Morning journal and courier., 1881-11-18
Five Mems Wonderful Esc ape.
Blown One Hundred md Twenty Feet
 and Not a Bone Broken.

Blown One Hundred and Twenty Feet
 and Not a Bone Broken.
 From the Deer Lodge (Montana) New Northwest.]
 The principal grading of Clark's Fork Di- vision of the Northern Pacific railroad is be ing done in Hell Gate Canon, between New Chicago and Bear Mouth. About nine miles below New Chicago is what is known as s'the lower rock cut" The grade is 12 or 15 feet above Hell Gate river, and the rocky bluff out of which it is being blasted is 20 or 25 feet higher. On Tuesday morning of this week ''sand' or t'crevice" blast was set in this bluff The main blast consisted of seven kegs of black powder sunk to depth of 15 or 20 feet, with two smaller auxiliary blasts set with shorter fuse to open the crevice. It being but short distance below the compa- ny's store, Nelson Bennett, contractor, and F H. Anderson. bookkeeper, walked to see the shot. The fuses were fired, the men sought shelter, and two explosions followed in quick succession. Bennett said: ''The shots have all gone of; let's go down." some said, ''No the big shot is not of yet. !" but he kept on. Anderson, Robert Dunn, Mike Mccarthy and Charles Reichenberg fol lowed Some one back called out again : ''The big shot isn't fired yet !" Bennett, who by this time had reached the portion of the bluff which was mined, and saw the rock undisturbed, is reported 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 Morgan estimates at 300 cubic yards of rock out toward and into the river and carrying with it the men named. Some of them were thrown 12O feet out into the river even projected further than the bulk of the rock which filled up the river bed and turned it out on the southern bank. Those witnessing the sight were filled with horror, and it was not supposed one of the -unfortu- nate men would be found alive. Consterna- tion prevailed for the moment, and the workmen hocked from all directions. Their astonishment was great when one by one the exploded men began clambering out for the shore, and was complete when every one was t4ken from the debris and river to the shore alive All were more or less cut up about the head and some had cuts and bruises on their bodies.
 Their faces covered with dirt and blood, clothes mired and tattered and reeking with water, they presented a horrid spectacle, and thinking only skillful surgery could save them messenger sped to the telegraph office at New Chicago and requested immediate at tendance of Dr. Mitchell, from Deer Lodge. When the doctor arrived he found the men had all been taken to camp. their wounds bathed plaster applied to the cuts, and not 8 bone was broken in any of the five men who had performed that marvellous vault through 12O feet of space on 300 yards of rock, pro- pelled by villainous sa1tpetre. Mrs. Bennett, Mrs Nolan and Mrs Wells were fortunately in the camp, and next to surgical attention, which was scarcely necesss ". their m1nistrations had been skillful and successful EAIr. Bennett had some ugly face and scalp wounds, and Reichenberg also had a severe scalp wound. Anderson WAS somewhat bruised up. When Dr. Mitchell left Wednesday 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 dangerously hurt. Even before the doctor arrived they were joking about tAe adventure, Bennett claiming he made the best jump and the others asserting he started lover base" It is certainly the most remarkable accident, considering the circumstances and escape, we have ever heard of. The displacement of rock was enormous, the bulk moved being as large as the McBurney House. We have made careful inquiry as to the facts and the distance stated as that which the men were thrown as also the height of the cliff above the river and the above is the least es- innate made. Had the eruption been of earth, or had the men fallen clear in the water, or if there had been but one man and he had escaped. it would not have been so marvel ous. but that five men should be hurled 120 feet in air among thousand tons of granite fall with it and in it and among it, and capped with only few trivial cuts and bruises is beyond comprehension.