Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1888-05-18
A DYNAMITE DISASTER.
Fatal Explosion in a Railway
Collision in Pennsylvania.
Eight Persons Killed and Thirty
Seriously Wounded.

A car Of Dupont powder exploded at q
point on the Philadelphia and Reading line,
between Mount Carmel and Locust Gap,
Penn, at about eleven o'clock Saturday
night Eight persons were killed thirty
more or less seriously injured. and property
was destroyed to the value of So, 900.
Through freight No 90, bound for Will
Transport, filled up at Locust Gap at 10 o'clock.
WeStwardly there is a heavy grade, and the
train acquired speed of 80 miles per hour At
the foot of the incline there is sort of fat,
and at this point the coupling between the
third and fourth cars broke. The first section
ran a half mile before the fact that the
train had parted was learned by Conductor
ZiegenfoSe. Engineer Robert Gallagher
whiStled down brakes. and had about brought
the first section TO standstill when the sec
ond section rushed down upon it. The third
contained Dupont powder, Rualin caps,
glycerine, and other explosives, consigned to
ID. w. Hold, Newt bury junction. moment
after the collision these exploded, and sent
death and destruction in every direction.
At the scene of the accident the railroad
runs along the mountain side 100 feet above
the level of the Locust Gap Creek Running
parallel with the stream there are two rows
of houses owned by the Philadelphia and
Reading Coal and Iron Company, and occu
pied by the companys miners. Midway
between the railroad and the first row on
the steep incline stood a little cot
tage where John Quinn and his family
of four children resided. This was
duced to ruins, and ignited by the cooking
stove, which scattered its burning Goals
among the ruins The father was caught
under the stove and was burned to black
ened mass. His two little girls shared
similar fate. The other members of the
family were rescued but not before they had
been seriously burned
The flames next consumed the adjoining
row of eight houses. liz. building No. re-
sided Simon Kerwick, his wife his son
Daniel, aged eight years, Alice, five years,
Mary and Willie Cavanagh, adopted child
dren, aged eight and fourteen years, and a
newborn babe. Mr.. Kerwick grasped
his sick wife and narrowly escaped from
the burning building. Next morning
the charred remains of the I'VE children were
gathered from the ruins to await the inspec-
ton of the Coroner. Almost simultaneously
the inmates of the adjoining buildings were
rescued. Brave men rushed into the flames
and performed deeds which won the praise
of the thousands who beheld the ruins
The Mount Carmel physicians fastened to
the scene of the accident and rendered assist
ance wherever needed to the cut and bruised
So severe was the force Of the explosion that
every window in Locust Gap was reduced to
pieces and the plastering was shaken from
the walls. The Catholic church windows
were especially valuable In Mount
windows were also destroyed. The
car which contained the powder and dozen
others were blown to atoms In all seven
teen dwellings were destroyed by the fire and
rendered homeless have been provided for by
the Locust Gap and Mount Carmel citizens.
The twelve freight cars that were wrecked
contained valuable merchandise. One
loaded with sewing machines. After the
explosion nothing but scraps were to be
found. Another was loaded with glass, and
a third with rails which were thrown in all
directions through the woods while others
were loaded with flour, which covered the
mountain side like a fall of snow. Vain
attempts were made to find the powder car.
For miles around the woods were strewn with
fragments
So great was the upward force of the
plOSiOn that wheels and axles were
thrown a distance of two hundred yards.
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 quarter
Of a mile away, while between that
distance and the wreck there are guam
titles of the debris of the cars.
Trees near the train were uprooted, while one
large one was blown half way up the top of
freight car The lumber car was loaded with
flooring. Where this was blown up the hill
many of the long pieces are stuck in the
ground Beneath the wrecked train there is
a large hole, probably fifty feet in diameter,
the work of the dynamite.