Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1888-02-29
A BLASTS AWFUL WORK.
Twenty-Five Dynamite Cartridges Explode
Thirty Laborers Badly Mangled.

Twenty-Five Dynamite Cartridges Explode
Thirty Laborers Badly MaDgled.
DULUTH, Mimi, Feb. 22.-At 7:15 this
morning, just as the men employed in
blasting rock on the Fourth Street cut
had commenced work, a terrific expo
sion occurred, seriously injuring about
thirty men, a number of whom will die.
It seems that Saturday afternoon o
hole was drilled eighteen feet in the
solid rock and charged with twenty-five
cartridges, seventvfve per cent. of
which were dynamite. An attempt was
made at o'clock Saturday evening to
di-charge the blast, but only very
slight fissure was made in the rock.
Monday morning the foreman, Ole
Lundberg, told a gang of men to redrill
the hole, but the men refused. Early
this MOI ming part of fresh crew was
secured and work was commenced. 1t
was apparent to all the laborers that but
one cartrid4 e had exploded and that the
tamping had prevented the discharge Of
the others.
The workmen had struck but few
blows when an explosion took place,
hurting tons of rock in every direction
with earful violence. About sixty men
were employed in the cut and at least
half were injured. Six men were hurled
distance OF over twenty feet and many
were thrown to the ground by the vio-
lcnce of the blast.
Other workmen rushed to the scene
and the sight which met their eyes was
horrible. Seven men, all bleeding and
mangled, were lying about on the rough,
jagged floor of the cut. One was
thrown some twenty feet and
from the side of his face blood
was flowing in a stream. Another
was pinned to the earth by great piece
| of stone and in agonies of intense suffer
ing. Others who were slightly wound
| ed with their faces blackened and bleed
ing from slight flesh wounds, stood
about as if dazed. In an instant strong
arms rolled away the stone pinning a
man named Anderson to the earth, and
removed the injured from the pit.
The following were seriously injured:
Andrew Dahl, aged %; died half an hour
after reaching the hospital; Jacob Nels,
25 years, cut in head and about the back,
serious; Charley Matson, 81 years, com
pound fracture of the leg and bad
wounds on the body; Aaron Erick.
son, SO years, tesribly mangleG, will
die; Fred Ecklund. % years, hurt in the
face and back, not serious; Andrew
ECk1uHu, Il years, ICY DIOh0I, Ilduu
smashed, ribs dislocated and back hurt
very serious; Erik Matson, % years
both legs broken, breast bone broken
back injured, will probably die; A. Ord
ling, 80 years, head and legs hurt, seri
Gus; L. Anderson, q years, head anc
back in iured, condition serious.
A large corps of surgeons are attend
ing to the foregoing wounded who were
removed to st. Lul.e's Hospital, and {
large number of the injured are receiv
ing attendance in their own homes.
Ole Lundberg, the foreman, was thil
afternoon caught at Iron Range depot.
Foreman Lundberg said: 81 have
been engaged in rock work for seven
teen years and this is the first acciden
that ever happened. | had no more
idea that there was dynamite in it thar
that there Is in my band now. Mr.
Fitzpatrick, the contractor, hired me
under the best recommendation and
took the place of - relative o. his"