Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1889-12-13
The Nitro-Glycerine Horror.

On Tuesday morning of this week James |
O. Wood and William Madill drove out to
the store-house of The Butler Torpedo Co., |
located on the Matthew Brown farm, about
mile south of Butler, to get 6O-quart
shot for the B. Forst Oil Co., at Myoma,
1O-quart shot for the McCalmont on Co.
and 6-quart shot for the Munhan wen
They reached the magazine, which Is To-
Gated at the foot of small bank OF earth'
| about o'clock. and had carried almost all
the supply they needed from the magazine
10 the wagon, which stood IN the heiu
about fifty feet distant, when they as
covered that they had forgotten some
weights, and sent boy named hutcnison
hack to Butler for them with buggy.
Then thew continued their work until the
| explosion-an explosion that meant one vi
those horrors peculiar to the oil country
occurred.
when the neighbors arrived at the scene
no trace of the two men could be SEEN
They had apparently disappeared from the
face Of the earth OF the spring wagon, III
which part of the stuff had been loaded, a
mart of one iron axle-tree was lying NEAR
and that alone. One of the horses was cut
to pieces and the other was lying dead, a.
though struck by lightning
| shaped hole, about s feet WIDE ana
feet deep, marked the spot where the
WAGON stood. and smaller hole between
II and the magazine indicated that one can
standing by itself had exploded there.
The neighbors and the people OF Butter
who went to the scene, Immediately began
to search for the remains of the two men
The right shoulder and right arm oil a
bnman being. excepting thefingers, IN
one niece. was found about 100 yards to the
Southeast. and this was identified as 6eing
part Of Mr Wood BY small al piece g. q .4Jt Ise
or right shoulder was found about 100 yards
dne south from the hole, which OF course
belonged to Mr.. Madill. An entire scalp
, was f6und. which was identified as belong
ing to Wood. 1t was taken off as cleanly
as though done with razor Some srnali
pieces Of Madilrs scalp were also found.
, | All the other parts OF the two menus
. heads arms. bodies and legs were in atoms,
and which nile to put them in when found
r was mere guesswork. Undertaken Roessine
| took out two pine boxes, and what was
thought to belong to belong to each man
was placed in the separate boxes. III was
! a sight to make anyone shudder:
What caused the explosion will never be
known. One of the men may have dropped
one can upon another, or the horses may
, have backed Men who handle nitro
7 glycerine often drop can without an eH,
, D iosion following, but if the can shoulo
strike stone, and particularly II a smear
inc of the stuff was on the outside OF the
S can. an explosion would likely follow
{ when the stuff ia loaded in spring wagon
each can is wrapped in O blanket, and the
driver is not oveI particular as 10 NO" Ut
drives.
The remarkable feature of this accident
or orror, or whatever you may can IL,
that while the explosion OF TINS miro
glycerine-60 to so quarts-wrecked tne
magazine, tore the roof oil OF 1t, ana drop
ped the two-inch plank that composed aaS dtS
ceiling down upon cans containing oO'
quarts of the stuff with such force as to IN
, dent the cans and knock them over, the
stuff in the magazine did not explode.
THE DEAD.
Mr. Wood came to this town with his
family. n wife and two children, some
months ago, and was living in the SchulIz
house on 5. Washington st. lie nad lol-
: lowed the oil country for fifteen years, was
, born in Canada, and had no relatives nv,
;nq He was partner of Mr.. o. NJ. Russell
in the torpedo business, and Mr.. russell
speaks of him in the highest terms HIS
0 wife. who is said to be very much OF q lady,
was horn in McConnellsville, Oneida Co.,
N. Y. and has half brother living there.
THE other two members of the family are a
5 little boy of five years and baby girl OF
: six months.
Mr.. Madill was single man and was a
native of Ontario, Canada. 4.e came to
Butler about two years ago, and Formerly
boarded at the Willard House, but since
I the Dad of July last has boarded at the
. Vogeley House. Mr.. Russell also speak>
f highly of him as being an honest and truth
\ fnI man. Nothing is known here OF MS
, relatives. He told his friends here that ne
had not been home for ten years, but In
tended spending the coming Christmas
there.
A gold ring, supposed TO belong to one
4 of the men, was found near the magazine
n 1t was marked "Clara to WilF'; Was bent
and was pierced with holes as though done
by {. fne needle, fact that shows the SIN
I gularly penetrating power OF mtro-giycer
inc.
The spring wagon that was destroyed
: and the team, were the property of Peter
e Kramer the liveryman.
Some of the clothing of the two men /:
/; yet hanging to the tree tops OF tha'
vicinity.
, Mr.. Wood went to the magazine thai
day to help Mr.. Madill to load the stun
and then he intended to stay there and mix
? up more stock. Madill was to do the shoot
ing of the wells that day, and did not ex
pect to get back to Butler till next day.
/ The remains of Mr.. Madill were buried
Wednesday afternoon, and those OF Mr.
Wood yesterday morning, both IN the
North Cemetery.
B, rrlo c,,,r Iar, of ono of the hoYses Werf