Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-09-11
AN AWFUL BLAST.
Premature Explosion Causes a
Frightful Loss Of Life.
THE MEN WORKING IN A CUT.
Thousands of Tons of Rock Fall Upon Them
Just as They Were Ending the Days
Work-Rescue Work Aban-
doned.

SPOKANE FALLS, Wash, Sept 8-At
eleven o'clock Saturday night the men
engaged in taking out the mangled VIC
tins of the frightful blast explosion in
the Northern Pacific freight yards were
forced to desist because among the
rocks which were being cleared away
were five other blasts that might be ex-
ploded in the task of removing the mass
of debris that buried the victims
Up to that hour fourteen bodies had
been taken out. OF these the following
were identified: Henry Jacobini Veyel-
ler, Henry Apell, Charles Veyeller, An
drew Puelonelio, F. A. Holm, Joseph
Ray, John Cartlinio, James Mcpherson,
Roy Pinkey, B. Vitter, j. Talbo, A. w.
Warren, Isaac Johnson, Dan Macarthur
and Homer Olsen.
The men were given no chance for
life. 1t was either instant death or
slight injury. There were about two
hundred pounds of giant powder in the
blast and 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 twelve
noon and six 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. Nc
Pherson, was preparing second.
The men had all finished their work
and were putting on their coats and
picking up their lunch pails ready to
to go their homes after their days work.
Either the rock was too hot from the
action of the drills, or else tamping ex-
pIoded the second blast and that ex-
ploded the first. The man who was
tamping paid the penalty with his life.
A man who stood beside the one who
was tamping escaped with slight bruises,
although 90, 900 cubic feet of rock were
hurled for hundreds of feet in every di-
rection. Another man who was near
the deadly blast and who was supposed
to be dead was seen shortly after the
explosion in a half crazed condition
walking around with his clothing torn
to shreds.
The men were working in cut level
ing off the ground for the new freight
wards. The cliff of rock on the side OF
the cut which was being removed was
twenty feet high. The blasts were SC
arranged that the rock was thrown to-
ward them. Not anticipating the blast,
about forty men were under the cliff
when the blast exploded. A great mass
of rock and earth raised in the air and
pitched over into the cut burying them
beneath its awful weight. One of them
had time to run, but few escaped in a
miraculous manner. Over 100 men were
at work in the adjoining cut and at once
were on the scene of the terrible acci'
dent and began with pick and shovel to
hunt for the buried bodies.
Curiosity led hundreds to visit the
scene of the accident, while eager
crowds watched the work of removing
| the immense amount of rocks thrown
by the explosion into the cut below,
under which most of the bodies of tn ose
killed were found.
The scene of the explosion presented
a fearful appearance. On the top of the
ledge of rock where the unfortunate
foreman, James Mcpherson, was tamp-
ing the blast by which so many were
hurried into eternity, a deep hole was
excavated in the earth, and it is esti-
mated that 25, 900 cubic feet of rocks and
earth were hurled upon the unfortunate
men directly beneath in the cut The
explosion was a terrific one, it being
stated that one hundred pounds OF
dynamite were in each of the two blasts
discharged.
Although force worked until all the
rock dislodged was removed no more
bodies were found. The number OF
dead found was fourteen. In addition
to these one man died at the hospital
and it is also reported that two more
badly injured died at their homes
Many of those injured were so badly
hurt that recovery is almost impossible.
General Foreman Charles Holt states
that forty-two men were in the gang at
work on the cut in the ledge. OF this
number fifteen and perhaps seventeen
are dead, eight are in the hospital and
it has so far been impossible to deter
mine the whereabou of the other men.
Of these many supposed to have been
hurt will probably be present at roll
call to-day.