The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1890-09-13
CRUSHED TO DEATH.


A Spokane Falls dispatch of the 9TH
saws: thine only heightens the hor-
rors wrought by the premature explO-
sion of blast in the Northern Pacific
freight Yards here last night. At II P.
NJ. the men engaged in the task of tax
ing out the mangled 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
debris that buried the victims.
''Up to that hour eighteen bodies had
been taken out. OF these the following
have been identified: Henry Jacobini
NevelIer, Henry Aptell, Charles Neyel-
Ter, Andrew Puelonilo, F. A. Hahn, Jo-
seph Raw, John Cartlinio, James Me
Pherson, Roy Pinkney, b. Nitter, J. Tai
DO, Henry Jacobini, Henry Aptell, 4. w.
Warren Isaac Johnson, Dan. Macarthur.
Homer Olsen.
There are yet twenty seven men I'M
accounted for, all of whom are probably
buried beneath the mass of rock. The
men were given no chance for life. 1t
| was either instant death or slight injury.
There were about 200 pounds of giant
powder in the blast.
"The accident was caused by some
| ones carelessness. The man in charge
of the blast and three assistants were
| blown to atoms. 1t is the custom to
prepare blasts and charge them, and at
| the hours of y O'Clock noon and e
O'Clock, after the men have left work
and gone to place of safety, to shoot
them. In this case, however, it seems
that one blast had been prepared and
the foreman, c. Mcpherson, was pre-
pairing a second. The men had all
| finished their work and were put
ting on their coats and picking up
their lunch pals ready to go to
their homes after their days work,
when they met horrible and uneN-
pected death Either the rock was toe
hot from the action of the drills or else
tamping exploded the second blast, and
that exploded the first. A man who
was tamping paid the penalty with his
life A man who stood beside one 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 neal
the deadly blast, and who was supposed
to be dead, was seen shortly after the
explosion in half crazed condition
walking around with his clothing tori
to shreds.
"The men were working in cut lev
cling off the ground for the new freigh
wards. The cliff of rock on the side o
the cut which was being removed wa
twenty feet high. The blasts are so ar
ranged that the rock is thrown TOWARD
the cut. Not anticipating the blast
about thirty men were under the elf
when the blast exploded. A great mas
of rock and earth raised in the air an'
pitched over into the cut, buryln;
the men beneath its awful weight
None of them had time to run, bu
few escaped in almost a miraculou
manner. Over 100 men, who were a
work in the adjoining cuts. at once hur
ried to the scene and began, with picl
and shovel, to hunt for the burie,
bodies. From all over the huge mass O
rock groans and shrieks issued, and til
air was filed with the pitiful appeals Q
the wounded and dying. \ short hal
hour and all was still except Tor tn
workingmen with pick in hand, VIII
with the light of the lanterns worke'
late into the night removing the dea
| bodieS -