Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1884-03-20
wreck it made. The wheels must have
brushed past my head.

DreaK into the poWder-nOuSe Wnere Jne
powder and dynamite were stored.
This was small structure about ten
feet square, built of mesquite logs and
rooted with zinc. It was placed in the
side of the bank, about half way from
the mill up to the lead, y so as to be at
good distance both from the jar of the
stamps and the shock of the blasts.
Here there were stored, at the time,
some five hundred pounds of dynamite,
together with a quantity OF cartridges,
and several cases of trend rock "a
kind of blasting powder.
There was strong door in the front
side of the powder-house which the fore
man always kept locked, but there was
no window in the structure, nor any
other means of ingress. On account of
the zinc drawing the sun heat, a layer OF
turf had been piled on the roof.
The redskins saw this strong little
house and probably mistook it for the
place where the bullion was stored The
door resisted all their pushing and kick
ing. Then they tried to break it with
rocks, and finally came back to the burn
ing mill, after sledges and crowbars.
1t was about this time that began to
come to my senses A horrible burning
in my eyes and humming in my ears,
were the first feelings of which I was
conscious. Then got up on my hands
and knees and partly remembered what
had happened.
The roaring in my ears and the flash
ing in my eyes blinded me SO much that
could hardly distinguish one object
from another; but l perceived that the
mill was aire, for l felt the heat, and be-
gan to crawl along the track to get away
from it. 1t was in vain that tried to
stand; was too dizzy.
Then heard two shots fired, and my
eyes clearing little, for the moment, 1
saw tiye-of the savages at the door of the
powder-house trying to stave it in. The
firing was up toward the ledge. As 500 n
as had made out how affairs stood, !
crawled off the track and got out of
sight down the bank; and minute later
there came fearful explosion.
1t shook the whole bank to pieces
above me, and sent the dirt and stones
in every direction. Great rocks went
whirring across the canon, and in mo-
ment or two stones began to drop all
about me.
knew the explosion was in the pow
der-house and hoped it had killed the
murderous redskins. But l lay still.
Stones which had been blown high into
the air kept dropping all about me, and
many large rocks slid down on the oppo.
site side of the canon. 1t had Jared the
whole locality.
The first living man l saw after the ex-
plosion was Mr.. Crocker, the foreman.
He heard it-for a wonderland jumping
up, ran out of the shanty. Seeing the
mill on fire, he ran up the bank, thinking
the engine boiler had exploded. Here he
came upon me, lying half-buried in the
dirt.
For heavens sake, what has hap
pened, Henry?" he called out.
'IndiansI' l said.
Upon that he ran back for his rife and
coming out again, asked me where they
were and where the other hands were.
''Blown up, reckon" said I. $50
and look for yourself; l can't"
He peeped up over the bank. 'fWhat
sight y heard him exclaim.
Then he went up the bank Soon l
heard Bates and Crocker talking. BY
this time, the stunned, dizzy feeling in
my head began to pass off. crawled
up where | could see what was going on.
Whittle and Bates had come down from
the ledge, and all stood looking at the
wreck about the powder house. Not
only was the log house blown entirely to
pieces, but the ground it stood on was
blown away, clean and smooth, to the
depth of three or four feet The loose
earth for thirty or forty feet was we'll
mixed with the remains of the bloodthirsty
Apaches. We afterward found the head
of one of them off hundred yards OF
more away. Another who had been
lying behind a rock up the track watch
ing the miners, jumped up and ran off,
holding his hands to his head and
Whittle thought that one more of the
wretches had escaped. Five of them
were either in or about the powder
house when the explosion occurred.
They were all instantly killed.
They had, Whittle thinks, broken in
the door and were, it is likely, trying to
break open one Of the tin cases contain
ing the dynamite, which exploded on
being struck. A sledge which they were
using was afterward found near half mile
away, on the side of the opposite noun
tain.
They were most summarily hoisted in
the midst of their raid. 1t was fortu-
nate hoist for us, too. For though badly
demoralized by the attack, we all escaped
with our lives, excepting poor Flint.
The mill was burned to the ground. 1t
was nearly two months before we were
running again. The one or two Apaches
who escaped told marvellous story OF
the ''white mans big powder" among
the other Tontos. We heard, during the
following year, several accounts of it.
That was the first time they paid their