket, was blown
bent double while the inside OF the case was blown
full of powder. lie was removed TO a neighborng
farmhouse, where every possible attention was
given, but no reaction occurred; and this
night OF suffering, the doctors were OF
the opinion that he would die before noon.
The rock cut is sixty feet In width. Patrick DUAL
VINO stood along side Of Donahue was blown a dis
tance Of forty feet his body striking embankment
into which 1t driven with such terrible force
TO require the combined efforts OF four 10 re-
move II. Both legs were broken In half q dozen
places and one arm was smashed as though II had
been ground. The head was as0 cut and the skull
crushed. The face looked like piece OF dirty raw
flesh, so badly was II mangled and so full was 1t
blown with powder. The poor fellow did not sur
vive twenty minutes being entirely unconsc-
Gus. John Murphy was hurled ten f1f-
teen feet. hs clothes were badly torn and
his left thigh fractured The doctors say he will
recover Al the time OF the explosion q large gang
Of men and horses were nea~ the spot and when the
accident occurred dangerous stampede took place.
several barely escaping from being crushed 10 death
by the falling rocks which were thrown 80 high In
the air a. 10 give the laborers time TO get awav
hefore the stones came down again. one man leaped
down thirty foot embankment, and "a he raised TO
mis- feet and limped away mass OF rocks weighing
nearly half a ton struck the ground within foot
OF where he stood without iniunng him. Quite q
number OF the labOrers received slight bruises.
Thethree injured person snamed. including the dead
man, were ell single young men. II is Impossible
for Donahue to recover. All agree tnat the cXplo-
SION the result OF careessness the part OF the
foreman, Donahue, who should have known better
than TO use iron rod for tamplng purposes. Doc.
tors Knapp ana Parker. or this city, reached the
scene at ten O'Clock last evening and did all that
possible TO save Donahues life, but no stTlulants
seemed 10 have any effect on the sufferer II Il sin.
pular that while abOring under such terrible injuries
az are noted above he should re.ain his conscious
ueSa.