Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1884-09-24

Attending the frightful deaths that
so frequently follow the handling of
nItTo-giycerne in the oil regions said
Myron X. Paige, formerly an oil opera
tor III Pennsylvania, ''there is one fea-
tuTe the mysterious nature of which is
Startling. 1t has puzzled scientific OBJ
servatiOn and study, aud do not be-
ieye to-day that any satisfactory expla-
nation can be given. of it. This singular
feature is the complete annihilatlon of
matter, especially of the human body,
which III a majority of cases results from
a fatal explosion OF this deadly COM
pound, i haye noticed in many instances
ana The fact was again called to my mind
by the finding of human hand by a
fisherman in an isolated portion of the
oil regions and the absence of all trace
OF any other remalus. That story, by the
way, was doubtless a startling one to
many who read it, but to any one who
ever lived in the oil country it was
simply the telling of the old tragedy III
a new form.
Il had teamster once in my employ
poor Hank France. Like all men of
his kind in the oil colntry, there was
nothing either above. below, or on the
earth that he feared. He was in the
habit of carting nitro-glycerine to any
we'll where l wanted to use it. and he
and his companion, Warren Jack, actu-
ally got SO reckless in handling the
stuff that other help had would not
stay at work when they knew Hank was
coming in with glycerIng, but went to
safe distance until he had deposited
the explosive they required and had
gone away.
Hank and Warren actually used 10
unload the stuff the same as they would
a lead of bricks, Hank standing in the
wagon and throwing a can to Warren
some feet away, and Warren catching
1t and placing it on the glound in time
TO catch the next one that Hank tossed
him. As it takes a man with a good
set of nerves to even ride in a wagon
when he knows there is nitro-glycerine
under tfe seat, this manner of hand
ling compound that the slightest Jar
frequently explodes will give you an
idea of the sort of nerves these two
men had. Each one knew that If War
rem happened to miss catching a can
there wouldn't be enough lett of them
to cover the bottom of snuff box.
but they had the daring to take the
chances.
NO one ever knew what caused it,
and no one would ever have known
who it was that was wiped out, except
from the fact that they knew who it
was that would be coming that way
with nitro-glycerine just about that
time, and from one or two things we
found; but when We heard the ex-
plOsion that day we SAID: "That's
Hanks last trip!' The glycerine had
exploded about a quarter of a mile
fIom the well. We walked down
there. There was the usual cellar that
a few cans OF the stuff always digs
when it goes of, and the usual lot
of timber feIled. Three hundred feet
off to the right of the road. in the
woods, we found wagon tire. We
found the tail of one horse. and portions
of the body of another. In another part
of the woods mans knee was picked
up, and although we searched over an
area that it would have been impossible
for any of the wreck to nave been
thrown, that was all we found. except
Hanks greasy oil cap lying by the side
of stump and his watch hanging on
the limb OF tree"