The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1883-10-31

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from the horses back and clutched to some
bushes along the bank, where he hung and
screamed until rescued by Mr. Samuel
Bricker, who was passing along the pike.
Had not Mr.. Bricker happened along Just
when he did, the boy would have certainly
been drowned COG
FIVE MEN BLOWN TO AToMs.-TERRIFIc
EXPLOSION OF DYNAMITE At BROOKS Tux
NEL.-Sunday morning, at a. NJ, many Of
our citizens were startled by shock,
which even through the damp and heavy
atmosphere of SO rainy day as last Sun
day, carried the news of disastrous explo-
sion at Brooks Tunnel, eighteen miles
through the cloud-laden air. If We, at this
distance felt the shock, how much more
plainly and with what dread effect those
who were nearer the scene of the misfor-
tune experienced the same senStions can be
imagined, A gentleman drying over the
mountain between Salisbury and Grants
vile was almost thrown from his buggy by
the conclusion, and says the people between
those villages thought they had experienced
an earthquake. A church three miles dis
taut, on the west side of the river, had all of
its windows shattered. In Mrs hoblitzelrs
residence, a quarter of mile from the tunnel,
over Hog Back, fifty panes of glass were
broken. The fireman on engine 200. which
was $50 yards away, was blown from hls
seat, and the lagman Of the same engine,
J h., -.
thrown from his feet and so stunned as not
to fully recover consciousness for two hours
thereafter. The engineer of No. zoo was
among the victims, he having walked to the
mouth of the tunnel to soc if train No. 81
was coming, and on his way back stopping
at the powder house was blown to atoms rs
he crossed its threshold.
Brooks tunnel, the scene of the disaster.
pierces the rocky wall of Hog Back be-
tween Fort Hill and Ursina. 1t is $500 feet
in length and is now being enlarged by the
B. & o. r. e Co., SO as to enable them to
run double track through it. There are 125
men engaged in this work and II is estimat-
ed that it will take Is months to bring it to
completion. The explosives used in this
work were kept in powder house near the
the eastern approach 10 the tunnel, and adj
/ ioing it on the side nearest the tunnel were
two watch houses. In the powder house at
the time of the explosion were % boxes of
dynamite containing 90 lbs each, making
in all 1850 pounds, or enough to have blown
up the Capitol at Washington. There were
in the powder house and watch hous-
es at the time the following men
WN. DEAN, blacksmith for the company |
s. years of age; he resided in eonnellsyille |
and leaves a large family.
RUSH BURcHFlELD, blacksmiths assistant, /
aged -, was a single man and resided in
Grafton, W. Va.
ROBERT HAMMOND, a young man 10 years
of age, watchman of powder house, and is
said to have been most careful and pru
dent man residence Cumberland, Nd.
GEO. REYNOLDS, engineer Of No. zoo,
whose unfortunate pause at the powder
house cost him his life, leaves wife and
two children in Confluence.
CHAs. TIssUE, the last of the unfortunates,
was a young man of - years, and leaves
n bride of but three months to mourn his
sad death. He was flasman of No. 100 and
came from Corvallis Va
No cause can bo given for the explosion.
The caps with which the dynamite was ex-
ploded when used in the tunnel were kept,
as matter of precaution, a mile distant
from the powder house on the other side of
the tunnel.
1t would have taken 100 degrees OF heat to
cause an explosion, and it is known that
the stove which was kept in the powder
house in order to prevent dampness, had
but small fire in it at the time. Dynamite
is simply fullers earth saturated with nitro
giycerine in order to render it less explosive
by ordinary conclusion, and ordinarily it
can be handled with comparative safety and
even thrown upon the ground without dis
astrous consequences. We can see, however,
how an air cavity in the earth contained in
boxes might absorb and hold enough of that
dread agent of destruction to cause an ex-
plosion in case of a falling box, and such
may have been the cause of this disaster.
The force of the upheaval was towards the
South-east away from the tunnel, and thus
this work was umnjured. Our reporter was
early on the ground Monday, and found the
sorrowing comrades of the dead gathering
such fragments as they could find among ,
the rocks and bushes, for intermcnt. They ,
had already made up live little piles of these ;
narrowing relics and sent one of them to
each of the stricken families. In doing this
work of love they had seught 10. as far as
possible, to identify at least some part of the
remains of each the color Of the hair a
hand, a foot, the shreds of clothing all were
carefully studied by loving and sorrowing
eyes, SO that if possible they might send at
least some portion of thei- mortal remains '
to their loved ones. With the exception of
the disfigured trunk of Dean, whose face was ,
and the lower part of whose 4,
arms and legs were blown of, all that was 7
found of the men who were killed could !
have been placed in box twenty inches !
square. While our reporter was on the }
ground, the men who were searching the
Hillside gathered together another small
pile of fragments, and placing them this =
time unfortunately in 4 small box buried
it on the top of the hill over the tunnel. Too }
much cannot be said in praise of the fellow ,
labOrers OF these unfortunates, who, losing ,
all save loving pity and human kindness,
stopped work for a day, and searched every
bush and crevice that they might gather to- [
gether for interment the remains of their
friends. Trees were scaled and cue down to o
be robbed Of their horrid and unnatural
fruit and no work was thought too great or
two narrowing in the performance of this !
sacred duty. The men who have lost their
lives were faithful servants 10 the company
who employed them, aud universal ayorites
among their fellows.
An excavation 10 feet in circumference
aud five feet deep marks the spot where the
powder house stood. while the timbers of the
three houses were torn into splinters sew
en- or eight trees Immediately back of the
building were blown completely out of the
ground the telegraph wires for 20J feet :
were wound tightly around the poles while
rocks away up on the mountain were bespat-