National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1869-10-29


of the nitrO-glycerine used in the
HOOsac tunnel, furnishes the North
Adams Transcript this account of
the recent explosion at the east end,
by which three men were killed, two
of them being blown into fragments:
On Saturday morning at 10 o'clock,
the employees at the east end of the
tunnel were startled and deafened
by tremendous explosion in the
Cascade ravene, situated about so
rods from the entrance of the tun-
mel. Mr.. Parker, foreman machinist,
and Mr.. Ayers, superintendent of
machinery, were near the compress |
or building, and feeling the explo-
sion, hurried toward the ravine, and |
perceived a column of debris, like
a cloud, circling some three hundred
feet high, between the steep sides of
the ravine. Mr.. Holven, the fore
man of the works who was near the
mouth of the tunnel, the instant he
perceived the direction the splnters
were taking, hurried to the spot, and
found one of the blaSters, Lamon-
taine, lying on the ground, MORALLY
wounded, and distant. about thirty
feet from the spot where the maya
ziene had been. LamOnticne was
bleeding from mouth, nose and
breast, but sensible, and said. The
two others are in the magazine
gypsy fashion, was uudiSturbed, and
full of water boiling rapidly. The
fire was burning briSkly, but was
J not disturbed. a crater of twenty
J feet diameter and five feet deep was
! all that was left to mark where the
, magazine once stood, and the side
; of the ravinc was stripped of every
{ particle of verdure. On attempting
e to remove the injured man, Lamon.
tame, he said, Lay me down; You
hurt me. In fifteen minutes he eX.
, PRED. Search was made for the
e remains of the two other men, Lam
=, Ontaine, brother of the deceased and
y McDuif, brother i'll law but only the
~ scalp and Il portion of the skull
attached, of Lamontaine, with a few
fractured bones, and portions of
:, clothing could be discovered-Out
j., no particle belonging to McDutt'
- could be identified. The magazine
was converted into minute splinters.
/, The clothing found was in shrcds,
- but not apparently burnt. On Wed.
= nesday preceding the explosion 5l3
I, pounds of nitro glycerlne had been
:, delivered from the west end into the
magazine, and ut that time it was
y estimated there was about two or
p, three days consumption on hand.
= The door of the powder magazine,
:, situated about 80 rods from the
: nitro, gIycerine magazine, which had
. been securely fastened and pad
:, locked, was wrenched by the violence
- of the shock, and found wide open.
. 1t contained about coo kegs of pow
y, der,nonc of which had been disturb
~ ed. The windows of II miners shan.
y, ty about forty rods from the maya
y. zine, were blown out and the door
~ torn open. The skylights of tn,
" boiler house aud steam compresSorS
:, were driven out. There not being 4
;" veStige of the magazine left, th.
- immediate cause of the explosion
- cannot be aSCcrtancd. The nitro
=, glyccTinc delivered on Wednc Sdal
~ was CONCEALED solid, with ice ant
y, salt, to insure safe transportation
=, and it is known that one OF til,
;" Lamontaincs had requested fellow
:, miner to assist him in thawing on
~ the contents of the cans, for, rs h,
~ observed, 'We are late and hay,
~ cot to hurry up Fortunately %
. unfortunately, the man feeling tired
g refused. 1t is known that McDui
~ felt not the slightest uncaSincss il
n handling nitro.glyccrine, and th
~, LamontaiucS were influenced by hi
~ views. Indeed, McDuil's efforts t.
convince his fellow miners of tn
r. perfect safety of nitro. glyccrinc, fir,
. qucntly elected cautionary remark
is from them. 1t may be possible, tina
on being late, hurrymg, and the nitro
ar glycerine being thoroughly frozc
RS, aud nonconductor, a fact not Su
m ficicntly appreciated by McDuti, h
lrs may have neglected the prccautio
IN, necessary, in thawing out, and pal
he the penalty of his litein consequence,
nd The above accident with nitro Il,
ar ceIinc is the first that has occurc
TO at the lIosac tunnel, where upward
he of ten thousand pounds has bee
NO used in charges varying from tot
VII ounces to pound and half eacl
| "A Over fifteen thousand charges ha,
nd been fred ithout accident and wit
led efficient results in removing the roe
ell Hereafter, all operations in the ma
- azinc will he performed by II skillc,
.hc trained hand, and no miner will !
ter allowed to enter the inner magazin
~ a PRACTICAL APPLICATION {
rvs THE Scriptures -Nicholas Wal
W. u. though regular Quaker preachc
80 was Il great wag, and many are Il
" good things said by him which u
still current in certain Philadelph
at circles. He was once travelling I
ere horseback in the interior of Pen
In sylvania in company with two Met
out odists preachers. They discuss
EN- the point of difference in their I
ccd spcctivc sccts, until they arrived
.,l Ala. ,u, ,,,hn,. tI,x. ,..,. tn nat