The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1874-11-05
rfTHO-GLYCER1NE.
TIE Expiosiss af Caribea Hil1-Mr. Fer
nan,s Escape.

The Boulder Nescs of the 10th brings us the fol-
lowing particulars of the ntro-giyeerine explo-
sion which came 60 near killing ID. W. Forman,
of Atchison:
ous parties and especially from c. l.. Collier, and
Mr.. G. l. Stebbns, are rs follows: nitro-glyc-
crime agent had induced the foreman of the Sher-
man mine to use his treacherous explosive About
twenty pounds of the fluid nitro-glycefine, con-
tanned in Jug OF can, stored IN the office OF
the Sherman mine shaft house, which office was
occRpied as the sleeping room OF the foreman. MI
VIM Parker. Mr.. Wm. Helm, who runs the whim,
was the only top hand that evening IN the shait
house. He was there all the time from o'clock
D. m, to the time of the explosion, except few
minutes absence 10 TO the blacksmith shop. early
in the evening. Ii appears from his Testimony
before the cOrOnrr's jury, that little past IL
o'clock, two of the miners having come IN TO go
down the shaft, he was sent to the Office 10 get
sone caps. He took hold of the knoll, and bav
ing opened the door about two inches, he heard
kissing sound, which was also heard By the two
men at the shaft twenty feet away. tie shut the
door quickly, but immediately opened It about
half way, holding lighted candle in his hand so
that he could see the corner in which the glycer
inc jug sat, and saw q black smoke curling up
| from it. He thea threw the door wide open, and
noticed a dark red blaze tiickering aronnd the
can, and seeming To issue from its mouth. Then
in haste, shut the door, running back to the men
at the shaft exclaiming, Ny God, the glycerine
| is atire.' The men started ont, Will stopping to
| unhtch the horse from the whini, and had just
| led him out at the door when the stunning shock
occurred, the door flying over him and his horse,
| both of which were Frustrated aud bruised by the
fearful eoacussion, the side of the bnilling fall
ing, and letting him through the aparture of the
door way, otherwise he would probably have
| been crushed to death.
The force of the plosion may lie inferred from
| the statement that uner w.bere the of nitro
| glycerine stood, hole was made in the ground
| six feet deep: the big. strong Sherman shaft
| house was utterly blown away, and the timbers
broken aud spntered line that there is scarce
| piece left larger than II stick of stovewood
| The PoOrman shaft hcuse, i0x60 situated just
below, and covering to the Sherman, was
also blown away, the debris scattered all the way
down to the mouth of the Caribou tunnel near
the foot of the hill. All that was left was little
| bit of the floor, in the further northwest cor
ner where Mr. Formau supposes he stood. The
loss of property is estimated at three thousand
dollars.
| There is much speculation as to the cause of
| the explosion. Most maintain that it was spon-
taneous that is, after being kept in the fluid form
a certain time, it natures, as the expression is,
and explodes of itself. 1t has been said that
Arnold aud FOrman, both owners in the Poorinau
had protested against the keeping OF the danger
Gus stuff so near them, and only day OF two be-
fore had especially urged for its removal.