New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-02-04
ANNIHILATED BY DYNAMITE.
A MAN AND A BUILDING DISAPPEAR.

hundred feet from the Fordham Heights Station OF the
| New-York City and Northern Railroad is the mouth
| of Shaft No. % of tie new Aqueduct. when tunnel
| ling was first begun there, little board shanty was
built proec ing spur of the heishts to hoid the
dynamite Ii was situated about onc-third OF the way
from the shaft the Harlem River and only few feet
the right of the road which down to the railroad
station Along the road and consequently close to the
powder house. Dumber of rough shed-ike structures
were put up for the men, In these the poor English
mIntr hcIded like cattle. The largest OF these
socaed harding houses was kept by Patrick Sexton,
and be sides a family OF twelve it furnisl ed home
forts nearly forty men. As carload after caroard
of rocks and dirt the shaft dumped out along
the oank OF little brook that zigzagged its way down
to the river b. dixie OF broken stone Was thus built
out between the accumulation of dynamite and the
| cumulatun of humanity. From tha powder-honse the
tar papercd roof Of the boarding house conIG just be
| seen peepng the embanKmcnt.
A few minutes after 9 o'clock yesterday morning,
while the men ON the day shift were sleeping heay
ily in this howell there cane burst tnunder
sound" and tho powder house disappeared in an in
stant Had IT not been for the bulwark Of waste ma
teral tlh boarding house with all It's inmates wonld
probably have followed suit. AS it was, the frail
structure racked from rooiee to the place where
the foundations should have been. Some of the walls
bulged in every conceivable direction. Floor beams
gave way and the roof tumblcd about the of the
ton story loIgcrs There wasn't a whole windOw-sash
door left to the structure The frightened boarders,
in all stages of undress rushed out into the road as
fast as they coul6 free themselves from the wreck
| There they found people from the other boarding.
houses in equal fright. The other structures had not
suffered IA much but they were no longer habit
able. Where the powder house once stood, there was
nothing but "A big holc la the ground hteei iaet IN
depth and sixty in diameter. Toward the river t6e
trees within hundred feet were stripped OF their
branches. while their trunks were SCARED by the hail
storm OF rocks and fragments that swept down the
slope Across the brook and the side of the dump,
four bare posts showed where another shany stood he
fore the explosion took place. Houses in every drec
ton were shattered ~ shattered ana shaken Every
gas lamp in the ward was put out The shock of the
explosion was felt from Stamford and Nyack 10 SOrth
Ferry. and yet "A mule stood within seyentyhN feet
of the place unhut. lie probably kicked and the
storm of rock and timber turned a'ide There IL an
other dump at night angles to the first. In the angle
formed by them the powdcrhousc stood few
minutes before the latter dlsappcared, car was drawn
from the mouth Of the shalt 10y the mule. out along the
second dump. / he aGima stood aside when the down
grade sas reached and the men IN charge, William
hourkc and Nike Marouey. pushed it TO the end Of
the track hey hal just started on the return trp
when they were Frustrated by the explosion which
CURED scarcely one hundred feet from them
The cau-e oi the accident ia mystery and probably
will always remain Tie only man who could throw
any light upon the matter has not been seen since me
explosion and is supposed To have gone whrro tie
powder house did t. locality yet undiscovered.
The " Mart McUinni>s, and ne was re-
spon-ibc for tie powder house and It's contents The
only other Tcrs0n who had key was the foreman IN
charge. IL the laters duty to 90 twice nleht
and see that everythu, right His second visit II
usually the time when the explosion occurred.
hut Yesterday morning ho fortunately delayed aud II
III dtniuf lima one
Gnni-s Is said To have been steady, Trustworthy
man who had held many responsible positions and
ncIhor drank Smoked. lie made his report oil tue
amount "t dynamite in his care, ie" minutes before
clock and ha- not been seen since. Ihe natural sup
POSITION is that he back to the house and 10y some
accidcnt exploded it, dangerous contents he con
tractors say that there were only two and half
Oi cApio'krs stored there Lach cas- contains
hIty puun'@ "t d> h"iulie h eky-thrtr Iatlr E'. ~
Of the better quay of gclaiine which cApodes by
illumination aud not by ignition or cOncuSsiOn. There
me IN tn building 10 keep the dynamic dry ANA
above frcel ls point ,,, A., ,,,,
damage was can'ra - tue hnerHt"n OF t', enormous
amount Of dcsirucuy" energy Ihtrc Is noi splinter
OF rock aud branches OF trees were
picked up the meadows beyond tie river
Nearly every pauo OF glass IN the buildings
OF ST. Jonu'. CDllesc at For.lnam WAS smashed The
sine damage was CAUSED - tic Ncw-lurK skin aud
trollod by samuel Bir.ow was also surrou1dcd Dy
broken glass The miners VINO had been driven out OF
tho wrecked snantlcs were bundled IN there. me
house OF cN-Mayr J. Lson WAS pidy
nearest 10 tho cxpiosioH Of all OF the surrounding
| al
the pictures were shaken tI"hi me wan anu lue VII
dows shattered ls barn hal holes blown through IT.
sides big enough drive The traditional carr ana yoke
81 through The Railway station was Eullt1'-7 ol
window glass aud III rooi was panty iorn IRON ~
with a crow bar before get ont IN the morning.
Another escaped without dama-c to his house. but MS
stable door blown H. the lock be.h- pulled cut uy me
roos j. " 1rLphagan vino lives oh tue Heights sad
Tue ~ay in winch these Aqucduct matters are man
aged II supply scaudilous slnc prppcrB-owners are
trIctSTI hear that Lo went North on tho first IRAN
Id shoot hIu sight, II isn't me iaina-e, thuhGh
5000 wouhlut repair my house. rs ne dm&er to
which our lives couSlaitW expos IL My hiothcrn-
law Ia seriously ~ In my house. Ny son, WHO
nearly dIcd OF pneumonia, passed lho crisis
OF tue disease just before tho explosion. the
snock nearly Killed h'm ana when my dAnS1Jer tH'hrn
INTO thc room ahd saw MN El'l'hs lEl p'el'n, s,p
tainted the floor Imagine beng "tked up ~ the
shaken down, the windows bo"h III anu me col VII VII
ter air rushing iuIu the sick room Mr. stevenson Tue
more packages ot dynamite came today. Prtty
soon that VIII go up ana ne count
Professor Dnelc OF the Normal Col cgc was so up,et
by shock ia he became possessed WIN thc luca
by Daticrlug the door down win rocks and
couldn't convince him to the contrary thI mTrInE i IN
The contractors OycchdlEc their blasts putting Ia IOut
i've cartridge and believe tncconcuSsoh explode"
Cormrims l}rien, one OF the miners in Scxons board
nc house. badly injured about tue hcAu ny IaI
Ing beam that he was sent tho Ninety -nnh street
lInsptaL Ella Edwards ncgress, was also cut about
the head. Many others were bruised but none strnnsH.
The contract for tis part o tbs nluetnet Is h"u "
Colonel Herman Clark HIS suprrntendchts are McS'fs
Rogers, Farrell and STANLEY. ,.,
Tbc neope about YOnkers were treated to ltlo eA-
uu-i0 of their own - o'clock on the same night
This was also to dynamite, bat Its cause Is not
mystery ns all Lett 10 tell the thlc IL
occurred I'm shaft No lSi2. IN the division or q Bflch
4 CLARK The ui gt shift miners went To their 5hapty
to eat their luncheon, and took alOug u httY pound |
case dynamite, which was Iroleo' ihoy |
s.t n Nv the stOyO TO let IL thaw |
ont. Then somebody pushed the stand that |
M one ,tav,d for further dcvrlOpmcus hut all ran for
hrir lives When they g0t "a little way off they fell Hat
ON cir faces and the result with mttrc" IL
came and for several minutes bricks, timber ANA small
article, Of furniture raIucd When they Thought nalc
10 return to tue place the shanty had been hrr
was nothing thc usual big hole which an explosion
of this KIND There was little doubt thht tEe
to had hawed out.
A BUTCHERS SUIT AGAINST BANK
urr,nsp,f,c Va Epb 3 (SDecjdh.-JOhn :. |