Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1882-11-26
A Coal Minsr Places Sticks Of
Dynamite 10 an Oven to
Thaw.
a Terrible Explosion Follows
nurIing His Wife and Child
Into Eternity.
On Beholding the Ghastly Remaln'
the husband Attempts to
Commit Suicide.

rible explosion Of dynamite occurred at
Bellyiew, tRo miles from here, last night,
resulting in the killing of two persons,
and seriously injuring several more. The
particulars have just reached this place.
About quarter OF a mile below the coal
mines of Gumbert & Huey, on the Monon-
sal ella river, is the home OF Hale Forsythe,
a miner employed in the works of the
above mentioned firm. Here Forsythe
has lived for some time with his wife and
three children.
About two weeks ago some miners
employed in Walton's mines came to
visit Forsythe, and we're at his house a day
or two. During their stay they proposed
to Forsythe that
They should Go Fishiag.
They did not care about the old, slow
method OF capturing one fish at time,
with hook and line, but told Forsythe they
knew OF much better plan, which was, to
use dynamite. The miners had some OF
the explosive material with them, and they
went to the river and used il quite success.
fully, killing about five hundred pounds OF
fish. Some of the people living in the
neighborhood who saw tbe wholesale
slaughter of 6sh, protested against 1t and
even threatened 10 prosecute the men, but
as they were very poor nothing was done
The visiting miners went home and For
syihe determined to do some hshing on hls
own account with the new bait. Yesterday
morning he went TO the quarry OF Mr..
Fleming, on the Youghioghsny river, and
I.l hn
Fleming wanted to know what it was to be
used for and Forsythe said he wanted to
blast some rocks near his house. Fleming
then agreed to let Forsythe have
Foar sticks OF Dynamite.
weighing in all about a pound He saw
that Forsyth was ignorant of the nature OF
the explosive and also of the manner in
which to handle it, and so he told him that
the stuff was frozen and was useless in
that condition. He explained 10 Forsythe
that il the sticks Of dynamite were placed
and be ready for use, and also
told him that if proper care was given to
the thswing process there was no danger OF
en- explosion. Forsythe seemed TO under
stand the directions given TO him, but he
did not fully comprehend the power of the
material and the liability Of explosion
from heat About half.paSt five O'Clock he
went home and told his family about the
dynamite, but none of them were alarmed,
as they, too, were ignorant of its qualities.
ForSythe took the sticks of dynamite from
his pocket aad placed them in the oven of
the kitchen stove. lie then went oil TO the
coal works where he was a quarter of an
hour later when he heard a loud report,
and in a few minutes he was told that there
had been an explosion at his house and all
OF his family had been killed.
AaIf Frantic ut the News,
he ran to the house and found the report
was true in part, az least. After Forsythe
left the house his wife and children sat
down TO supper al a table near the stove
whore the dynamite was. While the chill
dren were laughing about some joke,
there was a frightful noise, the stove was
blown into tiny fragments, the entire end
of fbe house, which is q two-Story frame
building, was wrecked, and the mother and
her little ones were hurled in different
directions and were cut by flying pieces of
iron and glass, or violently thrown against
the walls. A sorry spectacle il was which
greeted forsythe and his friends when they
reached the once cheerful little home. Mrs
FOrsythe was cut and gashed i'll most
frighIful manner. She had been sitting
close TO the stove and the pieces of iron
truck her in over thirty places, giving her
the appearance of person who had been
RiddIed with Buckshot.
She cannot possibly recover. Charley
Forsythe, the youngest of the children and
about five years old. was terribly bruised
and cur, and died rot long after the acci
dent occurred Robert Forsythe, seven
years DID, was cut about the head and body.
| His injuries are serious, but he will not
| die. Willie, the eldest of the boys, escaped
with slight cuts on his feet. Poor For
sythe is almost crazy about the affair." and
constantly eXclaims that he is to blame
| for the disaster. He wanted to commit
suicide, but was prevented. The man in
reality does not seem to have known what
was liable to happen, and of course could
not he blamed. Mrs. Forsythe was a
daughter of Mr.. Huey, one Of the tirn for
whom Fursythe worried. The coroner has
been notified of the boys death.
Later Information From the Scene
of the accident is to the effect that the eld.
est boy, aged eight years, had just arisen
| to get drink, and was not more than two
feet from the stove and facing it when the
explosion occurred. The mother was
seated with her back to the stove and the
two younger boys by her side, The boy
near the stove received the full force OF
the explosion, which was terrific. The
hoy standing near the stove was thrown a
! distance of twenty feet, and was found in
a cave in the yard. He was horribly man
gled, and died from the effects OF his inj
ries about two hours after the occurrence.
The entire portion Of his body was opened
as though the flesh had been cut away
with knife, exposing the entrails. Both
arms were twisted from their sockets, and
cne leg was almost severed at the knee.
Forsythe was in q swoon for several hours
after the accident. W. f. Thompson
ESQ, acting for the Coroner, has impan
elled a jury, ana is holding al inquest
this afternoon on the remains Of the dead
boy.