The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1884-07-24

but without success. 1t was supposed
another attempt had been made just be-
fore the visit of Pulver, BurkhoIder,
Higgins and Page, and glycerine on the
lock caused the explosion. October
70. the same year, Gotham's factory
near Petrolia was the scene of an ex-
plosion. Gotham had gone to the
factory accompanied by his assistants,
Harry French and a young lad named
John Fowler. to manufacture an order
for four hundred pounds. Gotham was
was found dead in an adjacent stream
with no marks on his person. French
was picked up from the stream badly
mutilated, while but little was found of
young Fowler. twas supposed Gotham
and French had gone out and sat down
on the banks of the stream to eat their
lunch, leaving Fowler on top of the
tank to stir the compund while it was
heating.
February 9. 1880, while Howard
Hackett and Feeney were driving in a
cutter near Corwin Center, with one
hundred pounds of glycerine, the cut
ter upset. exploding the stuff. Hackett
was thrown fifty feet, badly mutiIated
and killed instantly. The horse and
cutter were totally demolished But
Feeney, strange to say, was buried in a
pile of snow and fence rails and not
seriously injured. December 10, Albert
Magee was killed on the Ward Farm,
midway between Bradford and Tar
port. He was heating seven cans in
the derrick at A G. SCOTS No. 5 well,
while his partners, Perry and Scott,
were making other preparations to put
in the shot. Perry's hearing was de-
stroyed and Scott's hearing impaired.
January 90, 1881, Andrew Lasher,
torpedo agent, and Joseph Cushing,
merchant, of Kinzua junction, were
killed by the explosion of 140 pounds of
nitro-glycerine, which was being
warmed for use. A number of others
were injured. The glycerine was in
the engine house, while Cushing stood
in the derrick. When picked up the
only visible injury was slight cut on
the head. February IA, F. A. McLain
was blown to atoms while driving a
cutter between Davis switch and
Junction, with 200 pounds aboard, and
on February l, Lorenzo Gathawait was
blown up by an empty shell near Rix-
ford. May 81, James Moore tried to
open can with knife at Parker and
was badly shattered He died next
day. September Z, Charles Rust went
to torpedo a well at Sawyer City. He
filled one she'll and tried to put the cap
oR without success. Picking up a ham
mer, he struck it twice. His head and
limbs were blown off. James Thrasher,
a tool dresser on the well, was killed in
stantly. ''Big Charley" Grouse, a amoon-
lighter present as asightseer, was killed
instantly. William Bunting, owner of
adjacent wells, lived eighteen minutes,
though unable to speak. He lay on the
ground with one hand upraised to
heaven and a look of mute appeal upon
his face. Fred Slattery, aged twelve,
and Melvine Hastings, aged fourteen,
had stopped on their way to school and
both were badly injured. Slatterly dying
later. Ed Wilson and George Sloan
were badly injured. October 13,
Roberts magazine, on Hatfield farm,
near Bradford, was blown up. Two
men had been seen going toward it but
moment before the explosion and it is
supposed they were killed. December
5, Roberts magazine at Kinzua juno
ton, containing 1880 pounds of glycer-
inc, exploded from spontaneous COM
bustion. Two employees had gone to
the magazine for glycerine in the
morning. They saw sulphurous smoke
issuing from the two top cans and re-
tired. Soon after they returned and
took eighty pounds of the stuff and
put it in their wagon. After driving
four hundred feet they became
frightened, unhitched their horses and
made off to safe distance, where they
watched developments through the
open door of the magazine. The smoke
gradually increased until at l1:30 the
explosion occurred. The eighty pounds
in the wagon remained intact.
The cause of the explosion was
said to have been imperfect
washing of the compound, the surplus
acid acting on and eating the tin coat
ing of the cans. December 81, John
McCleery was filing shell at a well
of John L. McKinney's, on Meek's
Creek, when the well began to flow and
1ftGOIGCE4 SbhIIcO 10 Ilu he shell
struck the derrick and exploded, knock
ing McCleery down. just as he was in
the act of rising the cans in the derrick
exploded and he was thrown one hun
dred feet, but jumped up and ran on
until he fell from fatigue and fright.
His coat-tails were cut off as clean and
smoothly as if done with shears and
his back was filled with pieces of tin
and splinters, but he was not otherwise
injured.
January 18, 1882, Charles E. Ber-
ridge torpedoed a well in the Allegheny
field, and having two quarts of glycer-
inc left, started to carry it back to the
magazine, near Bolivar. When within
twenty-five feet of the magazine it is
supposed he slipped and fell. His body
was torn to shreds and q hole was blown
IN the frozen ground two and half feet
deep and five feet in diameter. The
magazine, containing four hundred
pounds, did not explode, though several
boards were torn from the building by
the concussion. February % another
explosion occurred at the same maya
zine. killing John Graut. shooter, and
Chester Orcutt, aged twenty. How the
accident occurred cannot be told. The
pieces of the two unfortunate victims
were gathered up as far as possible by
r