The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1881-11-04
4 MARVELLOUS ACCIDENT.
Five Men Blown l20 Feet in a Rock
Explosion and Escape Without
Serious Injury.
Into the He'll Gate and Out OF it.

The principal grading of Clark's Fork
Division Of the Northern Pacific Railroad In
being done in He'll Gate canon. between New
Chicago and Bear Mouth. About nine miles
below New Chicago Is what Is known Is "the
lower rock cut" The grade Ii twelve or hf-
teen feet above the He'll Gate river and the
rocky bluff out Of which 1t LIS being blasted Ii
twenty or twenty five feet higher. On Tuesday
morning Of this week " sand or "creyice"
blast was set In this bluff. The main blast
consisted Of seven kegs Of black powder
sunk to q depth Of fifteen or twenty feet,
with two smaller auxiliary blasts set with
shorter fuse to open the crevice. 1t being
but short distance below the company
store, Nelson Bennett, contractor, and +. IL.
Anderson, bookkeeper, walked down to see
the shot. The fuses were fred, the men
In quick succession. Bennett said, "The
shots have all gone off; let's 60 down." and
started down. Some said, "Nol the big
shot is not of yeti" but he kept on, Ander-
son, Robert Dunn, Mike McCarty and
Charles Reichenberg following, 8 ONE one
back called out again, "The big shot isn't
fired yeti" Bennett, who by this time had
reached the portion Of the bluff which was
mined and saw the rock undisturbed, is re.
ported to have replied, :. No, but she's going
now and SO are we." And sure enough they
did. The seven-keg charge exploded with
terrific force, throwing what Engineer Nor.
gan estimates ct three hundred cubic yards
of rsck out toward and into the river and
carrying with 1t the men named. Some OF
them were thrown 10 feet out into the river
being projected even further than the bulk
of the rock which filed up the river-bed and
turned 1t out on the southern bank. Those
witnessing the sight were filed with horror,
and 1t was not supposed one Of the unfortu'
nate men would be found alive. Consterna-
ton prevailed for the moment and the work
men hocked from all directions. Their as
constituent was great when one by one the
exploded men began clambering out for the
shore and was complete when every one was
taken from the debris and river to the shore
alive. AL were more or less cut up about the
head, and some had cuts and bruises on theil
bodies. Their faces covered with dirt
and blood, clothes mired and battered and
reeking with water, they presented horrid
spectacle, aud thinking only skillful surgery
could save them, q messenger sped to the
telegraph Office ut New Chicago and request
ed immediate attendance Of DIR. Mitchell
from Deer Lodge. When the doctor arrived
he found the men had all been taken te
camp, their wounds bathed, plaster applied
to the cuts, and not q bone was broken In
- 81 xxhn hnI al no
marvellous vanlt through 10 feet Of space OF
three hundred yards Of rock, propelled b,
villainous saitpetre.
Mrs. Bennett. Mrs. McLain and Mrs. Well
were fortunately in the camp, and next Il
surgical attention, which was scarcely neces
sary, their ministrations had been skillfu
aud successful.
Mr.. Bennett has some ugly face and scalI
wounds, and Reichenberg also had . sewers
| scalp wound. Anderson was somewhai
bruised up. When DIR. Mitchell left Wed
nesday morning all but one OF the men were
up and moving about comfortably, and it is
not thought that any of them are at all dan
gerously hurt. Even before the doctor Al
rived they were joking about the adventure
Bennett claiming he made the best jump ant
the others asserting he started cover Ease
1t is certainly the most remarka able acct
dent, considering the circum stances and es
cape, we have ever heard of. The displace
ment Of rock was enormous, the bulk movet
being as large as the McBurney House. w.
have made careful inquiry as to the facts and
the distance stated a. that which the mer
were thrown, rs also the height Of the cliff
above the river, and the above Is the leas
estimate made. Had the eruption been O
earth, or had the men fallen clear in tn,
water, or IL there had been but one man anc
he had escaped, 1t would not have been ~
marvellous, but that five men should b,
hurled 10 feet In air among thousand toni
of granite, fall with It aud in 1t and among
it, and escape with only few trivial cut
and bruises is beyond comprehension.