Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1888-05-11
A Strange Disaster.

the line of the Phila., and Reading r
r, was wrecked by remarkable ex;
plosion last Saturday night, which
also killed several of its citizens and
injured twen;v A tremendous freight
tain. said 10 have consisted OF seven
ty cars of mixed merchandise, includ-
lag carload of powder, glycerine,
caps, etc, was made up at the sum-
nit near the town and started north
but coupling broke, the train separa-
ted on steep down grade, and came
together again with crash as it pas
sed through the gap above the village.
The collision exploded the powder
and glycerine making a concnsssion
that partly destroyed village and
was felt for twenty miles arornd.
At Locust Gap the railroad runs
through a ravine in the Locust noun
lains and skirts an almost perpendic-
ular mountain side for distance OF
half mile 1t was at this point,
where tie declivity is steepest, that
the collision occurred One hundred
feet below runs branch of the Sha-
nokin Greek, ana parallel with it are
two rows OF houses, in each of which
live nine families The buildings
were owned by the Philadelphia and
Reading Coal and Iron Company and
were erected for the company's min
ers. In niche of the mill between
the two rows and the railroad John
Quinn had erected comfortable
cottage, in which lived his family,
consisting OF two bright boys and an
attactive girl. The cottage was more
than fifty yards from the point where
the two sections cf the train met and
directly below it, The shock of the
collision made total wreck of the
building, and the cooking stove in its
fall pinioned the father to the floor
and scattered burning Goals among
the ruins; Brakeman Gwynn landed
from the train in the vicinity of the
cottage and rescued the two boys
The flames gathered with such rapid
ity, however, that the rescue of the |
remaining members of the family was
an possibility. That mornings
sun shone upon the charred remains
of the father aud the ashes of his be-
loved daughter.
The first row of houses was 200 |
feet from the Quinn residence, but it
also collapsed with the explosion.
The stoves with their burning con-
tents in minute had the buildings
in a blaze. All but one family made
their escape, though not without SER
ious injury. In block No. 4 lived
School Director Simon Kerwick, his
wife; Daniel, his promising Syear-
old SOD; Alic. aged 5 years; Willie
and Mary Cavanaugh, aged respect
fully II and years, who were adopt
ed by Mr.. Kerwick when their father
was crushed TO death in the mines,
and a babe born few hours before
its death. Mr. Kerwick's first
thought was for his wife, whom be
dragged from the burning ruins. He
then sprang back into the flames, but
it was too late The broken-hearted
father this morning sat in front of his
ruined home and saw all that was left
of his family gathered in five little box
es. His love for his children was so
strong that his friends fear that he
may not stand the terrible shock
His wife, who knows not the worst,
is lying at the point Of death.
Row No. 2 escaped cOnhagration
from the ease with which water was
obtained from the creek, but the
buildings are total wreck from the
explosion. The frss house was occu-
pied by Supervisor Fitzpatrick, who
stood in his doorway at the time Of
the accident. The front part of the
building was blown to atoms, but he
miraculously escaped His neighbors
were Patrick McManus and wife.
Two wheels and an axle from the
powder car crushed through McMa-
nus roof and cut his bed into two
parts. The family were retiring at
the time of the accident, but fingered
in an adjoining room and thus saved
their lives, though Mrs. McManus
was painfully injured by flying deb
ris In building No. ) lived Miles
Dougberty, his wife, daughter and
his mother-in-law, Mrs Matthws
They were caught in the falling build.
ing and Mrs Dougherty, besides sus-
tanning painful internal injuries, had
her leg broken. Her daughter Mary
was also very seriously injured, sus-
tanning cuts and bruised about the
head and breast, which the physicians
fears will prove fatal Mrs Mathews
sustained injuries similar to her
daughters, and, owing to her advan-
ced age, is in u critical condition.
The twelve freight cars that were
wrecked contained valuable merchan-
disc, one being loaded with sewing
machines. After the explosion moth
ing but scraps were to be found
Another was loaded with glass,
third with rails, which were thrown
in all directions through the woods,
while others were loaded with -four,
which covered the mountain side like
a fall snow. Vain attempts were
made to find the powder car. For
miles around the woods are strewn
with it's fragments.
La the town of Locust Gap the
loss is also heavy. The large Catho-
lie church was rocked like cradle
and the costly windows fell in pieces
upon the floor. The public school
buildings were damaged and there
are few houses left in the town with
the plaster still left on the walls.
Store shelves dislodged their contents
and the town looks as though it had
been subjected to siege or struck by
q by q cyclone.