Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1870-07-01
Fearful Explosion at Worcester.
ONE MAN KrLLEp--25 WOUNDED.

ONE MAN klLLED--Zo WOUNDED.
The city of Worcester, Mass, wa
startled on Thursday forenoon of las
week by an explosion on the Boston q
Albany railroad, of nitro-glycerine
which it is claimed was struggled into
the rear freight car of the train, in boxe:
marked glass, one person, Timothy Gro
nan, section man, who was walking on
the track was blown to atoms, and SO
small pieces of human body were
found in various places, first reports had
it that several were The wounded were
those living in houses near the track,
none of whom it is hoped are fatally in
jured.
The gardens near by were stripped o.
every bit of vegetation and the trees of
their leaves and bark. The biggest.
piece to be found of the wood work o.
the last car was no bigger than PEN
stock, and the iron carwheels were brok-
en- up as fine as egg coal. Heavy bars
of iron were thrown quarter of mile
The brakeman Of the car had just gone
forward and thus saved his life. The
express train for Providence had JUS
passed by, and was so near that some o,
the windows in the rear car was shatter,
ed. The train contained q cars, and
was in the act of starting after stopping
at the junction. The scene of the disas-
ter was visited during the day, by 50,-
900 people. The total damage is rough
ly estimated at 100000. The most as
thing about the whole affair is
that only one person was killed, and that
SO few were badly injured. The total
number Of the wounded is about thirty.
An eye witness who was within about
twelve rods of the exploded car, gives
the Worcester Gazette the following &C
count:
When the train stopped the rear car
was lost to view in tremendous cloud
Of dust, smoke and fragments of all de-
scriptions. Immediately succeeding there
broke upon the car sharp crash. The
air was full Of debris pieces of blazing
nuslin-a portion of the freight-were
thrown to an incredible hight, and slow
y falling, alighted all ablaze, rods away
N the open fields Following the rear
of the explosion fragments fell thick as
hail upon the line of the road and the
streets surrounding, and when the cloud
cleared away the results were plainly
visible. The three last cars of the train
we're blown to fragments, and only the
ore truck of the third remained. The
rain stood at the time upon a grade or
I'M barkment, high above the level of the
street, so that only one-third, perhaps, of
he buildings alongside were above the
'ails. The other side was open country.
or several rods the buildings were de-
nolished. Laths and plaster were blown
0 the winds, as one would knock the
shes from cigar; partitions were
'lown out, windows and sashes splinter
d to fragments; bed clothing torn from
ne beds and flung into all sorts OF
iaces, and ruin made of what were an
Instant before secure and quiet homes.
Below the cars and ON the track itself
he rails were twisted from their places,
he ties were annihilatrd, and the axles
roken off and driven into the ground
Or half their lengths. In all directions
be shattered and broken iron work told
plain story of the fearful force that
ad been SO suddenly developed. For
DDS around, the contents of the cars
7ere scattered upon the track; pieces of
otton cloth, sides and scraps of leather
hoes, furniture, stationery Uttered the
DAD. The telegraph poles for several
hundred feet We're blown to pieces, and
he wires twisted into fantastic shapes
rooped from such as remained standing.
he wheels of the cars were blown to
fragments, and one of the pals that play
the ratchet Of the brake was picked
p half a mile away. It went whizzing
lto the kitchen of a housewife and
truck against the fireplace.
The platen of a large iron planning
lachine in the New York Machine
Works was lifted clear of its bed by the
oncussion. Children white about the
ps, and men and women with scared
ices, ran hither and thitLer. One man
elk in bed with rheumatism, was blown
Ut OF bed into an adjoining garden
Don was made manifest that remarka-
lie passion for relics, if not for plumber,
lat characterizes so many persons
hlngs that could not by any stretch of
lagination be useful we're quickly
atched up and secreted. Old pieces Of |
a'her, scraps OF writing paper, envel-
'es, soleless slippers, shred of muslin.
foot or two of wire, nothing was 81