The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-05-10
TWO MET THEIR DEATH.
A Barge Load Of Fireworks EXplOdeS
at ThuldeTbOlt.

cident as Seen at Thunderbolt and
the Committees Version.
John Masters. an employee Of Pain &
/ Son, and an unknown negro were killed
/ at ThunderbOlt last night by an explosion
/ of fireworks on a. barge in Thunderbolt
/ river. The barge was anchored nearly
across the river. opposite the Bannon
! house. Masters and the negro
were the only ones on the
barge from which the fireworks display
was to take place.
In some unknown way the fireworks
were ignited and the conclusion either
blew the men of the barge or they
| jumped overheard and were drowned
Pain & Sons agent says there were not
! fireworks enough on the barge to have
caused conclusion sufficient to have
blown the men overheard.
About z O'Clock the fireworks were
loaded on a barge belonging to Mr.. Henry
| AmbOs, which was lowed across the
river and anchored at the mouth of
/ Gray's creek
Everything was arranged for the ex-
! hl0ltion, and the signal to start was being
awaited when the rockets, candles and
/ other explosives on the barge caught fire,
| probably from the torch. which Masters
| carried to light the pieces.
Inc first lntimatiOn that the crowd had
that anything was going wrong was the
sudden discharge of several skyrockets
and couple of bombs. The fireworks
were laying loose on the barge and the
entire lot caught fire. There was a loud
| explosion, a mass of flame and smoke and
hp Nun ala I IL
! darkness
SEARCHING FOR THE MEN
Nh. Sam Wylly Pain & Sons electrician,
VINO Is IN charge of the exhibits here, was
Just preparing to 90 across in a small
| rowboat When the explosion occurred.
When he saw what had happened he
cried out:
Save my men, save my menu
lie was taken across to the barge in
company with Mr.. W. w. Starr of the
May week committee, and others went
across on the tug Ripple to
see If they could find anything
OF the men. When they reached the
barge it was on fire and there was moth
ing left on 1t except some odds and ends
of exploded fireworks.
There was no sign of the men and
finally the search was given up. The
men were standing on the side of the
barge next to the current at the time the
! explosion occurred, and were
either blown into the river bv
! the conclusion, or became frightened
when the fireworks began to explode and
Jumped over and were drowned
THE BODIES NOT RECOVERED.
No search has as vet been instituted to
recover the bodies of the drowned men.
Inc accident occurred about o'clOckOr
a little after and proved an unhappy ter
mlnation to that part of the festivities
that were listed for Thunderbolt.
MR.. STAIRS THEORY.
MIR. w. w. Starr, who had charge of
the display in connection with Mr.. Hugh
Logan, was on the bluff when the acct
dent occurred. He had arranged to have
the fireworks sent off from the fiat Mr.
Starr saw the fat off in tow of Mr. Lath-
rop's naphtha launch. Masters and the
| negro were aboard.
Il will not want the fireworks started
before O'clock" said Mr. Starr to
Masters, land | wish you would give me
a signal to use when | am ready to notify
you"
Masters handed Mr.. Starr two fusees
and told him that when everything was
ready to set them off and the display
would begin.
That was the last time Mr. Starr saw
@'Ae''N~AD' T.
Logan went to Ambos place and ordered
supper. I'VE had just started to eat"
said Mr.. Starr ''whcn we heard the OK
plosiOn of bombs. Somebody came in and
said the fireworks had started. | said to
MIR. Logan that something must be wrong,
as Masters and myself had agreed upon a
signal A moment later Mr. Wylly, who
had Just arrived at Thunderbolt, rushed
in and asked me if | had ordered on the
fireworks. He had arranged to be on the
fiat to see the display started and
could not understand why it was begun
so early,
KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG.
81 told Mr.. WylIy that I had not
signaled Masters, and believed that
something was wrong We all hurried of
and started down the bluff The bombs
and sky rockets were going off, illuminat-
ing the bluff Before we reached the
point where the people were the explosions
stopped. We were told that two men
were seen TO jump overheard, and we at
once got boat and went over to the fat.
Masters and the negro had disappeared
and no trace of them could be found We
! were at first under the impression that all
| the fireworks on the fat had prematurely
| exploded, and were surprised to find that
not over one-hfth mad been fired, mostly
! skyrockets and bombs. Ihe1frame work
! VI INC IpOhCJS Was lllGCG ana Cile WlllJe
! pine boxes which held the bombs were
| only blackened with power and not broken.
| The fiat was blackencd in like manner at
! the point Of the explosion, but was not
broken or in any way damaged
| The only theory | can advance for the
unfortunate affair." said Mr. Starr, lis
| that Masters in preparing for the dis
| play, accidentally allowed some of the
! bombs to ignite. and when the explosion
! began he and the negro became panic
! stricken, believing that the fiat was
about to be blown up and jumped head
| foremost into the river and stuck in the
mud.
| DIDN'T HAVE PRESENCE OF MIND.
IF they had had presence Of mind
! enough to jump on the port side they
would have been safe, as the depth of the
| water there was not over four feet Mr..
! Wylly says that even if every one
| OF the fireworks on the fat
/ had exploded at once there would
| have been no fatal accident. Masters
| and the negro might have been singed or
slightly burnt, but would not have been
! seriously injured. He believes, as | do.
| that the fatality was due entirely to the
/ loss of presence Of mind on the part of
! Masters
| The men were not blown up, as the
| deck hands of tug lying in the stream
U