The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-09-24
A PREMATURE BLAST.
Many Men Killed by an Ex'
plosi0n of Giant Powder.
Somebody's Carelessness Causes
a Terrible Fatality.

At 5:55 o'clock Pm, a premature blast oc.
Cured in the Northern Pacific yards at Spo-
kane Falls, Washington. It was just before
the hour Of quitting work. A large force OF
men were engaged in blasting out huge
rock pile in the eastern part Of the city.
From fifty to seventy five men were ut work
in the cut at the time. Fifteen We're soon
taken ont dead and number of others were
injured.
At lip. NJ. the men engaged in the task of
taking out the manged victims were forced
to desist because among the rocks which
were being cleared away were five other
blasts that might be exploded in the task Of
removing the mass Of debris that buried the
victims. Up to that hour eighteen bodies
had been taken out.
There were twenty-seyen men unaccounted
for, oil or most Of whom were beneath the
mighty mass Of rock. The men had no
chance for life. It was either instant death
or slight injury.
There were about 200 pounds Of giant pow
der in the blast. The accident was caused
by some ones carelessness. The man in
charge of the blast and three assist
ants were blown to atoms. It is the
custom to prepare blasts and charge
them, and at noon and P. H., after the
men have left work and gone to place OF
safety, to fire them. In this case, however,
it seems that one blast had been prepared
and the foreman, G. Mcpherson, was prepar-
ing second. The men had all finished their
work and were putting on their coats and
picking up their lunch pals ready to 60 to
their homes after their days work, when
they met horrible and unexpected death.
Either the rock was too hot from the ac-
ton of the drills or else tamping exploded
49, b1ocf opd thot aYp1o6a1 ho
first. A man who was tamping paid the
penalty with his life. A man who stood be-
side another who was tamping escaped with
Slight bruises, although 10000 cubic feet Of
rock were hurled for hundreds Of feet in
every direction. Another man who was near
the deadly blast, and who was supposed
to be dead, was seen shortly after the
explosion in halr-crazed condition, walking
around with his clothing torn to shreds. The
men were working In a cut levelinS OF the
ground for the new freight yards. The cliff
of rock on the side of the cut which was be-
ing removed was twenty feet high. The
blasts are so arranged that tbsrock is thrown
toward the cut
Not anticipating the blast, about thirty
men were under the cliff when the blast ex-
ploded. A great mass Of rock and earth
raised in the air and pitched over into the
cut, burying the men beneath its awful
weight. None of them had time to run, but
few escaped in miraculous manner.
| Over 100 men were at work in tho ad.
Joining cuts, and at once were on the
scene Of the terrible accident and began with
picks and shovels to hunt for tue buried bo.
dies. From all over the huge mass Of rock
groaus and shrieks issued, and the Dir was
filled with the appeals Of the wounded and
dying. A short half hour and all was still,
except for the workiugmen with pick in
worked late into the night removing dead
bodies.