Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1876-09-14
An Explosion in st. Louis.
Surrounded by Burning Dy-
Mantle.
From the Globe-Democrat-

What was Done by a Driver while
Surrounded by Burning Dy-
Mantle.
From the GIobe-Demoerat.
While transporting o wagon
load of dynamite from one store
house to another in st. Louis
the other day, Frederick Julian
was dragged forty or fifty yards,
a wagon was smashed, and sew
eral buildings levelled to the
ground. The driver was only
slightly injured, and was able
the next day to give a very in
telligent account of the explo-
sion.
owe have no powder maga-
zines," he said, sin which We
store our giant powder. One is
in Lowell and the other up on
the bottom land near the Seven
Mile house. In the former we
had a lot of damaged powder,
some of which had been stored
there for more than a year and
a half. Yesterday / went up to-
remove some of this damaged
powder from the Lowell maga-
zine to the other, to have it rem
ovated. / put four inches of
sawdust in the wagon and then
put in ten fifty-pound eases Of
powder, on the top of which L
put twenty empty boxes that 1
desired also to remove. This
heaped the wagon up full, so
that l had not even room to put
my feet down OH the bottom Of
the wagon bed. / drove out on
Bellefontaine road. l didn't
smoke any on the way. Near
the gate of the cemetery l
smoke. | haven't the
remotest idea how that fire could
have been started, but l imme-
comprehended that my
load was burning. l reached
down, dropped the reins and
pulled out the nearest box.
When | lifted it | saw that it
was on the back side. / tossed
it out Of the wagon and caught
hold Of the box next to me,
which was burning still more.
| threw that out, too, and in do
ing so burned my hands pretty
badly. Then l saw that the
fire had started pretty well back.
ard was burning il. the sawdust
and all along under the empty
boxes, so that | could not pos
5ibly get at it to put it out. My
horses began to be frightened,
and if you know anything a.
bout dynamite you know that
when it takes fire it burns with
IN intense heat. | was there
fore afraid that if the load
burned there it might set fire to-
some Of the houses. Accord
ngly | let the horses go toward
he common.
'By that time the flames
we're blazing up among the box
IS and l detected the peculiar
odOr of the burning dynamite.
[ jumped off the wagon and
lnhitched the horses. At the
same time a lot of men came
1ut and began tearing down
Mrs. Clark's fence to prevent it
rom taking fire. l led the
horses about twenty or thirty
eet away from the wagon anI
stood holding them by the head
md looking at the thing as it
burned. The men had the
ence torn down and were stand
Dg little back, but between
Mrs. Clark's house and the Wag-
IN, looking at the blaze, SO you
AN know II must have burned
for some time. was
tanding, as l said, only just so
IS to be out Of range of the
leat, with the horses between
ne and the wagon, when the
explosion came. 1t was an aw-
Ill noise, but it did not stun me
o but that | hung to the horses
nd was dragged forty or flty
ards in a state Of bewilderment.
Then | lost hold Of the horses,
'ut they ran only a few rods,
nd l went up and caught them.
hey were not much hurt.
II started with 500 pounds.
threw out two boxes cOntain-
Dg 100 pounds, and from the
,ngth of time it was burning
Judge that half the remain
er was consumed before the
XplOsion came. That wouIl
ave 200 pounds. 1t was beard
)ur or five miles in every di-
ectiOn. The force Of the eX-
losion didn't seem to come my
-ay at all. The stuff is queer
bout the direction uf its vio-
nee. 1t strikes mostly down.
here were plenty Of men be-
yeen the wagon and Mrs
'lark's house. vet the housp was.