St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-07-22
TORN INTO sHREDS.
FRfGHTFUL EXPLOSION OF DYNdMl?E
YESTERDAY M0RNfHc.
WAS THE CITY TO BLAMEa
1t Seem5 to Have Violated One OF
Its Own Rules-The Coroner's
Jury Finds Carelessness the
Cause OF the Destructive tx
pIOsiOn.


A frlghtful explosion OF dynamite
occurred on the East side yesterday
morning, tearing into threds human
being and causing destruction to the
value of thousands of dollars. The
shocking accident occurred on a vacant
lot on Fifth street, between Fourth and
Fifth avenues north.
The victim was Gus OlSO, blaSter III
the employ of the city, who was en-
gagged with large crew i'll putting in
sewer on Fifth street. His occupation
necessarily brought him to work
earlier than his fellows, and at the
time of the explosion he was alone in
the small shed where the explosive was
stored. A new stock of the deadly stuff
had been received yesterday, in all
three boxes, about $50 pounds. How
the accident occurred will never be
known. The time was 6:09 o'clock.
and few people were in the vicinity.
Had it been an hour later there is no
doubt fearful loss of life would have
resulted.
When the explosion came the body of
the unfortunate blaster was hurled high
i'll the air across two streets and over
wuodshed, through picket fence and
deposited across the street from the
fence fully 500 feet from the dynamite
house. Strewn along its course were
fragments that indicated a gruesome
spectacle. The scalp was picked up in
the middle OF Adams street, and many
bits of flesh were deposited on the tops
of the high trees Oh Fifth street, show
inn hot ho.r fri
fully mangled and torn by the first
shock of the explosion The fence
through which the body was hurled was
that in front Of 426 Adams street. Three
picketS were broken out, and the post
against which the body struck was be-
Smeared with blood and pieces of flesh.
The remains were CHASTITY sight. The
head had been blown off and the limbs
were gone. all that remained being two
thirds of the trunk.
Story OF the Explosion.
The cause of the fearful explosion is
not known to an absolute certainty, and
probably never will be. as the only wit
ness was Olson. He either dropped a
dynamite cartridge, which set off boxes
of the explosive, or he stepped Oh cap,
which also started the rest.
The shed i'll which the dynamite was
stored was small board structure SXS
feet in area, and stood in a vacant tract
of land on Fifth street, between Fourth
and Fifth avenues northeast, about 100
feet from the sewer which was being
laid in Fifth street. 1t was sup
posed to be in a safe place, as
there were no houses within con-
siderable distance. AS an additional
measure of precaution, however. a small
hole had been dug in the ground under
the shed. and the only means of en-
trance was trap door in the floor The
arrangements were thought to be eX-
tremely safe. A quantity of dynamite
was kept here, however. as many blasts
were made daily. Underlying the upper
thick, is limestone ledge which must
be rent by dynamite before it can be
eXcavated. The blasts are made by
dynamite cartridges, which are simply
sticks of the explosive about seven
inches long, an inch in diameter, and
wrapped around with paper.
Olson was the "blaster" on this work.
AS such, it was his duty to charge the
cartridges with caps every morning be-
fore the labOrerS arrived. He was gen.
orally on hand about O'clock i'll the
morning TO complete his hazardous du-
ties. 1t was just about 6 O'clock when
he passed by Watchman John Kelly,
who was sitting on box i'll the engine
shed, about $50 feet from the dynamite
shed. Kelly was taking off his oyeralls
as Olson passed, but looked up and babe
him good morning. Olson responded,
and, with his dog at his heels, proceeded
to his doom. He had only been inside
very few minutes when there was ter
rife noise and Kelly saw the shed fly
ing through the air. He was uninjured,
Ia,
presence of mind. The police and peO-
pie in the neighborhood were Soon
on the ground and search was made
for Olson. There was no use looking at
the site of the shed, for here was moth
ing but big yaWIing hole. The brown
dog was lying OH the ground about fifty
feet away. stone dead, but Olson was
not seen. People who came running
from Adams street reported that por-
ton of the trunk had been found on the
east side of Adams street. A search
was made and shredS of flesh and hair
were found on the ground, on the roofs
of sheds and houses, and sticking to
fences and trees. The scalp was found
OH neighboring house, and piece OF
the vertabrR as far away as Madison
street. The fragments were gathered
| together in buShel basket and taken
| to Glesner Il Washburn'S morgue.
The men employed on the sewer agree
that there could not have been less than
| 120 pounds of dynamite in the hole.
| There wete two boxes unopened, and
| several cartridges had been taken from
third box Thursday evening. Olson,
1t is thought, was charging a cartridge,
when it slipped out OF his hand and fell
through the trap door on the deadly pile
| below. The force of the explosion APP
| reared to be upward and eastward and
| Olson, who was standing right over the
explosion. was torn topleces in a twink
! ling.
The deceased was fifty-fve years old,
and lived with his wife and five chill
dren at 22l1 Washington street north
east. He had been III the employ of the
sewer department for five or six years,
and is spoken Of as all exceedingly care
| tut man, being considered by his su-
periors as a model in this respect.