The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1871-05-27
A xitro-GIycerine Horror.

At twenty-five minutes past one O'Clock
on Yesterday afternoon, four hundred pounds
of nitro gl ycerine in cans, loaded oa q wagon
bound from Titu.vills to Tidioute, exploded
about three quarters of q mile this side of
Enterprise, on the public highway leading
from Titusville. The driver, Mr.. Charles @.
Clark, who is one of Roberts & Co.'S most
careful agents, was blown to atoms, es also
was tho horse aud wagon. A large circular
excavation, about four or five feet deep and
twelve feet in diameter was made in the
middle of the road the fences and trees for
q considerable distance on either side were
shattered into fragments. A barn, the prop
erty of Mr.. Confer. about forty rods nearer
Enterprise, was blown to pieces, and the
whole neighborhood converted into q COM
plete wreck. The butt end of the drivers
whip was driven distance Of nearly quar-
ter of a mile, passing through a window IN
Mr.. Arnamine's house, and knocked his
wife senseless. Several persons at remote
distance from the scene Of disaster were so
stunned by the shock that they arc coDfned
in bed. The houses all along the road lead
ing into Enterprise were more or less injured,
being twisted out of shape in such manner,
as to prevent the opening or shutting OF
windows OF doors. The shock was like that
of an earthquake, extending for miles and
country and distinctly heard in this city
Several houses here were shaken to their
foundations. On Church run the report
sounded like a boiler. explosion, and in this
vicinity like the low rumbliDg Of an earIhr
quake. DIR. Raguel, with the exception Of
the unfortunate CLARK, was the nearest indi-
vidual to the explosion. He was on horse
back on his way to Tidioute, and had made
an attempt 10 pass Clark's wagon, but fell
back to allow his going down hill. AT the
instant of the explosion RagueI was about
sixty rods in the rear, and the ccncusslon OF
the air almost unseated him, and forced both
him and his horse backward. He was 80
stunned that he staggered, and the rider
received so severe a shock that he could
hardly realize the situation. Immediately
after the explosion telegram was sent from
Enterprise to this city, aud large numbers
of people visited the scene Of the disaster.
Strange to say Cark's face was found almost
entire. without the skull. One eye was blown
out and the other wss open, glaring and
transfxed in death. The mouth aud nose
and mustache were perfectly natural, and
apparently be had not time even to put on
an expression of alarm. All the remaining
portions of the body were scsttered so widely
and SO torn into such diminutiye fragments
that it was difficult to tell which belonged
TO the man and which to the horse. Az the
time our reporter reached the spot the sup
posed human remnants wore lying IN bas-
ket. A telegraph pole on the roadside bore
strong evidence of instantaneous demolition,
leaving the wire intact over the head. The
woods on the upper side of the road were
set on fire in several places, but it was sub
sequently extinguiShed. Tho appearance of
VIII at was once the horae and wagon beggars
all description. The forsquarters of the
animal was lying In the roadway. the shoes
of the fore feet gone, and the entrals and
hinder parts scattered while broken shaft
and small pieces of steel and iron were all
that could be collected of the wagon. The
fragments of steel were for the most part
twisted into peculiar shapes and broken
with ragged sdges.-IHusriUe Herald, Sat
urddy.