Daily Republican., 1888-05-07
BLOWN Up BY powuEE.

Terrible Dtsaster ON the 1eSuink
Road 1T Locust Gap, Seven Killed
and Twenty. ..,ivo Irj rod twenty lone
Houses Destroyed.
sHAMoKIN, Pa May GA car load
Of dynamite and one Of giant powder
blew up ut Locust Gap, ct 10 O'Clock
1885, Right, causing the loss of seven
lives and injuriDg about twenty Ave
persons, three OF whom are expected to
die. Twenty-one houses were demo-
lished and glass was shattered for miles
around.
A visit to the scene by your cOrres.
pondent discovered an appalling sight
of ruine, the debris OF the freight cars
and houses, together with here and
there little heaps of the ashes and
oharred remains OF the dead, creating q
picture a,most indesori babe.
The accident occurred In this way: A
freight train backed into q siding ct
Locust Gap TO allow the passing OF the
last line, which 10 dus in Shamokin ct
1880. When backing QUE some OF the
cars became detached and ran into
others abort distance off The con
question caused the explosion of the
dynamite and the powder, the report OF
which was eomethiug terrific, shAtter-
lag, as 1t did, q great number OF win
dows In Mt, Carmel, two and one half
miles diHaut, was distinctly heard In
Inmokin, ak miles away. The Read.
leg Railroad at the point OF the accl.
de"t just st the extreme western end OF
the town, is about 200 feet above the
vel Of tho hrbt street, and runs along
side the mountain.
AT about this distance below the road
there is o street which contained one
single dwelling on the north side and
three double ones on the south. or
these seven nothing now remains. They
were completely t"rn down by the ex-
plosion, and then FIRE did the rest, II
was In these that all the deaths &C.
CURED. Mr.. aud Mrs. Kerwick, who
lest their three children, had a wonder
full escape. The man was blown out of
the window, but only slightly injured.
He tnen got his sick wife out Of the
burning building, and afterwards res.
oued several OF his neighbor's child rem,
which In his doZed condition be be.
lieved 70 be his own. About hundred
yards below these buildings there is
another row OF four double houses.
These are terribly wrecked, but In them
hre was avefted Dy the promptness OF
the dWellets In extinguishing the burn.
INK oual VI tn6 btOV6s.
On tho same street, some 800 yards
east, stand nine more houses, o row OF
four double and q slnRle. While not 30
badly wrecked, these show plain evil.
denoe OF the destructive force of the ex
ploslon. Boards are torn out, roof
caved In, and the interiors are simply
masses Of wrecked furniture. So Qrea,
was the upward force Of the exploding
powder that car wheels md Axles were
thrown n distance OF two hundred
yards. One axle fell through the Iooi
Of one Of thA houses on the lower street
On the hill above traces Of the debris
may be touud quarter of mile away
while between that distance And the
wreck there are quantities Of the debriE
OF the cara. The wrecked train, In n5
dttion TO the cars which contained pow
dor and dynamite, was freiahted with
Singer sewing machines, glass, pics
phNte, oil, lumber, -four and sheet iron
Within q radius Of sixty feet there Il
perfect litter of these goods, ai
broken and mixed up. Trees near III
train were uprOoted, while one lArE
one was blown half way up the top OF
! freight car. The lumber car was loaat
with flooring. While most OF this ws
blown up the hills, many OF the Ion
, pieces are stnok In the ground beneAt
/ the wrecked train. There Ia o lArR
hole In the ground, probably SO feet Il
diameter. None Of tho train hand
were injured, although one is said Il
have been blown q considerable dis
tanoe. The engineer OF the locomotive
which was very close at the time OF tn
explosion, WAS stunned, but soon re
covered
The sufferers were soon supplied will
all the help that willing hands couli
give, as shortly alter the explosion
large numbers Of people were on th
gcsne.
!, Locust Gap Is q town of about 200
9 Inhabitants.