Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1880-06-28
A SAD CALAMITY.
EXPLOSION OF A CANNON SATURDAY
NIGHT, 8
One Boy Killed and AOo,het Terribly
Wounded.

Saturday AFTERNOON, under the drive
ton OF j. W. Sweeney, the old baby
walker" was taken up onto Chaphne
IIill aud preparations made tor assisting
the big Hancock meeting by firing one
hundred guns.
About Ave O'Clock the firing com.
meuced aud was kept up nj regular
rate until shortly after seven when Il
ceased. Ia a short time rumors at a
most sirkpuing nature began Ia ciIcu
late tn the effect that the cannon had
exploded, that two boys hal been kilt
ed. and that dozen ot more people
were seriously Wounded, Eume with
brnk ON limhs aud others icarlully hruls-
rd up, An investigation ct the ALTAR
soon ,liscluscd the tact that u was indeed
true that the cannon hal hursted, ono
hay Vas dead and another was not cN-
pected Ia live, white several we've slight
" cut 10y dying pebbles.
The circumstances al the sad acci'eul
were ~ lnlluws
Several shots had been hred, ~ he
TORE stated, aud Il WAS decided 10 give
an extraordinary Ing report an then
knuck uil lot suppvr To this end, two
sacks III powder Wew put IN and lih
ctal amount 1T sal, which Was ramm,d
with slrdgc. \ loug fuse was then
pla ed 10 the touch hole. Tho crowd,
which was rather large, retired about
Rlty irct aud the light applied THIS was
lolInwrd hy report that wcmrd 4"
ramr lrum the earth itself aud one that
made every thug tTumhlO. NJ Suuu ~
the smoke cleared away Il was seen that
the cannon had expluded. the rlcrcs
we're lyIng around ia various plaCUs, and
tWu apparently lll'lesS torms were
stretched out uu the ,nd
The Rrst body picked M was that ut
John NeilrTt ~ Young hd ul about 10
wears at agr employed IA the lIrlmont
nlll aud residing at tho corner ct Jacob
aud Twenty second streets with his
widowed mother,
A piece ri the hurslcd gun had Strurk
him nn the right side uI lhc lace aud
carried away the right eye aud tcmplc
and a portion al the brain. The h"y
Mas slill alive, but Il was evident that
| his death WAS only u question ~ a short
time tie was removed u his home,
where hr Mas attended hN Ia
Wundrrhrh aud everything that would
pusslhly hc lone was douC, hut u was al
nn u.r. aud at p.W e. " ho dird tie
MAS utterly unconscious all the tune
IIr vua. ~ m,t, the main support ul hls
mothrr, aud hor griel WA somrlhius
terrible.
Hugh M,Carr,uk was nearly haluci
~ a lly,ng piece II the metal crushing
la part 1T the skull, which was a..
moved nr Edwards ha, this pslicut "a
change aud hsl night reported that hr
thnug ht'thr prospect, wee rather UNuu.
able lot lite
VIM. carney hal hls ynnt badly toIn
ou tho shoulder AMI his anu huuvwhat
hurt.
4 story wa. started later lU tho even.
NV o. the effect that Sweeney had
rammod tho uuu with lathe waste pIu
cured irsm the lnachine shops at RWl,
man n Go, and that ~ II was vet u hal
acted a. "a regular Ccmcni. lhiHS"oo''
p\ douiCa. although he sayH there was
Nastc un the gruuad aud that he hal
procured u, not tor tho pupose al ran,'
ming il tght, hut only to place u In
| lnoaoly 80 ~ to make u brilliant shower
/ ui aparkH with Wach IN pluslnn. None at
this hal bcen used, as the gun cApl0Iej
before dark.
The only wonder IN that more poupl,
were not killed AMI that nn damage u
property was done. One large poc,
weighing seyenty-seyen pounds wa,
thrown into the college, grounds and
tore up large hole In the lawn only 4
lew feet from where Mas Taylor, th,
president, was standing. u can thus 10
seen that tho force oi the explosion was
something terrific. Another and largc'
piece was hurled over the brow of th,
hill and came tearing down Twenty
SECOND street, stopping at Foil
The baby walker was cast with TIE
",non kIllor, at StrancS' foundry, whol'
Iuke's stable nov stands, about inriN
Years ago. II was made oi the hes
Pittsburgh metal AMI M explosion Snrl
aa happcuod MAS considered tmpuaslhlr
luI "A la. ,nn ipll