Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-05-20
DYNAMITE'S WORK.
Eighteen Men Made Mangled
and Mutilated Corpses.
FIFTEEN OTHERS TERRIBLY HURT.

n
Work Train, Blowing the Cars to
spiinters and Tearing Up 600 Feet of
Raiis-The Victims Hurled in Every
Direction and Torn Limb from Limb
A Scene Thar Looked Like Field of
Battle Horrible DetaiIs-other Casu-
alties.
TARRYTowN. y. Y, May Ca work
train on the Hudson River road was
blown to atoms yesterday, one mile and
8 half below Tarrytown, by an explosion
OF dynamite in transportation for blasting
purposes in track construction. There
we're possibly fifty men, including Ital-
ian laborers and trainmen, on board OF
these eighteen were instantly killed and
fifteen terribly torn and wounded. Many
o. the dead were blown into the river,
and five bodies still remain there unre-
| covered The train was blown to atoms,
tie tracks ripped from their bed and
great hole many feet deep dug out of the
earth, totally blocking traffic on the rail-
read for many hours.
Broke Glass in Tarrytown.
The dynamite was all stored on the
first of the four fat cars composing the
train. 1t consisted of twenty-four cases,
and each case contained fifty pounds.
making grand total of LOO pounds of
OF the terrible explosive. The force of
| the explosion was terrific. The ground
tremoled as though from an earthquake,
the walls OF several Tarrytown houses
were shaken and cracked, and in the Tar
town streets the window glass fell in
showers to the sidewalks. In Tarrytown
scores of clocks stopped, and it is in this
way that almost the exact hour of the ex-
plosion-1l :20--is fixed
Frfghtful Effect of the Explosion.
spark from a passing engine is be-
lieved TO have caused the explosion. The
tram was utterly demolished, and eve
witnesses say the air was filed with
splinters and debris, while the bodies of
the luckless train crew were hurled. some
of them torn limb from limb. in every
direction. terrible sight presented it,
self to those who hurried to the scene of
the awful accident. The ground. as far as
could be seen, was covered with debris
The track was torn up for space of COO
feet and the rails were bent into all kinds
of shapes. Dead faces and mutilated
bodies looked up at one from all direc.
tions.
wounded Horribly Mutilated.
The engine was blown out of all SEM
olance OF an engine and the tender was
blow half way into the river. The fat
cars we're blown into particles. Then be-
gan the awful work of bringing in the
dead and wounded. Men were found
a hundred yards away from the track.
while others were found in the excaya-
tlon made by the deadly explosive. The
wour ded were suffering from most hor-
rloIe mutiIatlons, in many instances arms
and legs being torn of, heads bruised
and bodies blee ling. The scene reminded
old soldiers of scenes after bloody bat.
tie during the civil war.
Picked Up Along the Track
Ten of those killed were picked I'D
along the track, while five were taken
from The river Three of the injured con-
veyed to the Tarrytown station died
shortly after reaching there 1t is be-
Iieved that there are still two bodies in
the river, and this would bring the total
number of killed up to twenty.
The following is a partial list of the |
dead, whose mangled bodies have been re- |
covered: joan Mccarthy, timex eeper, Of |
North larry town; Frank Morrissey, who |
had charge Of the dy mantle, of Peekskiu:
Brakeman John Smith, and fifteen ItaI. |
lans, names unknown
The Injured Americans
The wounded traiumen and other Ameri |
cans are given below The Italians weer |
known only by numbers, and their names |
are not, at this time, known, but there are |
a dozeu or more: George Herrick, engin- |
eer; Leo Pau, fireman, OF Stats burg: Con.
ductor Conner, of East Albany; brake
man, name unknown; Ed Finnegau, of |
Peekskill; Brakeman Fisher, Of Croton: |
Michael Mccormick blacksmith. Thomas
tinnegan, blacksmith's helper.
Panic in High school.
A panic occurred III the high school of |
Iarrytown among the pupils The school |
building was violently shaken aud the
pupils and teachers thought that an |
earthquake had occurred. The children
ran ou5 OF their class rooms into the
street, but fortunately none was injured /
in The wild rush
At the time of the explosion two men
were seen fishing on the bank of the river
neal the scene of the accident They are
supposed TO have been blown into the
river and drowned