Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-01-07
FORCE OF DYNAMITE.
Hovoc Wrought By the Explosion
Of Fifty Cartridges.
Six Persons Killed and Over Twenty
Injured, Two Fatally.

An explosion, which shook the length and
breadth of L 'ny Island City, N Y. occurred
at O'Clock the other morning, al the mouth
of the shaft recently sunk by the New York
and Long Isl md Tunnel Company, in Fourth
street, causing the death OF six persons,
fatally injuring two others, and wounding
20 more.
The scene Of the explosion is the most
thickly settled portion Of Hunters Point. In
the vicinity are the Long Island Savings
Bank, Davren's fats, row of four-story
brick build ngs; the post-ofice, Petro Rocco's
Barber shop, John Hopkins restaurant and
F. Plains jewelry story. Next to the post
of1cs is Frank McDermott's saloon, with two
apartment floors atove Seventeen families
occupied these buildings. The tunnel com.
Fany's shaft is about rs feet long by u feet
wide.
Some 50 cartridges of Forsythe's powder
had been brought from the storage house on
III, meadows, to be prepared for sending
down to the dri .lers r4ing in the heading
which is being blasted out under Fourth
street at dep Of IS feet. As the explosive
was Frozen Foren al McEntee placed the
cartri iges In the steam coeSts to thaw them
out They had be IN there about Is minutes
when the explosion occurred. All that was
left Of the chests and sheds after the explo-
sion were ew sp inters. Lut big hoe
rbout three feet deep by eight feet wide told
the story Of its downward course.
Tn, eff .ct of the explos On on Davren
Flats was terri BILE. Every window sash in
the rear was ripped out and the glass driven
pieces of all sizes, through the room, and
those In the front loom blown out Men,
nd rldaiv q
the floor, some being struck by large sheets
Of lass and others by pieces OF woodwork
and falling ceilings.
Bureaus, tables and stoves were upturned,
No wreck wa ever more complete. A "trip
of tn rear brick wall, about ten feet wide,
extending from basement to roof, fell in With
a terrible crash. Amidst the confusion could
be heard the cries of the wounded and the
means of the dying. Scantily clad women
and children rushed from the bnn1ing, not
waiting to see who was hurt or mis- ing,
fearing that the walls were al out to collaps-.
1t ook several minutes for the most level
headed men to sufficiently col &C. toeir senses
to look arcu I'd in inquire for the members
of heir families.
Firemen and po lice wer. qui ky on the
spot and bsga a search through the build
ings M s. Petro Rocco, ths tarber's wife,
was the f st victim whose body was iound.
She was lying in the yard ct the rear OF the
SC &c, with piece OF Scantiing running Ill
most through her b,dy. Death hal appar-
emily been instantaneous. Then the boIy of
Mary Grayden, the waitress, who was just
breathing b r last, was found on the floor of
the restaurant XII chen, and near her Edward
Delaney.
Boz b the latter were unconscious, their
faces horribly mutilated On the floor Of the
BARRIERS shop ay the body of a man watch
was too mu disfgured TO bs rec gnized at
the time Ths MAJ was still alive. he was
afterward identified as Nico al Lodano, Mrs.
Roccos Lroih r.
The ambulance from st. Johns Hospital
and a corps of doctors al rived simultaneous
ly, and the wounded were quickly removed
to the h ospital. tn N the dead and dying
were taken to stores near by.
While all this wa, going on the horror OF
the occasion was intensified by he bursting
out of flames Oh the third floor of one OF the
apartment buildings. The flames spread
rapidly, and before thu fremen got them
under control nearly tie whole row OF bui d.
inss was destroyed.
At least twenty fam lies were rendered
homeless most of til M losing furniture,
clothing and every b ng they possessed ex-
cept the few tain - ON their backs.
TIL re were nj e men working in tia tunnel
when the exp osion occurred. One OF them
said they felt the shock an thought the shaft
had col lapsed. 1t was nearly half an h ur
before any of them would venture to iuvesti-
cate an ask to BE- drawn to the surface.