The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-10-30
TERRIBLE EXPLOSION.
Twelve Hundred Pounds of Dynamite
Causes Fearful EEavoc-Five Men Blown
10 Atoms.

PrTrsBURG, Oct ga frightful explosion
occurred So miles from this city Yesterday
morning at Brooks Tunnel on the Baltimore
& Ohio railroad. Twelve hundred pounds of
dynamite exploded, killing five men, the crew
of freight train sde-tracked short distance
from the scene. The men were walking along
the track near where the dynamite was stored.
The remnants OF the men were gathered up
and were unrecognizable. The engineer of
the train, named Reynolds, resided with his
family at Confluence. His body was blown
over the hillside. One foot, a hand and por-
tion of leg were found and recognized by a
ring on one of his fingers and by his torn over
alls. The remnants of what constituted the
anatomy OF three persons is all that can be
found, and all were unrecognizable. Trees
were uprooted and rocks were blown into the
river in the vicinity of the explosion. The
place where the powerful stuff was stored
looked as If an earthquake had taken place.
The solid rock is scooped out for 100 feet
square and 80 feet deep. The report Of the
shock was heard fifty miles distant and win
powS were broken in a town seven miles away
Three of the killed are Geo. Reynolds, en-
gineer; Tice, hagman, and Hammond, switch
man, The other victims are blacksmith and
helper, whose names are unknown, who were
employed at the tunnel.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
CONFLUENCE. Pa, Oct ga terrible disas-
ter occurred near Brooks Tunnel on the Balti-
more & Ohio railroad yesterday at o'clock
a. M. resulting in the instant killing of five
men. The railroad had been strengthening
and widening the tunnel, and some distance
outside a magazine had been erected, in which
was stored 1900 pounds OF dynamite to be used
in blasting. At about the hour named a
freight train had just passed through the tun-
mel and side-lracked to allow an overdue pas
senger train to pass. -Four of the crew Of the
freight train walked back in the vicinity of the
magazine and were engaged in conversation
with a watchman, when people living in the
vicinity were startled by terrific conclusion.
Houses for fifteen miles around we're shaken to
their foundations and windows at distance of
seven miles were shattered. The horror
stricken people ran from their houses, and
upon investigation it was found that the dyna-
mite had exploded with fearful effect. Every
thing in that vicinity gave evidence of the
terrible force of the explosion. Trees were
uprooted, huge rocks torn asunder, and tele-
graph poles for half a mile were Frustrated.
Nothing remained of the magazine,
just before the explosion were missing.
All must have been instantly killed. Portions
of their bodies including legs, arms, hands and
heads have been picked up half mile distant
but SO bsdlydisfgured as to be unacceptable.
The names of only three of the victims are
known, namely: George Reynolds, engi neer;
Tice, brakeman and Hammond the watch
man. The cause of the explosion is evidently
mystery, and as the five. men who might
throw light on the subject are dead it is proba-
BILE the cause will never be known. Not far
from the scene a gnn was fred and it is sup
posed one of the victims discharged it, the con-
cussion causing the dynamite to explode. An
inquest was held to-day by a coroner and a
verdict of accidental death was rendered.
Great excitement prevails and hundreds of
people have gone to the scene of the disaster.
PIrTsBURG, Oct. 20.-The following is a
complete list of the killed: George Reynolds,
Confluence, Pa, Charles Tice, fagman, Con-
fuence, Pa, Robert Hammond, watchman,
Cumberland, Nd, w. A. Dean, tunnel black
smith and FL. R. Burchfield, helper both OF
CORVALLIS, W. Va