The daily gazette., 1879-05-06
BLOWN TO AromsS
Three Mem Killed ard Nh DanGer-
0sssIy WOumdlesl-.-N0re Than 0Ds
Humid red CnFu Wrecked. N

STRATFoRD, Ont, May 5, 1879.
AT half-past nine o'clock this morning
car containing some explosives con-
signed to Port Colborne for use In the
harbor works there blew up In the Grand
Trunk Railway yard at this place. :
Stratford is a busy railway station ON the
Grand Trunk, eighty miles west of
Toronto. The first reports from, the
scene of the explosion were, As might
naturally be expected, grossly exaggerat-
ed, but the fact Is that disaster unparal-
leled In the history of Canada has oe-
Cured. A wreck Of more than one hun
dred cars strewed the track in all direc-
tions, their contents being scattered over
an area of several acres.
Where the exploded car was standing
large hole was opened in the ground ;
the freight shed was wrecked, as were
fully fifty houses in the vicinity. Two
men were killed outright. a The poor
fellows were burned and shattered out
Of all resemblance to human form. The
loss is roughly estimated at $500, 900, hut
will probably not exceed $300, 600. The
shock wins felt all over the town. IL
was also felt at Shakespeare, Hamburg,
Berlin, st. Alarys, Mitchell and other
towns within radius Of twenty miles.
THE KILLED. 'iJ '-i % il
Thomas Dolan, of Stratford !; Frank
Lematne, of Montreal sDit" Pigeon, of
Montreal; George Hawkins, a car driv-
er, had both his eyes put out by a spllnt-
er and died to night. im II
INJURED. ii
James Drysdale, yardsman, severely
-- Flynn, goods checker, dangerous.
ly; Joseph Humphrey, badly cut about
the head and face, but may recover
Alfred Lamb, yardsman, seriously An
drew Porter, yardsman. dangerously.
THE EXPLOSION. 9'.4
The story is briefly this:---About half
past nine o'clock this morning four thou
sand odd inhabitants were startled by ,
deafening noise. The ground trembled
houses rocked and glass windows shiver
ed. Dwellings, shops and workshop
were einptied of their terror-stricken In
habitants. With returning confidence tn
| towns inhabitants fastened to the good
station of the Grand Trunk Railway
| Here seen of indescribable confusion
and wreck greeted the sight. The teTo
stricken people stood at a distance, afrai
to venture near, while large body G
railway employees were seen aStivel
moving about among the ruins.
SCENES OF AGONY. N.
Here, lying with sheet over them
| were the memberless trunks of Fran
Lemoine and edit" Pigeon, q switchma
| both of Montreal. While your CORES
| pondent was standing near these bodie
several railway employees kept adding
the pile-one a portion of skull, al
other "A shattered jawbone, others IL
and an arm. These and burned, crust
ed and torn trunk. were all that remain
ed of the poor fellow to whose identit
the only clew was that be had bee
standing opposite the carload Of dynan
ite just previous TO It's explosion. Thel
to the left of young Pigeon lay a ma
named Dollar, a native OF Stratford, b'
he had escaped dismem berinent, thoug
mass of flying iron had struck him Q
the temple causing instant death. In
improyised ambulance lay George HaN
kins, employed as a car sealer. He wi
not dead, but in condition worse ths
death. Two eyeless sockets and a teri
bly, cut and lacerated face gave eviden,
Of the suffering he was enduring, and
kind friends sought to ease his pain
became clear to them that he had suffe
ed bruises on the body such as left |
hope OF his recovery. a