Evening journal., 1891-05-20
DEATH FROM DYNAMITE.
a Score of Men Killed Near
Tarrytown, N. Y.
BODIES BL0W% INTO FRAGMENTS

~-N~~~~~-7~
Twelve Hundred Pounds of the Power
full Explosive Were Touched on by a
Spark and the III Pated work Train
Was Literally Torn All to Pieces.
TARRyTowN, y. Y, May 20.-The first
reports Of the horrible explosion on the
Hudson River railroad at this po.at were
much exaggerated, but the facts as finally
ascertained are bad enough. The explo-
sion occurred one mile and a half below
Tarrytown at 1I:2o a. m. There were
probably fifty men, including Italian la
borers and trainmen, on board. OF these
eighteen were instantly killed and fifteen
terribly torn and wounded Many of the
dead were blown into the river, and five
bodies still remain there unrecovered.
Literally Torn to Atoms.
The dynamite was being transported for
track construction purposes on a work
train. When the explosion occurred the
train was torn to atoms, the railway tracks
ripped from their bed and great hole
many feet deep dug out of the earth, to-
tally blocking traffic on the railway for
many hours. The train was ia charge Of
Conductor Connor and the gang of men
was under jerome Disston as boss The
dynamite was all stored on the first OF the
four fiat cars composing the train. 1t CON
sisted OF twenty-four cases, and each case
contained fifty pounds, making grand
total of 200 pounds of the explosive. The
force Of the explosion was terrific.
1t stopped tho Clocks.
The ground trembled as though from an
earthquake the walls of several Tarry-
town houses were shaken and cracked and
in the Tarrytown streets the window glass
fell in showers to the sidewalk In larry
town scores of clocks stopped and 1t is in
this way that almost the exact instant Of
the explosion, 30, is fixed. a spark from
a passing engine is believed to have caused
the explosion. The train was utterly de-
molished, and eye 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 Sights.
terrible sight presented itself to those
who hurried to the scene Of the awful ac-
eident. The ground as far as could be seen
was covered with debris. The track was
torn up for a space of coo feet and the rails
were bent into al kinds of shape Dead
faces and mutilated bodies looked up at
one from all directions. The engine was
blown out of all semblance Of an engine,
and the tender was blown half way into
the river. The fiat cars were torn into
minute particles. Then began the awful
work Of bringing in the dead and wound
ed. Men were found dead hundred yards
away from the track, while others were
found in the excavations made by the
deadly explosive. The wounded were suf-
fering from most horrible mutilations, in
many instances arms and legs being torn
off, heads bruised and bodies bleeding.
Like the Carnage Of War.
The scene reminded old soldiers of scenes
after bloody battle during the civil war.
The dead and injured were conveyed to
the Tarrytown depot, where the injuries
of the wounded were looked after by a
score Of physicians who had been hurried
ly summoned from all directions. The in
jured were afterward taken to different
hospitals, five Of the most severely injured
being taken to Bellevue hospital in New
York city. The dead were also conveyed
TO the depot, but later were removed to
Vanderbilt's morgue in Tarrytown Ten
of those killed were picked up along the
track, while five were taken from the river.
Three Of the injured conveyed to the depot
died shortly after reaching there II is
believed that there are still two more bod
les in the river, and this would bring the
total number Of killed up to twenty.
The Dead and Injured.
The following is partial list of the dead
and wounded whose dead or mangled
bodies have been recovered. The names
Of the Italians cannot be ascertained, as
they were only known by numbers. The
killed are:
John Mccarthy, timekeeper, of North
Tarrytown.
Frank Morrissey, who had charge Of the
dynamite, Of Peekskill.
Brakeman John Smith.
Fifteen Italians, names unknown.
The following are the injured:
George Herrick, engineer.
Conductor Connor, Of East Albany.
Brakeman, name unknown.
Ed Finnegan, of Peekskill.
Brakeman Fisher, of Croton.
Michael Mccormick, blacksmith.
Thomas Finnegan, blacksmith's helper
Also a dozen or more Italians. The ex-
act number cannot yet be learned, as the
injured were taken to various hospitals
The scene Of the accident is on one OF
the beautiful points Of the banks of the
Hudson. The explosion occurred almost
directly in front of the handsome resi-
dence Of Richard Hoe, the printing press
manufacturer, while the mansions Of Eli
Oft r. Shepard and John Rockefeller are
close by. A panic occurred in the high
school of Tarrytown among the pupils.
/ The school building was violently shaken
and the scholars and teachers thought
that an earthquake had occurred The
children ran out of their classrooms into
the street, but fortunately none was in
| jured in the wild rush.
Seven at New York.