St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1884-08-02

Resulting From the Use O1 NltEOs1iy-
cerine- Deaths in Seven.
teen Years-CuriOus Freaks and 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 a 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 poorhouke, 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
living around loose. This little incident
recalls a long list of glycerine casual
ties, which form part of OildOm 5
history.
The first glycerine horror in the oil
regions occurred in the latter part of
the summer of 1867, when William
Munson, a manufacturer of the stuff,
was blown up at his factory near Reno.
The cause of the explosion will never
be k nown. Munson had gone to the
magazine about an hour before the eN-
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
Patrick Brophy, the second victim. met
his fate at Colonel E. A. l.. Roberts
Titnsville magazine. Brophy was in
Roberts employ, making shells and the
like, ard had no particular business ut
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 ex.
cavation made in the ground where the
magazine had stood large enough to
put a 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 SC
freely used by them.
About six weeks after Brophy's mis-
hap, Colonel Davidson and two en-
ployes were blown up at Davidson
factory, and all the horrors OF the pre-
ceding casualty were repeated three
fold. The sickcning details of human
beings being torn to shreds were told
again. The next victim of the com
pound was DIR. Fowler, who had 8
factory near Franklin. He went to the
factory one morning, and deafenins
report shortly afterward was the sigma
of his annihilation This was in 1869
In 1870 one of the most remarkable
Clycerine accidents occurred, as the mex
instance i'm chronological order. X. Red
field. torpedo agent at Scrubgrass. nov
kennerdell Station, .on the Allegheny
Valley Railroad, left a can hidden il
the bushes by the river bank. Georg'
Fetterman owned several wells in til,
vici7ity, and his wife one day fount
Redfield's glycerine. Owing to the re
semblance of the dangerous COMPOUND
to lard oil, Mrs. Fetterman mistook
for the latter, and turned tho can owe
to her husband to use the contents II
lubricating his machinery. Fetterma1
oiled his machinery regularly with tn
stuff for fortnight or more, until on
day he had several men assisting hin
in .'pulling out well, they working
in the derrick while he run the engine
it being in the days satecedent to tn
''derrick telegraph and ''revers
cord" The engine was run at higl
rate of speed, sufficient to heat the run
ming gear, so that when Fetterma
squirted some of the compound on
heated journal from a common oiler. a
explosion followed that blew off hi
arm. crushed his head and mutilate
his body horribly.
In August, 1871, Charles Clark wa
blown up while driving on the road nea
Enterprise. He was the first victim {
the stuff while in transit. and his deaf
aroused people to 4 sense OF me-
danger, that of having the stuff haule
past their homes. Not only was Clar
blown to atoms, but his horse and buck
board were reduced to fragments. 1S1
brought out four explosions and adde
new method to the list. Willial
Thompson was the first, being blown I
pieces while driving from Bully Hi
where he had been torpedoing som
wells, to Franklin, with two torpedoe
in his buggy. Shortly afterward vii
lam Pine was blown up while drivin
with load of glycerine between Sha
farm and Rouseville. The explosio
attracted crowd of bumpers from az
jacent wells, and one of the first on tf
scene to gather up the fragmentary r
mains was James Barnum, who lat,
met similar fate. Later. the SAN
year, Charles Palmer went with Cap
ain West, one OF Roberts agents. to