The New York herald., 1876-09-06
WHAT SIX QUARTS ACCOMPLISHED
Three Men Blown to Atoms and Seven
Seriously Wounded.
LIST OF THE DEAD AND INJURED.
Horrible Scenes OF Wreck
and Ruin.

heartrenGng ng accident occurred yesterday morning
the United states government excavation works at
He'll Cate which are under the direction OF Major
General Newton, in charge OF the federal engineering
improvements the port and harbor OF New York
BY this sad disastrous, well as
unaccouniable accident, three los. their
lives, who were blown pieces instantly
by the explosive force OF nitro giycerine and
seven others have been quite seriously injured, some
OF whom will probably remain dishgurcd for liie The
explosion burst on the ears of the unfortunate victims
half past O'clock and blasts are frequent IN
that neighborhood did attract any attention for
some moments, those in the vicinity believing that the
noise came from one the usual blasts that
,ng at the He'll Gate works.
CAUSE OF THE CATASTROPHE
John Doyle, aged twcntyseven years, who leaves
wife and two children watchman at the works
and lad also been messenger Tor General Newton to
the works and from them, carrying messages and
packages sometimes OF nitro-gycerne from Cover
nors Island ana the mandatory Black Tom
Island the Jersey Flats Comm unpaw, to tho
He'll Gate excavation Yesterday morning, at about ten
minutes past nine O'Clock he on board OF the gov
crnment diamond drill scow, which lies Off the blast
ing shaft at Astoria Doyle, who reported TO the
assistant engineer and superintendent OF the flash
Ing operations j. II. Strednger had with him Six tin
full Of nitro gycerine, and in each can was con-
pounds and half-in all about fifteen pounds OF the
deadly liquid. By mshap or trip up
by other trivial mistake Which involves
soncusson, it will not explode otherwise
The six quarts of glycerine suddenly
exploded, and in an instant and imultaneous
with the report the air was darkened with bleeding
fragments Of human bodies and splnters Of timber
wooden shanty ten feet In by ten feet in
height was blown aiar or beyond the Gate ITSELF the
deck OF the scow was covered h debris and about
dozen men who on the deck Of thescow were
hur,lcd right and left as II they many straws
The superintendent Streidnger. who has littc Office
aft and elevated above the deck OF the seow, shaken
hard that he had to lean his oesk TO steady
himself on his feet while received shower of
mucase and ink from the bottles that bounded from
his desk. The clerk of Stredinger, young man, who
had Office to himself little forward of his super
iors, was also shaken, and small rowboat, lying
under the ovcrhang of the scow, was blown
OF tho water and into small pieces
All around the scow the effect upon every
hing within reach OF the explosion awful
A large hole blown in the deck OF the massive.
heavy scow which constructed OF layer upon layer
yellow pine and all tho glass panes in the pointed
kkylight which overhangs tho square caisson which
surrounds rock that needs the incsion OF diamond
drill The captain of the tug boat westphalia, whsh
was in the vicinity the time OF the explosion
badly stunned two OF his crew, and II Is said
that unknown man, whose body has not been found,
blown from the government tug into
the river This however, Is not positive. as the
is not named Tho leg of mutila,ed victim also
yaid to have been found in tree at some distance
from the accident, but the HERALD reporter failed
6nd any evidence OF the fact
The small shanty cabin at the forward end OF the
used for divers to dress and also hold
xUl,,Ia .y
10 the gazine. Not of this shanty left
Henry Luerssen, aged thrty-threc years, a native
Of Hanover, Germany, residing in First avenue, be-
0dth and l07lh streets Parts Of his body
picked oil the water the cntrails and brains having
taken out quite neatly by tho terrible explosion
The entire front OF the face torn off, and both legs
ms we'll as an arm completely severed from the
body Luerssen known a careful, sober a2d
trustworthy man, and had bcon employed for six
years by Engineer S,rcidnser He had handled thou
sands pounds Of this kind OF material and had
met with accident before.
John Hickman, nged twenty-seven years. has two
sisters, for whom he kept house at No. $50 South
Second street, williamsburg Hickman's body was
frghtfully mutilaied. His legs and all
broken, his feet falling off and his bones protrudng
through the skin in different places The head
also torn and jagged.
John Doyle of No. 1877 Sackett street, Brooklyn.
leaves a and two little girls ageo and lvc
years respectively. Doyle a fine, healthy looking
man. plank or jost some large piece of wood
must have been driven with terrific force between the
thighs of this poor victim, the under part OF his
abdomen all gashcd aud torn and his trunk hang
ins to his limbs by snreds and patches Of flesh
woUNpEp.
Captain James Doris. of the government tug, or
rather drilling raft serious internal injuries, struck in
,hc stomach by a flying board and deep cut the
back oi the head Not expected to live
Jacob Peterson, of Astoria. head and face cut and
bruised terribly, and arm broken
Charles schmiat. dsiocation of right wris, and arm
forehead and under the lett eye dangerous con-
dition may supervenc from inflammation.
Frank PIKE, right arm broken IN TWO places shoulder
disocated and all the flesh The spine 10 also be-
leved TO be dangerously injured.
Henry Hascy, Astoria, baay smashed all over the
BODY, and viii not live Is thought Conveyed TO his
home In Astoria. The shoulder IS badly smashed
John Dobson, wrist broken aud other slight injuries
George School lying the deck painting from
serious internal injuries Hands badly smashed and
face terribly cGI
Nearly all oi those men were injured by the flying
timbers that driven hither ana thither by the
mad force OF the nitro ycernc IL is quite probable
that Luerssen was sioopiug over the quart cans
OF the explosive which looks like train train oil HIS
face was torn away and legs severed and Doyle u is
thought must have also been pass The Lucrs
ken as the lower part OF his body SO terribly man
glcd that he must received his injuries while a
STOPPING position Luerssen leaves wife ana boy
Luerssen active generally as foreman OF the workers,
quite cool in his judgment and deemed
reliable than any other under
Stredinger. the superintendent The remains OF the
dead had to be swept up on the deck OF the
Just the refuse cleaned up in slaughter house,
The huge scow, 140 feet lona 81 feet width at the
middle and 40 feet wide at each end resembles of
those huge affairs that used TO transfer OF
steam railroad cars from depot depot the rivers
at different points near New York city
THEORIES
Lucrsscn II is said by some few OF tho Survivors
and Hickman was also ia the little shaniy No one, II
presumed Will know what occurred as the poor
fellows are dead who may have charged themselves
with this frightfu accident
SUPERINTENDENT srSE1DiNGEE's STATEMENT
This gentleman is German aud was IN charge OF tue
works lie Is called the "syccrne mao' by The en-
ployes, who have work oight hours = day IN Tue
shaft Mr. Streidingcr was yesterday very much ex
cited and did not at FRS, wish 10 give any