Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-05-07
WITH ERlGlITFUL HAVOC
A SUDDEN SHOCK LET'S LOOSE THE
TREMENDOUS FORCES

Bound Up in a Carload of Dynamite
Seven Souls Sent Instantly into Eternity,
Most of Them ChiIdren-A Score OF
Homes shivered to Splinters and a Score
Of Unfortunates Injured, Three Fatally
"A Deadly CIoud-Burst.
SHAMoKIN, Pa, May IA freight train
on the Philadelphia a. Reading railroad was
passing through Locust Gap, six miles from
this place, at II o'clock Saturday night, when
n car loaded with dynamite exploded, killing
seven people, wounding twenty, some serious
iy, burning seven houses leveling eight more
to the ground and damaging many others.
The following are the names of the killed
John Quinn, aged 40; Kate Quinn, aged s;
Willie kavanaugh, aged Is; Mary Kava-
naugh, aged %; Daniel Kerwick, aged 6; Alice
Rerwick, aged 4; infant child of Simeon Ker
wick, born during the afternoon.
Following is tine list of wounded Mrs
Miles Dougherty, leg broken; Mrs Annie
Mathews, mother of Mrs. Dougherty, also
leg broken; two children of Mrs. Dougherty,
Annie and Agnes, badly injured; John Dom
land hand seriously hurt; James Mead
struck about the head and face, badly
injured; Mrs. Patrick Mead, so bad
hut' 'huU ucotu n eApccUeu
at any moment; Andrew Mcclure and wife so
badly hurt that no hopes are entertained of
their recovery; Mrs. Chris McGinn, in
jured by falling timbers, not seriously;
Jacob Hoeflich, badly cut about the head !;
Frank MeManus. hurt about the face and
body James Rafferty,, cut about the head
anu oru'S@u' mrs; Alice D"riher' iiJuieu III
the reg James Dorner, injured also IN the
leg; Mrs. Patrick Rafferty,, cut and bruised;
MIS- lhpmas ItanertS, cut about tine mead
simon herwlck, injured about the mead ana
Duffit' Dehnis heardon, Dadly cut ABOUT the
iace ana body
Inc engine, drawing seventy cars was run
hiiig uo"h the giaue at a RAPID ra'e 10 iihe
a siding one mile west OF the gap 10 allow
the fhilaheiphla tast Tram south the flght oil
way. me engineer slowed up wheh IN the
gap, hut the cars had obtained such mo-
mehtum thas he was obliged TO run
last to Keep the tank from being
bumped; the head of steam was too much
Tor the couplings, ana the seventh car from
the locomotive broke loose Inc engine was
stopped TO make new coupling, when the
broken train met wlth shock sulhcieht TO
explode Uhe dynamite Inc Iorce OF Ihe eN-
plosion shook the ground Tor twenty miles
around, damaging many houses III Mouht
Carmel ana the nelghborhood' Inc tram
men, aided by the horror stricken lnhablt-
ants, rushed to the rescue, and succeeded in
saving many lives from the burning build
ings. OF the dead nothing remains but a few
charred chips of bone found in the ruins A
subscription list has been started in Shamokin
and neighboring towns. A number of the
wounded have been taken to the Miners hos
pital
The railroad track at the point of the acct
dent, just at the extreme western end of the
town, is about POO feet above the level of the
street, and runs along the mountain. At
about this distance below the road there is a
street containing one single dwelling on the
north side, and three double ONES on the
south. OF these seven nothing now remains.
They were completely torn down by the ex
plosion, and then fire did the rest. 1t was i'll
these that all the deaths occurred. Mr.. and
Mrs. Kerwich, who lost their three children,
had miraculous escape. The man was blown
out of the window and only slightly injured
He then got his sick wife out Of the burning
building, and afterward rescued several of
his neighbors' children which, i'll his dazed
condition, he believed his own.
About hundred yards below these build |
ings there is another row of four double |
houses; these are totally wrecked, but fire was |
arrested by the promptness of the dwellers
in extingusting the burning coal i'll the |
stoves. On the same street 300 yard seast, |
stand nine more houses, a row of four double |
and one single tenenents. While not en-
tir1y demolished, they, too, show plain |
evidence Of the destructive force of the ex-
plosion; hpards are torn out, roofs caved in,
and the interiors are simply masses OF
wrecked furniture.
SO great was she upward force OF the ex-
ploding powder that car wheels ana axles
were thrown a distance OF gu yhrds. Ohe
axle fell through the roof OF one
OF the houses On the lower street