The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1876-02-02
FATAL ACCIDENT.
Fifty Cans of Powder Explode
while Being Opened.
San Francisco Examiner

""haN AbN@eS Wv 50 '
San Francisco Examiner
A Camptonville correspondent fur
nishcs the Marysvillc Appeal the fol-
lowing; About nine o'clock Saturday
morning, while the miners in Winscl>
mann Il Cos diggingS were preparing
for one of those blasts in the high
banks, fifty kegs of powder exploded
by accident outside, while the iron
cans were being opened, iniuring fatal
" one of the men named yurgcn Hor,
wcgc, who, at the time was engaged i'll
opening them. As near as | can learn,
The accident happened while he was
trying Ia lift the iii of one of those
iron cans, after having it beaten loose
Ivy the use of a wooden mallgt. 1t is
presumed that, not being able TO get
hold of the lid with his hands, he used
one of those transfers knives with a
hook on, to pull the lid off, as the knife
with the hook opened was found lying
on the ground, although he denied
using anything but his tingcrs-he be-
ing sensible up to his death. The de-
ceased and others had opened fifty of
those cans among which were some
wooden kegs, and had six left, three
wooden and three iron ones, when the
explosion occurred. The cans after
being opened were put aside few feet
from those not open, and the whole of
the powder being placed on the ground
several feet elevated above the sur
roundings, hence likely the rest of the
men--Some five or siX-cscaped with,
out injury, and although the fifty
opened cans of powder exploded, the
six not opened, being within three or
four feet of the rest, did not explode,
though the screws of The iron ones
were somewhat melted and the wooden
kegs considerably charred.
Several of the men, who were all
within six to ten feet of it, when sees
ing the explosion, dropped to the
ground to escape injury. William
Horwcge, after the explosion, was seen
emerging from the smoke, his clothes
all torn and burned of from him ex-
cept around his waist where he wore Il
leather belt and his boots and the part
Of his pants which he wore inside OF
them, but the legs Of his boots were
scorched badly; he was roasted all
over; his hair burned TO a crisp, as also
his ears, and the roasted flesh torn of
his fingers to the bone; but strange his
eyesignt was not much impaired. Be
ing of very strong constitution, he ran
up on the hill where he dropped from
exhaustion, and was carried to his resi-
dence, about 4 quarter of mile, where
he died from the affects of his burn,
at 10 o'clock next morning. \ doc
tor arrived as soon as possible, but
could not save him.
The deceased was n native OF Ger
many, and has resided some fourteen
years among us, and leaves a wife and
four children mourning his untimely
death. He was a member of tn,
Yuba Light Infantry of Camptoaville
J.P. Brown, Captain, and was yester
day buried with military honors
which made it quite an imposing fu
neral for our village. The accidental
death of our neighbor will likely PROV
a warning to many of us, to be nor
careful with powder, especially in open
ing those iron cans. The victim il
this case used the hatchet first in open
ing the cans, but was prevented iron
doing so by his fellOw-workmcn, whcr
he used the mallet, and still Il sparl
must have issued while the lid was be
ing pulled off the can.