The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1884-08-23
HORRIBLE CASUALTIES


Resulting From the Use Of Nitro-Cly-
cerine-Forty-Eight Deaths In Seven.
teen Years-Curious Freaks ana LudI.
crous Scenes Caused by the Explosives.
A few days ago the report came that
three tramps up near Warren had
essayed making coffee in bright can
they had found. The attempt resulted
in an explosion which mutilated one of
the trio very badly and injured the
other two. The one worst hurt was re-
moved TO the poorhouse, where he has
since died. The can used was simply
one which had contained nitro-glycer-
inc, and which, by the negligence of
some torpedo agent, had been left
lying around loose. This little incident
recalls q long list of glycerine casual
ties, which form a part of Oildom' s
history.
The first glyccrine horror in the oil
regions occurred in the latter part of
the summer of 1867, when William
Munson, manufacturer of the stuff,
was blown up at his factory near Reno.
The cause of the explosion will never
be k nown. AIunson had gone to the
magazine about an hour before the ex-
plosion occurred, which was plainly
heard in both Oil City and Franklin.
He was reduced to small fragments,
which were gathered up by an excited
crowd. Early in the summer of 1868,
Patrick Bropsy, the second victim. met
ais fate at Colonel Z. A. l.. Roberts
Titusyille magazine. Brophy was in
Roberts employ, making shells and the
like, and had no particular business at
the magazine, but it was learned after
the explosion that he had been of an
inquisitive and inventive turn of mind,
and was frequent visitor to the maya
zine. There was large amount of the
explosive compound at the factory and
the explosion was terrific Windows all
over Titusville were shattered, an cx-
cavation made in the ground where the
magazine had stood large enough to
put good-sized house in, and the deto-
nation was heard at points thirty miles
distant. That was the first rude awak-
ening Of the oil country people to the
real nature of the powerful agent so
freely used by them.
About six weeks after Brophy's mis-
hap, Colonel Davidson and two en-
ployes were blown up at Davidson's
factory, and all the horrors of the pre-
ccding casualty were repeated three
fold. The sickening details of human
beings being torn to shreds were told
again. The next victim of the COM
pound was DR.. Fowler, who had a
factory near Franklin. He went to the
factory one morning. and a deafeniny
report shortly afterward was the signal
OF his humiliation. This was in 1869.
In 1870 one of the most remarkable
glycerine accidents occurred, as the next
instancein chronological order. Il. Red
field. torpedo agent at Scrubgrass, now
Kennerdell Station, on the Allegheny
Valley Railroad, left can hidden in
the bushes by the river bank. George
Fetterman owned several wells in the
vicinity. and his wife one day found
Redfield's glycerine. Owing to the re-
semblance of the dangerous compound
to lard oil, Mrs. Fetterman mistook it
for the latter, and turned the can over
to her husband to use the contents in
iubricating his machinery. Fetterman
oiled bis machinery regularly with the
stuff for fortnight or more, until one
day he had several men assisting him
In "pslling OUT well, they working
IN the derrick while he run the engine.
1t being in the days antecedent to the
''derrick telegraph" aud .sreyerse
cord. y The engine was run at a high
rate of speed, sufficient to heat the run
ming gear, SO that when Fetterman
ssquirted some of the compound on
heated Journal from a common oiler, an
explosion followed that blew off his
arm, crushed his head and mutilated
his body horribly.
In August, 1871, Charles Clark was
blown up while driving on the road near
Enterprise. He was the first victim of
the stuff while in transit. and his death
aroused people to sense of new
danger, that of having the stuff hauled
past their homes. Not only was Clark
blown to atoms, but his horse and buck
board were reduced to fragments. 1872
brought out four explosions and added
a new method to the list. William
Thompson was the first, being blown to
pieces while driving from Bully Hill.
where he had been torpedoing some
wells, to- Franklin, with two torpedoes
49, ~Hf-Sf' RhOAtil diltTWdru Will
lam Pine was blown up while driving
with load of glycerine between Shaw
farm aud housewife. The explosion
attracted crowd of bumpers from adj
]acent wells, and one of the first on the
scene to gather up the fragmentary re.
mains was James Barnum, who later
met similar fate. Later. the Same
year, Charles Palmer went with Can't
ain West, one of Roberts agents to n
magazine near Titusville to yet a load
of glycerine- Palmer carried the stuff
from the magazine to the wagon while
West placed the cans carefully in the
box. Palmer appearing rather care
less. Westcautioned him to be more care
ful. TO which Palmer laughingly replied
that he would risk an explosion. AS
West was placing the thirteenth can in
the wagon an aspIeslsa occurred az