Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-12-24

mates were terribly bruised and bumped
by stones and ~spliRtsIs or stunned by the
c~oncussion Of the air but none are
thought TO be in danger.
At thu boarding house Of the white mer,
things were fully as bad, although none OF
the men were fatally hart This fact that
tbs dump wa ia q line between the build
ing and the magazine alone saved the for
mer from entire demolition, and proha-
bly, saved . good msny live. N slAborer,
an lrishman, has q cash several inches
long cut in his forehead, and another, alO
an Irishmau, had o lip slmost cut off by
q fragment of timber. Still another son
Of the Emerald Isle was b'own into the
ali, and landed in the creek near by.
he Is suppee to be internally injured,
and bis case is regarded as about the
worst of the lot. The honsskteper, Miss
Petite, was badly cut about the head. The
other men escaped anything like serious
ipiury with the exception of about eight
or nine, who, in company with about the
same number OF colOrsd men at the other
house, were more or less cut and brui'ed.
Both buildings are total wrecks.
The commisary building and black
smith shop, which stood pretty close to
boarding houses. were torn to pieces, and
their fragments scattered over the ground
for long distances.
The residence of Benjamin Milkorn,
which stood about four hundred yards
from the boarding houses, was badly
damaged, the gls.s being broken and doors
twisted by the rush Of air. At Mrs.
Merkle'S rear by, the sash were blown cut
Of the windows, and the occupants knocked
down. At this last named hotise q little
girl was quite badly hurt.
The laborers and others met st the scene
Of the disaster last night say the explosion
AID accompanying conclusion Of the sir
was TREMENDOUS, and from the statements
made, an examination Of the surTound-
ings, and the fact that the shock was so
distinctly felt in this city, and in other
places, much more remote, it Is little
short of Q miracle that the fatal casualties
are not numbered by scores.
Az soon as the people got over their first
fright energetic steps were taken to relieve
the wounded, and search oct the dead, If
any their might be. Word was huTrisdly
sent TO Mt. Pleasant, and Drs. McGlenu,
Finley and Osborn, Of that place, responded
1T once. These gentlemen, assisted by
people from the neiRhborhood, at once set
about caring for the wounded, and by
evening, all had been made IS comfortable
Is postihls under the circumstances
A search Of the locality of the magazine
revealed . hole in the hard ground, about
six or eight feet deep and twenty to twen-
ty-hVe feet in dimensions, but there was
literally no trace of the contents Of the
building or of the house itself. 1t was 3
locg time before any of the RENAME Of the
boy Duncan, who had caused the
accident, could be found, bat sftsr q
protracted and careful search, Foreman
Bennett, Of the tunnel gang, found q boot
strap, saturated with blood, and q little
later some fragment of muscle and . piece
of blsckened skin were found. This was
oil that remained Of the unfortunate lad,
who had been killed and annihilated in
TIE WinkliIg Of an eye. No vesiige OF
even the iron powder kegs could be dis
covered,
Foreman Bspn:t told the REGISTER re-
porter IL ct there were abont II hudnred
and fifty twenty-five-pound kegs Of pow
der, and sixteen boxes of dynamite, each
containing the same weight, 10 the maya
zine, and from the effects produced, one
can very we'll believe the statement.
The disaster is one Of the worst ever
known in this v:cini y, and is a warning to
other railroad men, handling explosives in
large quantities in tie vicinity Of this city,
ON both sides of the river.
Every effort wss made by the reporter
to obtain q full and accurate list of the
names of the wounded, but it was found
impossible, owing to the ~lateness Of the
hour, and the additional fact that in
many cases the men hurt were new ar
rivals, whose names had not been put
upon the books OF the foreman or time
kPRDar-