The New York herald., 1870-12-18
THE BLOODY BLAST.
Official Investigation In Regard to tho Car
manSville Explosion.
Inquest on the Bodies Of the Killed Testimony
OF Witnesses Human Life versus Piecs
Of Copper-Coroner Rollins Ad-
dress to tho Jury.

"Who shall be held responsible for the lives or
these men ~ Thus spoke sage-o0king German a.
he gaZed upon the shattered frame OF one OF tho
sufferers at Carmansytle yesterday, who had been
so near destruction while working, In conjunction
with Smith ana knox, on the occasion OF the iatA
explosion on wednesday afternoon last. The quea.
ton OF the philosophical 'Dutchman Is one, In the
present instance, that cannot easily be answered.
and although the inhabitants OF CarmansVille are
still excited as to the cause OF the accident which
cost these poor men their lives, and seem inchneo
to attribute 1t TO want precauton ON the part OF
those in charge OF the Blasting, still nothing has
been adduccd in evidence to establish charge OF
CULpABLrrY, OR NEGLIGENCE
against any OF the parties concerned. Since WedneS
day Coroner Rollins, assisted by Deputy Coroner
Beach, has made the fullest ana most careful Inv
legations, in ORDER II possible, ascertain II there
was any foundation for the assertion chat "due care
had not been taken, and the result was tho loss Of
life referred tO.u
In accordance with an arrangement published In
Fridays HERALD Coroner Rollins empaneed a jury
Yesterday afternoon, at Schroeder's HOTEL 14lst
street and FL ghrl avenue, and placed before them
what light he had obtained with reference 10 the
explosion. DR.. Beach was present and took the tes-
umony OF the Witnesses
THE FoREMAN's TESTIMONY.
Tho FIRST witness examined was Edward " Brieh
He stated that he was employed as foreman on the
works for Mr.. Sullivan, contractor who was under
the direction Of the Board or Public WORKS; at the
time OF the explosion they were widening tho boule-
ward popularity known as the Seventh avenue
The Coroner-What were you doing2
O,Brien-I have had charge OF the work or blast
| ing for two years and nine months on wednesday
afternoon last had drilled hole thirteen feet deep
| at l45th street and Seventh avenue Iput In
FIFTY POUNDS OF GUNPOwDER,
which filed the hole to Within two feet OF the top}
| alter doing this called Golden, the man who IS af
Bellevue Hospital, and Flannary and Herman to go
| ana 'tampn the hole ordered Golden to lamp
! the seam and Fiannary to tamp the hole; the
| seam Is an aperture made which leads to the hoei
| Herman and Delser were instructed to bring SAND
ana put IL in the hole and seam; had occasion % 70
| Deiser was putting sand into the hoe as hiernan
| brought it to hlnf was about to return to the
| hole and was within q hundred 1eet OF the DOred
| THE HOLE EXPLODED;
| I was taken terribly by surprise, and ran up ana
| saw Deiser standing IN the ravira with most o. nl9
clothes OF, which could see q u been on On are; !
| sent two men with him to my house; next saw
| Richard Knox lying in between the stones qdite
dead; Patrick Smith was not 10 be seen at tnat times
imne ediatey SET about to The stones, ana a.
| six o'clock his body was brought ous
| FRIGHTFULLY MANGLEp;
| he was. of course dead also; Golden and Flannary
| had been removed. 80 did not see them.
Before leaving to see the other foreman whas oio
81 gave Golden a piece Of hoop to tamp with
sSng an s set Feet ons tns iron o i
| usually joined WITH copper to prevent the IRON
| from ;,
| ssWas this rod copper pOintedW
| .No. sir; knew this one was not tipped with cop
per; th,s instrument il what we call tamping
| needlen
| Coroner-"why was 1t not coppereda"
ssThry not always coppereu, tnougn Ihey may
| no cal
| copper, but, have said, do not consider tlem
without copper nan with it it is very hart TO keep
| the points the tamping needles, especially on
such small rods as the one GoldcnWas usng as lucy
.Iiow do YOU account for the exposionp"
81 cannot account Tor this premature affair except
SPARK WAS ENaENDERED
by the iron rod coming IN contact with the rock As
last sand lii the hole when the powder exploded"
III the powder was below ten feet OF sand how
"The only way the spark could communicate with
| the powder must have been with tnat which was 10
! seam by some struggling grains. am totally
unable to state any other reason Tor this rlghiful
DISPOSITIONS OF THE WOUNDED.
! The Coroner next read the deposit ions which ne
had taken on inc previous dy t beevne os2ln .,
| q great measure the evidence given by O,BrIen.
ut is now expected said Dr. Beach That Golden,
the man who was so severely burned. VIII eventually
recover but the poor lad Deser (or Diceyl seems In
sad condition. and expressed an idea tnat ne Will
| not recover.
O'Brien was recalled, and when questioned as TO
the expense OF tipping the rods vita copper stated
that he believed IL not expensive operation.
but IL might have been the
EXPENSE ATTENDING THE CoPPERTyG
that prevented them being done; hence the disaster.
But lie maintained that Tor many years he had only
seen a few copper needles in constant use.
A Juryman- 1t not usual IN some places to use
dIl copper?
81 don't know: 1t may be so; but probably not In
stone, or rather sand, blasting
After number OF minute questions Coroner ROl-
Inns summed up and said :-"Gentlemen OF the jury,
you have heard the testimony OF the witnesses and
the deposiiions OF the wounded men; you have also
been acquainted with the results OF my own labors.
From the moment heard OF this calamitous acci-
dent resulting Ia the loss of the lives OF two OF our
fellow creatures ana bringing several others to the
brink OF premature graves felt 1t my duty TO S1lt
the matter TO tne foundation. This have done. 1t
was my duty TO do IL was also your duty TO con-
Ter and make full investigation into the cIrcum-
stances that led to the
| DEATH THE TWO MEN.
From the testimony adduced it would appear that
the usual precautions were tasen and that the pro-
cess OF blasting conducted i'll this case i'll the
usual manner. It seemg To be one OF those un1or-
tunate and unforeseen occurrences winch none but
| PROVIDENCE COULD PREVENT,
and though at 1rst thought differently, do nos
now see that we can attach any bianle to the par
ties concerned.n
Tie Jury consulted for few minuJes, and returned
q verdict to tile effect that Patrick Smith and Richard
Knox came by their death from an explosion ON
Wednesday, Desember il, 1870, while blasting IN
Seventh avenue the explosion beng purely acci-
dental.
il was remarked that the contractor did not put In
an appearance.