The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-05-20
InE EAnIH QUAkEU
And the Air Was Filled With MutiIated
Human Forms.
Explosion on a Railroad Car Carrying
Dynamite and Italians.
The Death List Believed to Number
Twenty, Perhaps More.
Houses Shaken For Miles Up and Down
the Hudson River.

| TARRYTowN. May 19.-About two tons Of
dynamite on New York Central construc-
tion train exploded near here at 11.3O this
morning. killing IS men and injuring about
20 others. The train consisting of locomo-
tive and one flat car was demolished. The
windows of buildings were broken for miles
around. The train was in charge of Con-
ductor Connor and Engineer George A. Her
rick and was standing in cut quarter of
mile south of Tarrytown station. Twenty
five boxes of dynamite cartridges were on
the fiat car to be used for blasting purposes
along the road. About 90 Italian laborers
were on the fiat car. They were just pre-
pairing to unload the dynamite when the ex-
pl0si0n occurred. A train in command of
VIM. Brannigan was passing on a side track
at the time. Brannigan saw an Italian jump
from the fiat car. The Italian evidently
knew what was going to happen as he made
a desperate plunge and landed on the side
track. He is supposed to have been run
over by the derrick train and killed. Bran
nigan saw curl of smoke and heard a
rumbling noise and then terrific explosion.
The next instant the air was filled with
human forms. The unfortunate Italians
were blown in very direction. Engineer
Herrick and Leonard Pau, the fireman, were
both blown 20 feet and badly hurt. Conduc-
tor ConnOr, who got off the train before the
explosion occurred, was thrown about ten
feet and badly stunned. John Smith, the
brakeman on the fiat car, was blown to
pieces. John Mccarthy, time keeper. was
killed, his body badly mutilated, being found
alongside the track. Thomas Finnigan, fore
man of the gang constructing an iron bridge
within few rods from where the fiat car
stood. was badly hurt. His men escaped
without serious injury.
After the smoke cleared away horrible
sight presented itself. Portions of human
bodies lay scattered about In every direc-
tion. The bodies of some of the victims
were blown into neighborihg swamp and
when the water was drawn off they were
found sticking la the mud. The few persons
who lived say they saw number of bodies
blown into the Hudson river, along the
banks of which the railroad track ran. The
locomotive and fiat cars were blown to
ing the trucks and the tender. The cries
and groans of the dying and those less in
jured came from almost every direction.
Some unfortunates were suffering from
broken legs and arms. Some had their faces
horribly lacerated and covered with blood.
Many persons soon reached the place of
the wreck and score of doctors came from
the neighb0ring towns. The injured were
carried to Tarrytown depot and laid ON mat
tresses obtained from the hotels and private
houses in the neighborhood. Engineer Her.
rick was conveyed to the Tarrytown hospi-
tai and Fireman Pau, with FIVE wounded
Italians, was placed on special train and
carried to Bellevue Hospital. Time Keeper
John McCarty had the record of all the Ital-
ians on the fat car. 1t Is difficult to state at
present how many Italians lost their
lives. AS far as can be learned, IS men
were killed and about 20 wounded. The
Italians were known by numbers, and each
carried brass tag bearing his number.
Three Italians died in the Tarrytown station
after being removed from the wreck Ten
bodies were picked up along the track, and
bodies, with those of the three victims who
died in the depot, were conveyed to Wander
bits morgue in Tarrytown village. The re-
coyery of Engineer Herrick is doubtful.
cause of the explosion. One is that the rope
attached to the fiat car caught fire from the
engine and ignited one of the boxes con-
tanning the dynamite cartridges. Another is
that fire was communicated to the dynamite
cartridges by an Italian smoking pipe.
Smoking on the dynamite car was strictly
prohibited, and the railroad officials do not
seem to think the explosion originated in
that way. The most plausible theory is that
s6e T bTas
utes before the explosion occurred the Chi
cago limited express, having on board many
passengers, passed.
The force of the explosion was heard aud
felt as far down the river as Yonkers and
Spuyten Duyvil, and up river as far as Peek
skill. Windows were broken in Irvington,
DObbs' Ferry and the villages surrounding
TarrytOwn. The force of the explosion was
felt across the river at Nyack where build
ings were shaken and windows broken. In
Tarrytown and D0bbs' Ferry many clocks
were stopped, and in the high school at Tar
rytown portion Of the ceiling was knocked
down. A panic ensued among the pupils,
the school building being shaken so violent
ly that the scholars and teachers thought an
earthquake had occurred. The pupils began
to run out of the class rooms and the teach
ers with difficulty prevented stampede.
The scene of the accident is directly In
frCnt of the house of Richard Hoe, the print
ing press inventor. The house of Elliot F.
Shepard and the residence of millionaire
Rockefeller are not far away. The track was
torn up for 25 feet and the trees on the east
side of the track upr0oted. The train was
on the way up the Hudson river to deliver
the dynamite at different points where the
railroad company Is eXcavating and making
improvements. The officials of the road are
investigating the origin of the explosion.
After the explosion occurred two Italians
ran across the track in a frantic manner and
Jumped from the wall into the river and
were drowned, making the death list 20.