Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-11-30
Nitro-Glycerine HOrrors-Several Persons
blown TO Atoms.

HOrEOfH-SeNeEnl
BI0wn TO Atoms
Two nitro-glycerine explosions have occurred
during the present week. the first at Yonkers,
New York, and the second at ScrubgrAss, in
Pennsylvania. By the explosion near Yonkers,
two young men were blown to atoms and two
others were severely injured. The explosive
substance to be used for railroad blasting was in
wooden boxes, with the necks of the cans pro-
iecting in the same manner as those OF demi-
johns of oil of vitriol. The place was surround
ed by board fence upon each side ofwhich was
this notice danger, Danger, Danger Let
nothing tempt you to touch or even go near the
contents of the enclosure. tits nitro-glycerine."
1t seems that four young men living in the vii
| lage, and named respectively John Donnelly,
VIM. Terry, Michael Callagee and George Hill
resolved, in spite or the warning to test the eff
fects Of the nitro-glycerine, Callagee and Hill,
or one Of them, threw stones at the cans, while
their companions sheltered themselves behind
trees
BY the explosion which followed both Gala
/ gee and Hill were literally blown to pieces, frag
ments Of their clothing lodging among the trees
in the neghborhood At last accounts not 8
| vestige Of Hill had been found. Donnelly and
his companion were terribly lacerated, one OF
Ierry,,s eyes being so badly injured that it IL
/ feared he will lose it. The windows of a coach
house in the neghborhood were shattered by the
Il shock.
By the Pennsylvania explosion two men were
Killed, or annlhllated, VIZ ! DIR. IL. A. Wright and
| Harry j. Wolfe. Dr. Wright, who for about two
| years has acted as local agent at Scrubgrass Pa
/ Of the Roberts Torpedo Company, had occasion
/ to visit the magazine in which he was in the
habit of storing the nitro gyoerine which fur
/ nishes the explosive power Of the tOrpedoes.
/ This magazine was a small and unpretentious
/ wooden building, situated some distance from
| any dwelling, and upon the fiat, low land lying
| contiguous to the Allegheny river. 1t is sup
posed to have contained about three hundred
pounds Of the explosive compound. The Doctor
| and Wolfe, followed by two dogs drove a sleigh
| to the magazine. The horse was hitched to a
tree close at hand, and both men undoubtedly
left the sleigh.
1t s coniectured that they both entered the
magazine, certainly the Doctor did. and Wolfe,
if not inside, must have stood close by. They
could not have been there but very few mo-
ments when the explosion took place. The re-
port was deafenng; and was distinctly heard at
| Foxborough, fifteen miles distant. The force
| Of the shock may be appreciated when the effects
| are told. Where the building stood large hole
| was scooped out in the earth and dirt aud stones
were snatched out and hurled eighty rods. OF
the building there was left only peIces, and those
| Of the smalestposeible description. OF the two
men the remained nothing, at least nothing
discernible If | except few shreds of clothing
to which were clinging intinitesimal particles OF
flesh and bones The direction of the force
| seems to have been toward the river, and what
ever remained of the men was mercifully hid
from human eyes beneath the ice. One dos
went with the mem the other had piece Of
board driven through him, and was found lying
dead on the bank. The horse, strange to aa,
escaped with but the loss of one eye.