Morning journal and courier., 1891-05-20
NEWS BY TELEGRAPH. From All Quarters. EXPLOSION OF DYNAMITE Eighteen Men Killed and
 Twenty Wounded. LARGE FIRE IN JACKSONVILLE, FLA. Doings of the Convention
 At Cincinnati. THE SILVER CONGRESS AT DENVER. A Texas Town Swept by a Cyclone.
EIGHTEEN MEN KILLED

EIGHTEEN MEN KILLED By the Explosion of Two Tons of Dynamite at TarrytoWn - Twenty
 Men Seriously Injured-A Locomo- tive and Flat Car Completely De- molfshed-Several Men Blown Into the Hudson Rtver-Story of an Eye Witness.
 TARRYTowN, N. Y. May 19.-About two tons of dynamite on New York Central construction train exploded near here at 1130 this morning, killing eighteen men and injuring about twenty others. The train, containing locomotive and one flat car, was demolished, and windows of buildings were broken for miles around. The train, which was in charge of Con- ductor Connor and Engineer George A. Herrick, was standing in the cut a quar- ter of a mile south of the Tarrytown station. There were twenty-five boxes of dynamite cartridges on the flat car This dynamite weighed about two tons and was to be used for blasting purposes along the road. There were about fifty Italian laborers on the flat cars, and they were just preparing to unload the dynamite when the explosion occurred.
 The scene which followed cannot ade- quately be described. A derrick train in l command of William Brannigan was pass ing on side track at the time and Bran nigan saw an Italian jump from the flat car on which the boxes of dynamite lay This Italian evidently knew what was go- ing to happen, as he made desperate plunge and landed on the side track. He is supposed to have been run over by the derrick train and killed. Brannigan's at tention was then attracted to the flat car. He saw curl of smoke, heard rumbling noise and then terrific explosion. The | next instant the air was filled with human forms and the unfortunate Italians were | blown in every direction. Engineer Her | rick and Leonard Pan, his fireman, were blown distance of twenty feet, where they were found within a short distance of each other, alive but badly hurt. l Conductor Connor, who had just got off | of the train before the explosion occurred i was thrown distance of about ten feet ! Although badly stunned he was able to get l up and walk. John Smith, brakeman, was on the flat car and his body was blown l to pieces. John Mccarthy, who acted as tlmekeeper, was killed. His body was badly mutilated and was found alongside of the track. Thomas Finnigan. who was foreman of gang constructing an iron bridge within 8 few yards of where the car was, was badly hurt. His men escaped without serious injury.
 After the smoke of the explosion cleared away g horrible sight presented itself. Portions of human bodies lay scattered about in every direction. In one place there was leg and in another an arm, l while masses of bones and flesh were strewn over the track and along the sides | of the rails. The bodies of some of the victims were blown into a neighboring swamp, and when the water was drawn off they were found sticking in the mud. The few persons who lived to give an account of the terrible affray say they saw num- Der of bodies blown into the Hudson river, along the bank of which the railroad track ran. The locomotive and flat car were blown to pieces, the only parts of the en. zine left being the trucks and the tender. The cries and groans of the dying and those less injured came from almost every direction Some of the unfortunates were suffering from broken legs and arms, anc their faces were horribly lacerated anc covered with blood.
 Many persons soon reached the place o 1 the wrecks and score of doctors who hac been telegraphed for, came from neighbor ing towns. The injured were conveyed tc the Tarrytown depot and laid on mat tresses, which were obtained from the ho tels and private houses in ths neighbor hood. The engineer and fireman wer among the injured who were taken to tn depot. The engineer was afterward con l. -1 IN man Pan, with five wounded Italians, wa
 placed on special train and conveyed t
 Bellevue hospital. Timekeeper Mccarthy
 who was killed, had the record of al
 the Italians who were on the flat car It is difficult to state how many o s the Italians lost their lives. A Q far as can be learned, eighteen | men were killed and about twenty wound :. ed. The Italians were known by number T and each carried a brass tag bearing hi II II | number. Three Italians died in the Ta1 > rytown hospital after being removed fro1
 the wreck. Ten of the bodies were picke
 up along the track, while five were take
 out of the water. These bodies, with thre
 veyed to Vanderbilt's morgue in Tarrytow
 village. Rev. Father Joseph Eagan of s
 Mary's Roman Catholic church in Tarr,
 town administered the last rites of u
 church to some of the dying. Engine' h- Herrick was cut about the body, had b
 left leg broken and was also suffering fro
 concussion of the brain. His recovery
 doubtful. Conductor Connor was burne . about the face, his left arm was dislocate
 and he was cut and bruised about u
 body.
 Different theories are advanced as to u
 cause of the explosion. One is that Q ro] - attached to the flat car caught fire fro
 the engine and in this way ignited one
 the boxes containing the dynamite.
 Another theory is that fire was comm
 nicated to the dynamite cartridges by ol
 of the Italians smoking pipe. Smokin
 however, on the dynamite car was strict
 prohibited and the railroad officials do D
 seem to think that the explosion originat
 in that way.
 The most plausible theory is that dynamite was exploded by concussion some unaccoantable way. About th1 A minutes before the explosion occurred 3 Chicago limited, having on board maj 8 passengers, passed the spot.
 G The force of the explosion was hea e3 and felt as far down the river as Yonk' A and Spuyten Duyvil and up the river 5 far as Peakskill Windows were brok s in Irvingten, Dobb's Ferry and villas 2 surrounding Tarrytown. The force of 5 explosion was also felt across the river E Nyack, where buildings were shaken a windows broken. In Tarrytown a Dobb's Ferry many clocks in public 6 private buildings were stopped. In
 high school of Tarrytown portion
 the ceiling was knocked down ,and pa - ensued among the pupils. The sch II building was shaken violently and IF scholars and teachers thought that earthquake had occurred. The pu]
 began to run out of their class-rooms
 the teachers with difficulty prevented
 stampede.
 The scene of the accident is in one of vitb beautiful points of the bank of the H the son. It is directly in front of the hous lar Richard Hoe, the printing press inven ish while the house of Elliot F. Shepard uh- the residence of the millionaire Rockefe
 are not far away.
 The track was torn up for distanc
 twenty-five feet and trees on the east
 were uprooted.
 The fatal construction train was or dp. way up the Hudson river to deliver
 dynamite at different points, where e:
 vations and improvements are being m
 The officials of the road are investiga'
 the origin of the explosion.
 ls After the explosion occurred two VI ians were seen to run across the track
 frantic manner and jumped from the
 into the water. They were drowned. V
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