The Penn's Grove record., 1888-05-12
BLOWN UP BY POWDER
TERRIBLE EXPLOSION AT LOCUST
GAP, PA.

n AAVNSo1
GAP, PA.
SEVEN PERSONS KILLED.-TwENTY-
FIVE INJURED, THREE FATALLY.
SHAMoKIN, Pa May GA car load
OF dynamite and n Of giant powder
blew up at Locust Gap, at 10 O'Clock
last night, causing the loss of seven
lives and injuring about twenty-five
persons. three of whom are expected to
die. Twenty-one houses were demol-
ished and glass was shattered for miles
around.
The dead are John Quinn, a widower,
aged 40 years; Kate Quinn, his daugh-
ter, aged years; Willie Kavanaugh,
aged 10; Mary Kavanaugh, aged 8;
Alice Kerwick, aged a; Daniel Kerr
wick, aged 6; Kerwick, baby, one day
old.
The injured are Mrs. Miles Dough-
frty, leg broken; Mrs. Annie Matt
tews, mother Of above, leg broken;
two children of Mrs. Dougherty's,
Annie and Agnes. badly injured; John
Donlan. hand seriously injured; James
Mead, struck about the head and face,
badly injured; Mrs. Patrick Mead, SO
badly injured that death Is expected;
Andrew Mcclure, and wife, both SO
badly wounded that no hopes are enter
tained of their recovery. Mrs. Chris.
McGinn injured by falling timbers.
not seriously; Jacob Hoehich, cut about
the head, Frank McManus, hurt about
the face and body; James Refierty, cut
about the head and bruised; Mrs. Alice
Dormer, injured about the leg; James
Dormer, injured in the leg; Mrs. Pat
rick Refierty, cut and bruised; Mrs.
Thomas Refferty, cut about the head;
Chris. McGinn, cut about head; Simon
Kerw!ck, injured about head and burn
ed; Dennis Reardon badly cut about
face and body.
The accident occurred In this way:
A freight train backed into a siding at
Locust Gap to allow the passing Of the
fast line, which is due in S amokin at
1850. When backing out some of the
cars became detached and ran into
others a short distance Off. The con.
cussion caused the explosion of the dy-
Mantle and the powder, the report of
which was something terrific, shatter-
Ing, as 1t did, a great number of win
dows in Mt. Carmel, two and one.half
miles distant, was distinctly heard in
Shamokin, six miles away. The Read
ing Railroad at the point of the acct
dent, just at the extreme western end
OF the town, is about 200 feet above
the level of the first street, and runs
alongside the mountain. at about
this distance below the road there is q
street which contained 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-
plOsioD, and then fire did the rest. 1t
was in these that all the deaths o.
CURED. MI. and Mrs. berwick, who
lost their three children, had a wonder
full escape. The man was thrown out
of the window, but only slightly In
jured. He then got his sick wife out
Of the burning building and afterwards
rescued several OF his neighbours chill
dren, which in his dazsd condition he
believed to be his own. About a hun
dred yards below these buildings there
is another row of four double houses.
These are terribly wrecked, but in
them fire was averted by the prompt
ness OF the dwellers in exiting uishing
the burning coal of the stoves. On the
same street SONS 30U yards east, stand
nine more houses, a row of four
double and a single. While not so
badly wrecked, these show plain EVIL
'dence OF the destructive force of the
explosion. Boards are torn out, roofs
caved in, and the interiors are simply
masses of wrecked furniture. So great
was the upward force Of the exploding
powder that car wheels and axles were
thxoWn a distance OF two hundred
janus. One axle fell through the roof
Of one of the houses on the lower street.
On the hill above traces of the debris
may be found a quarter of a mile away,
while between that distance and the
wreck there are quantities OF the debris
OF the cars. The wrecked train, in addi-
ton to the cars which contained powder
and dynamite, was freighted with
Singer sewing machines. glass, phos-
hate, oil, lumber, flour and sheet iron.
Within a radius Of sixty feet there is a
perfect litter of these goods, all broken
0h0 AnlhCo w. AhVCo hCa tho tidlu
we're %uprooted, while One large one was
blown half way up the top of a freight
car. The lumber car was loaded with
flooring. While most of this was blown
up the hills, many of the long pieces
are stuck In the ground beneath the
wrecked train. There is a large hole
iu the ground, probably so feet in di.
ameter.
None of the train hands were In.
jured, although one is said to have
been blown a considerable distance.
The engineer Of the locomotive, which
was very close at the time Of the explo-
sion, was stunned, but soon recovered.
The sufferers were % supplied with
all the help that willing hands could
give, as shortly after the explosion
large numbers of people were on the
scene.
Locust Gap is a town Of about 1000
Inhabitants.