The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-05-20
A FRTGHTFUL ACCIDENT.
Explosion Blows High-
teen Persons Into Eternity.
MOST OF THE DEAD ARE ITALIANS.
Twenty-Five Persons Ipjured---Awful
Occurrences at Tarrytown, New York.
ANumbcr of Americans Are Among
the Killed and Injured.

TARnYTowN, N. Y, May l9.-At 11:2S
o'clock this morning train containing
large quantity OF dynamite was blown
up a short distance from this station.
The explosion was terrific, and couldbe
heard mile away. The train was
blown to pieces, and two Americans
and eight Italians were instantly killed.
Their remains were picked up and car.
ried to the station. A large number OF
peoplewer injured.
Alater dispatch says the loss OF life is
estimated at between sixteen and
twenty and the injured as many more.
An engine and one fiat car were convey
ing o load OF Italians and twenty-four
cases Of dynamite, each case containing
tifty. pounds. A coil OF rope lay in front
of the truck of the engine which was
ignited by spark. The moving train
famed the flames, and the dynamite
exploded. William Brannigan, engi.
neer of the train, happened to be 100
yards from the train at the time and
says; yysv, :, a, .o;, :. ,o,,o 50. A.. - tbo
first package Of dynamite one OF the
men saw it and sprang off the car and
was killed by the wheels. The next
moment there was a rumbling noise,
and dense cloud OF smoke and flying
mass shot up into the air. The train
had Just about come to n stop, and many
were saved by jumping before the ex:
plosion.
A TERRIBLE SCENE.
The men were blown in various di.
rections, and several are supposed to
have been blown far out into the river.
The first man on the scene after the ex-
plosion SAYS he counted sixteen dead on
the track and sixteen wounded. He
says twenty men had been blown into
the Hudson river, most OF them being
Italians. The engineer OF the train was
cut on the head, and fireman Pail was
also badly injured, besides having four
ribs broken. John Smith was killed;
John Connors, conductor, was badly IN
jured; Jimmie Morrison, boy en-
ployed in carrying p owder, was killed;
John Mccarthy, the timekeeper, was
also killed. The others killed were all
Italians.
It is now said eighteen in all were
killed. The Italians names are not
known, as they are known only by num-
bers. Twenty-Five men are injured,
among them being several Americans.
Two bodies have been taken out OF the
river, Nobody knows how many more
remain there. The two -ftaiians who
were not killed by the explosion were
SO badly frightened that they ran to the
river wall and jumped into the river.
They have not been seen since.
The train was torn to atoms, the rail-
way tracks ripped from the bed and a
great hole many feet deep dug out OF the
earth, blocking traffic on the railway for
many hours. In Tarrytown scores Of
clocks stopped and it is in this way that
almost the exact hour OF the explosion
m :2O) is fixed. The list OF the dead is
now IS. OF these IS are accounted for
and the remaining 5 are in the river.
Three Of tho Italians died in the
Tarrytown hospital after being re-
moved from the wreck. Ten bodies
were picked up along the track, while
five were taken out OF thewater. About
three minutes before the explosion
the Chicago Limited Express, having
on board many passengers, passed this
point. The force OF the explosion was
heard for miles up and down the river;
also across the river at Nyack, where
buildings were shaken and many win
dows broken. InTarrytown many high
buildings were shaken, windows
broken and plastering knocked down.
The scene Of the accident is on one OF
the beautiful points on the bank Of the
Hudson, and meas the houses Of Richard
Hoe, the printing press inventor, Elliott
Shepherd, Mr.. Rockefeller, OF the Stand