Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-05-07
Seven Burned Death.
Terrible Result of an Explosion
 of Dynamite.
HOUSES BLOWN TO THE WINDS.

OI OyI1dIIllCC.
 HOUSES BLOWN TO THE WINDS. The Sections of a Broken Train Crash
 Together and Blow Up Two Car Loads
 ot Explosives-Many Buildings Near
 the Track Wrecked.
 MT. CARMEL, Pa, May 7.-Late Saturday night a terrible accident occurred on the Philadelphia and Reading railroad, near Locust Gap. Freight train 67, consisting of seventy-five cars, bound for Williamsport, became disconnected by the breaking of coupling, and the engine and three cars ran half a mile before the crew discovered that the train was divided The first section awaited the arrival of the second at the foot of heavy grade, but the two brakemen lost control of the second section, and it dashed into the first section, causing an explosion in two cars which were load with dynamite and giant powder.
 At the scene of the accident the railroad runs along steep hill, at the bottom of which stood two rows of houses occupied by the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron company's employees. On the hillside stood @ little cottage occupied by John Quinn, a widower, and four children, two boys and | two girls. The force of the explosion wrecked the buildings, seventeen in all, and the stoves | set fire to the ruins. .
 Quinn and his two little girls were burned to ashes. The two boys escaped with burns 1 Simon Kerwicks family consisted of Mary | and Willie Cavanaugh, adopted children, aged respectively and 14 years; Daniel Berwick, aged 8; Alice Berwick, aged 5, and | his wife and a newborn babe. Mir. Berwick | carried his wife from the burning building, but the children were burned to death. l Thirty persons were injured, the most seri- ously being Mrs. Miles Dougherty, leg broken, bruised and cut; her mother, Mrs Matheas, cut, bruised and internally injured Mary, daughter of Mrs. Miles, neck cut and bruised; Andrew McElwee, right eye de- stroyed and neck cut; John Donlan, left hand amputated and cut about the limbs and Mrs. Patrick McManus, injured by missiles. Mrs. Simon Berwick is suffering from shock, and her condition is serious. Several of the in. ] jured were sent to tho Miners hospital In all twelve oars were destroyed, and l seventeen houses, with their furniture. All the windows in the Locust Gap churches and schools were broken and the doors blown off. In Mount Carmel, two and half miles distant, large store windows were broken The explosion was distinctly felt in Shamokin, six miles away.
 The Reading railroad at the point of the accident is about 200 feet above the level of the first street. Nearest the scene of the ex- plosion were one single dwelling on the north side of the street, and three double ones on the south side. These seven houses were torn to pieces and afterward burned It was in these that all the deaths occurred.
 MT. and Mrs. Berwick, who lost their three children, had miraculous escape The man l O,rt of fha rrysv, hut slightly injured. He then got his sict- wife out of the burning building, and afterward recovered several of his neighbours children, l which, in his dazed condition he believed to | Ee his own.
 About 100 yards below these buildings there is another row of four double houses These were wrecked, but fire was averted by the prompt action of the inmates. On the same street, some 300 yards east, stands nine more houses, four kdouble and one single. These were partly wrecked. Boards were | torn out, roofs broken in, and the furniture ruined. So great was the upward force of the explosion that car wheels and axles were thrown distance of 200 yards One axle fell through the roof of one of the houses on the lower street.
 The wrecked train, in annition to the cars of DO, der and dynamite, contained Singer sewing machines, glass, phosphate, oil, lum.
 
 sixty feet there is perfect litter of these goods, all broken and mixed up. Trees near the train were uprooted, while one large one was blown half way up the tor of a freight car. The lumber car was loaded with flooring. Where this was blown up the hill many of the long places are stuck in the ground. Beneath the wrecked train there is a large hole, probably fifty feet ir diameter, the work of the dynamite -E although one is said to have been blown 6 considerable distance. The engineer of the locomotive, which was very close at the time of the explosion, was stunned, but soon re covered. The loss is about $75, ,OO0
 In the town of Locust Gap the loss is also heavy. The large Catholic church was rocked like cradle, and the costly windows fell ir pieces upon the floor. I5e public school buildings were damaged, and there are few houses left in the town with the plaster still . left on their walls. Store shelves discharged their contents, and the town looks as though it had been subjected to siege or struck by , a cyclone.
 In this city the shock was also fruitful o1 damage There are few houses on business thoroughfares in which the French plate glass windows are not shattered. Locust Dale
 Excelsior and Helfenstein felt the shocl
 distinctly.
 The shock was felt five miles away, anG upon the hill, quarter of Q mile from tn. scene of the accident, the ground is Uttered
 with debris
 The full list of the dead is as follows: 3 CAvANAUGH, MARY, 8 years, adopted 5 daughter of Simon Berwick. CAvANAUGH, WILLIE, IA years, adopted , son of Simon Berwick
 , KERw1cK, ALICE, years old. , BERWICK, DANIEL, years old. BERWICK, infant daughter of Simoni Ker
 wick, born a few hours before the explosion 3 QUINN, JOHN A., widower, aged 40 years : QUINN, KATE, John Quinns daughter, aget t 8 years.
 3 The following names of injured people hay,
 been secured, built is probable that other
 were hurt:
 . DoNLAN, JOHN, hand crushed so that it hat to be amputated, and otherwise seriously