The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-09-04
I" " hat old she strike you forr
AN EXPLOSION ~ ST. LOUIs.
What was Done by a Driver while SurpoInS.
cd by burning Dynamite.
~.

While Transporting wagon load of dy-
Mantle from Que sturenOu-u to another in 81.
Louis the other day, Frederick Julian
dragged forty or nfy rds. w.gon was
smashed, anu several buildings lev, lleG To- the
ground he driver was only slightly injured.
and was able the next dav to give a very Intel
Ieent account OF the explosion.
we nave two powder MAGAZINES" he said.
"in witch we store our giant powder. One Is In
Lowell and the other up ON the bottom land
near the Seven Nile House. In the former we
mad lot of damaged powder, some OF which
bad been stored there for more than wear and
q bali. Yesterday W ut uD to remove some Of
thus damased powder from the Lowell magazine
inches OF suwdust m the wagon aud then put la
ten nfy-pouud cases OF POWDER, On The top ~
wnich pat twenty empty boxes thdt | de-
sire1 also To remove. THIS he-ped the wagon
w lull, 40 IN & mad not even room TO INT my
feet dawn on the bottom III the wagon bed.
drove out on lieilefont me road. uidnt smoke
any on he way. Near the rte Of the Cemetery
smelled smC Ike. haven, the remotest idea
how tnat nru could have been aTted, but I'M
meoiately compreheuded tnat my load was
burning. Reached down, dropped the reins
aud pulled out the nearest box When lifted
II saw that II on nre on the hack side |
tossed IL cut OF the wagon and caught hold OF
the uox next to me, which was burning al
burned my h -nds pretty badly. Then saw that
the nrs nad started pretty well back, and As
burning in the sawdust and an along under the
emtv boxes, So t.at could not POSSIBLY get at
II 10 put II out. NV horses began To be irlgnt-
ened, too, and II yoa know anything about
dynamite you know that wnen II takes ire IL
burns with an intense heat. l WIS therefore
air id that II the load burned there It might set
hre TO some OF the houses. Accordingly let
the horses 40 toward the common.
By that time the flames were blazing up
ann the boxes aud detected the peculiar
odoT Of the burning DYNAMITE. 1 jumped on
the wagon and unhitched the horses. At the
same time u lot Of men came out aud began
tearing down Mrs. Clark's fence TO prevent II
from king DIRE. | led the horses about twenty
or thirty ieet away from the wagon and stood
holding them 10y the head aud loOklng al the
tnlng Is II burned. The men had the fen o
torn down and were standing IA little back, bnt
between Mrs. Clark's house and the walon
looking at tue blaze, 40 YOU can know IL must
have burned violently for some time. | was
ST. nding. as said, only just 80 as TO be out Of
rauge OF tue heat. with the horses between me
ana the wagon, wnen the explosion came. IL
Was an awful noise, but u utd not stun me So
but that hung " the horses and was dragged
forty or NIFTY Naris IN stare OF bewildernent
Tnea | lost hold OF the horses, but they ran
ouly few rods, aud went up and caught
them. They were not much hurt.
started with 90 pounds. l threw out two
boxes cont aiming 100 pounds, md from the
length OF tiuie II was burning judge tnat half
the remainder WIS consumed before the eXplO-
sion came. That would leave 3O pounds. It
was heard four or Ave miles in every direction.
The force OF the explosion didn't seem to come
nay way AT all. he stun is queer ABOUT the di-
rection Of It's violence. II strikes mostly down.
There were plenty of men between tho wagon
ana Mrs. Ciark's mouse, yet the house was shat
tered and the men only Slightly hurt"