Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-08-30
ATERRIBLE EXPLOSION.
Several Men Killed, and Twenty-Five More
or Less Wounded.

|
thunder storm, the powder magazine be-
longing to the Latin Rand Powder Com
pany, was struck by lightning, an e1-
plosion followed which destroyed property,
valued at S75, 900, besides killing four per-
sons almost instantly, fatally injurlng
three, and inhicting painful wounds on
nearly twenty-five Others.
The combined efforts Of 4 hard-tought
battle, q cyclone and the whitening In
fluence of lightning could not have pre-
sented picture of more abiect desolatlOn
and destruction, than did the country for
| half a mile in all directions from the eN-
ploded magazine The day had opened
gloomIly, and at eight o'clock rain began
falling furiously from immense banks OF
clouds, flashes of lightning were
soon chasing each other across the
whole armament, until the entire
heavens seemed ablaze, while the
thunder was deafenirg. About 915 a
! flash, which all agree was much brighter
than those preceding it, was followed by a
report that shook the greater part OF Cook
county. 1t was sharp report, but strange
TO say by most of those who lived IN the
vicinity OF the explosion, it was hardly
distinguiShable from 4 series OF thunder
claps. All agree there was tremendous
shaking of the earth and articles not sta
tiOnary were thrown about rs if they were
plavthings in Il giants power Men,
| women and children were tossed around ut
! -. L.. Il ell tnrf.
! The scene of the catastrophe Is about two
miles from the extreme southwestern edge
of the city near where the road settles down
into conventional country highway. On
one side wave great fields OF ripcning corn.
On the other broad stretch of prairie runs
for nearly a mile in all directions. On this
are, or rather were, dozen plain but
strongly built houses with walls of
yellow brick, roofs of slate
and strong iron doors. These
houses were magazines in which the bulk
of the powder supply for Chicago was
stored. 4 few people OF the humber class
built their poor homes on the prairie close
to the warehouse containing the deadly
stuff and lived without fear of any disaster
from their proximity. Right i'll the midst
OF the magazines rose the home OF Mr.. j.
Tierney, Police Magistrate OF the town OF
Lake. in the limits of which corporation
the warehouses stood. The house was
until to-day an attraCtive-lOOEing house,
two stories high, with spacious veranda
in front and surrounded by 4 number Of
substantial OuthOuScS. 1t overlooked the
Archer road, about forty feet away. Three
hundred feet northeast of the Ticrncy resi-
dence was little cottage rudcly built.
surrounded by sheds, stables and hOgpenS.
The magazine of the l.atln * Rand Powder
Co. was one OF the largest OF dozen
structures in the ncighbOrhOOd. Is was 4
substantial brick house 7ON3O feet in di-
menSiOns, with slate roof and iron door OF
great strength. The magazine was 300
feet east of the cottage of }. q. Hughes,
and 100 feet from the residence of Mr.. Tier
ncy. Just preceding the explosion long
electric flame seemed to burst from
cloud directly over the I.atlin& Rand mag
azinc In an instant the air was filled
with flying missiles Masses Of brick and
clay, sheets of tin, large stones and pieces
OF timber performed indcScribable gyra-
tions hundreds of feet in the air, some fall
they started, while Others shot of through
space with trightlul velocity, only con-
forming to the laws OF gravity after
4 long flight. Stones weighing
from one 10 80 pounds We're thrown into
fields miles from the scene. Trees were
stripped of their foliage. fences by the mile
were laid low, telegraph wires were
snapped like fragile threads and the prai-
RE bore seams aS if OF Il thousand steam
plowS. Not building within a mile Of
the explosion escaped damage. The little
cottage of John Guhl, with its surround
ing OuthouSeS, was laid low, and in Il mo-
mcnt parts of the exploded warehouses
began falling on debris of the cottage.
Guhl's family consisted of himself, his wife
and Carrie lIernwOrth. fourteen years of
age The latter was instantly killed, while
Guhl and his wife were dragged from the
ruins trighfully mutilated. Their horse
cow and swine were all killed by the con-
cuSSion, and the bodies blown full of dirt,
sand and powder. The ruins of Guhls
house Immediately took fire, and the
smOldcrin4 fragments burned out
during the day. The body
OF Miss Carrie Hcrnworth presented
a sickening spectacle. Half the face was
torn away, the eyes were almost blown
from their sockets, and there was gaping
hole in her forehead. The girls left arm
was torn from the shoulder. The body was
removed to the home OF her uncle. The
dead and fatally injured are:
Miss CARRIE \. hEENWoRTH Killed
instantly.
PETER KENNA--Farmcr, ribs broken
and fcarfully burned.
JumN GUHI.-TeamStcr ribs fractured,
right leg broken in two places AMI internal
wounds.
Mrs. GUHI-Skull crushed.
Mrs. ELIZA DEVIN-Right leg crushed
to Jelly and breast trulSilXcd by strip
of glass.
The shock cavcd in the two magazines,
belong to the Oriental Powder Company
and also those belonging to the Warren
Powder Company, the Hazard. the Du-
pont Company's and the Forcitc dynamite
store house The Latin. and Rand Com
pany's was the only one which exploded.
Where 1t stood is now al immense eXcava-