Morning journal and courier., 1883-01-04
A Quarry Blast.

Sad Death Of Henry Vidmer nt West Rock Quarry-Premature ExpIosion- Companion DreRdHulIy Injured- Another Man Struck by Falling stones.
 Henry Vidmer was instantly killed and two other men were wounded by the premature explosion of 0 powder blast at West Rock quarry yesterday morning. The accident occurred about o'clock The quarry is on the northeast side of the rock, and the quar- rymen blast out sections from the face of ledge of solid stone that rises perpendicularly about sixty feet. The fatal charge was locat- ed about nine feet below the top of the ledge. Vidmer was about getting ready to fire the fuse when the premature explosion came. It sent great masses of stone of all sizes all around, and the eight or nine men working down below before they had time to think found the heavy masses flying all about them. 0. W. Blakeslee, proprietor of the quarry, was among them. For great wonder only one of the men at the base of the rock was injured. This was George Tohler, of Westville, who was struck in the leg. He was able to walk home with assistance. Those who escaped injury were c. W. Blakeslee, George Fleury, Daniel Doherty, John Hussey, George Waites, Fred Delfnger, August Johnson and | Charles Iindeen.
 l Vidmer and his helper Rourke were close | by the blast when the explosion occurred, | The former was killed outright. When | Thomas Corrigan and Daniel Doherty, two \ of the men employed on the steam crusher near by, reached the quarry, they found the body lying near the blast partly covered by | fragments of rock. The body was badly mangled, the head directly across from the upper part of the forehead having been torr entirely of. It was picked up several feet from the body. A piece of the face about af l was also found away from the body. One | arm was also blown away. and at noon had not been found. Patches of blood and brains were found spattered upon an out jutting part of the rock above the block Vidmer was evidently thrown upward against this projection and then fell back. He leavei @ wife, but no children, having lost three by death. He has been blaster for eighteen ! or twenty years.
 John Rourke, the helper, was blown abou i twenty-five feet by tho explosion, and wal taken out from beneath pile of rock weigh l ing five or six hundred pounds. He received | Q deep gash five inches long in his right leg and four or five bad gashes about tho head His face was badly burned with powder anC there were severe bruises about his arms anC other parts of his body. He was removed tC the hospital in q semi unconscious condition
 me proDHollltlos are hBhlnst ms recovery Rourke is 50 yeRrs old and lives at No.
 Vine street. He has wife and two chil
 dren, and like Vidmer bns been a quarrymal
 for some time.
 Coroner Bollman investigated the case
 The most plausible theory advanced wa
 that blunt iron instrument in Vidmer'
 hand, with which he packed home the charg
 of powder, struck fire, which ignited th powder. Other witnesses testified that Vid
 lner met with an accident in the same wny 2 years ago. No sure way of preventing suc
 accidents was known. Even with the utmos
 care such accidents might happen. A yer
 dict of accidental death was rendered. Tho funeral of Vidmor takes place this ai
 ternoon from his late residence on Hi
 street, Westvillo. Ho was 53 years of az
 and native of Valleynesons France.