Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-04-25
4 RIDE OF TERROR.
Harvey McHeury's Short Experience wit
Jumping Nitro-fflvcarine.

Jumping Nitro -Glycerine.
Monday morning Harvey AIcHenry
started from Clean, N. Y, with a loa,]
Of nitro glycerine for the Bradford, Pa,
oil district, there being 50 quarts, all
told, in tin cans. The road through
Berger Hollow is one Of the worst il
the district, being narrow, rough, hilly
and slippery. McHen1y was driving
carefully along, and while descending q
very long and steep hill, on which The
wagon kept sliding from one side of the
road to the other, the pole suddenly
snapped in two and the wagon ran
against the heels of the horses. They
Immediately started on q run down the
hill. McHenry says that he could feel his
blood turn cold in his veins, knowing
as he did that o. much less disturbance
to cans Of nitro glycerine than the one
to which the jolting of his wagon was
subjecting those in his charge was in :;
great maj ority of cases sufficient to c>-
plode them; but when he saw thai {.
collision between the wagon end trve
that stood by the roadside was newt
able, he closed his eyes and waited fo,
the explosion from which there nov
seemed to be no possible escape.
The wagon struck The tree, bat to the
surprise and JOY of the teamster no e.,
plosion followed. Believing that such
unexpected and unprecedented goo,
fortune. as thai could not possibly con
tinue, McHenry resolved to jump from
the nitro glycerine magazine as vas
carried flying down. the hill, j.
Jumped, and, striking against tree,
d1slocated one knee and injured hi.
spice. The wagon had gone but a e.
teet, when, to the horror of the heb
less teamster, it was over turned. Still,
tor some unaccountable reason, the NJ
tzo,-glycerine did not explode. The
horses fell to the ground and, in their
ehorts TO regain and keep on their feet,
they dragged the wagon until
1t was overturned four times.
This occupied but few mo-
ments. but to McHenry, lying HELPLESS
at a spot where, if an explosion occurred
there would not he tree left standing
nor the fragment 0 rock, and he him
self would be torn to atoms, the time
seemed an age agony The horses
n mai broke loose from the wagon and
ran away. That was the last McHenrv
remembered until he was picked ND
and an e carried to a house near BY. Some
men mel Working alta wellin q lot 300 wards
away W. had seen the runaway, and know
ing the wagon to be nitro glycerine
wagon, they had lost no time In placing
stiil greater distance between it and
tnease Ives, as the possibility of an ex-
ploslon being averted was not for an in
slant stan expected by them. When the
horses broke loose, theypwent te Nc
Henry's aid No instance is on record
IN IN the OIL region where nitro-glycerine
! was ever subj ected to SO severe 5 test
without '''ibl an explosion following. That
3 none occurred IN this case Is only no.
counted for by the fact that the ma
terlal & had nag been stored in the wagon
Z, with unusual care and regard for safety
/, N 1742 the Philade lphiia postoffice
was on Market .treet, near Front. md
sat that time William Dnnlay was nost..
master, and this gentleman Waa :
pslied at one t.Ine 70 ask the good pao-
pie to call sat Tie Office for Their heir nal ,s.a
because = ,sa his penny post - boy who
. 's the let had run away.