The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-05-23
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
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 S15, COG.
transport, filled up at Locust Gap at 10 o'clock.
Westwardiy there is heavy grade, and the
train acquired speed of 80 miles per hour. AT
the foot of the incline there is a sort Of fiat,
and at this point the coupling betwec-i The
third and fourth cars broke. The FIST section
ran q half mile before tho tact that the
train had parted was learned by Conductor
Ziegenfose. Engineer Robert Gallagher
whistled dow.l brakes, and had about brought
the fire. section to standstill when the sec
ond section rushed down upon it. The third
or contained Dupont powder, Rualin caps,
glycerine, and other explosives, consigned to
D. w. Hold, Newbury Junction. A 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 company's miners. Midway
between the railroad and the first row on
the steep incline stood little cot
tage where John Quinn and his family
of four children resided. This was re-
duced to ruins, and ignited by the cooking
stove, which scattered its burning Goals
under the stove and was burned to black
ened mass. His two little girls shared a
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 In building No. re-
sided Simon Kerwick, his wife. his son
Mary and Willie Cavanagh, adopted child
dren, aged eight and fourteen years, and q
newly-6orn babe. Mr.. Kerwick grasped
his sick wife and narrowly escaped from
the burning building. Next morning
the charred remains of the five children were
gathered from the ruins to await the inspec-
tion Of the Coroner. Almost simultaneously
the inmates of the adjoining buildings were
rescued. Brave men rushed into the flames
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
Carmel the French plate glass store
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
flying fragments Of the cars. The families
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 was
loaded with sewing machines. After the
explosion nothing but scraps were to be
found. Another was loaded with glass, and
q third with rails, which were thrown in oil
directions through the woods, while others
were loaded with flour, which covered the
mountain side like 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 ex-
plosion that car wheels and axles were
thrown O 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 a quarter
of q 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 a
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.