The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1893-01-06
He LEI HIMsELE pRoP.
A veracious Story of Very Strange Ac-
eident.

A yeracious Story of Very Strange Az
eident.
Here is large and elegant story told in q
Lowery, Bluunt county, Ala, dispatch to
This Huntsville Mercury. You are not
obliged to believe it unless you want to.
party OF Birmingham capitalists, largely
interested in the minerals Of the region, and
some prominent railroad officials were heir
on tour Of inspection, with the view OF
nTcnirg some beds Of iron ore and selecting
the most practicable route for the extension
of the new railway that leads up this valley
This. indeed. seems to have been the trus
battle grounds Of the gods, with "PeIios
pilei upon 0ssa,r or the utter confusion OF
the geologists, who cannot account for .red
iron ore in one side of mountain and brown
On the other, with veins Of coal Immediately
underlying the top on both sides, SO it was
determined to leave them out of the party
and carry along practical man familiar
with the formations peculiar to this vnlles
for all geological information necessary il
making an approximate estimate Of tn,
amount Of solid and lsose rock to be encoun
tered on the extension. Accordingly an ole
foreman, Mr.. Mertz, who had been in the
valley on the new road since April, and had
also had large experience In railroading In
the west, was selected He was an intelIi
gent, sober and industrious man, who resu
lariy once month sent the greater part 1i
his earnings to bis wife and children in Ean
sas. He gave his opinions only after the
most careful examinations, and the gentl,,
men had implicit confidence as to their accu
racy.
The party reached perpendicular blul
about fifteen feet high, when Mr.. Mcr,.
climbed down to ledge about six feet from
the top. and with his hammer was invest
ggting the character Of the stones and its
probable thickness The gentlemen above
heard several blows from his hammer, then
apparently quantity Of loose rocks failing.
eiid Immediately terrific explosion. They
were all considerably shocked, but mot other
wise hurt, and at once went to the edge D:
the precpice, where they detected the strong
odor Of dynamite, but to THAR CONSERVATION
could see nothing Of Mr.. Mertz. After q
careful search some small pieces Of his cloth.
ing were found hanging in tree about
thirty feet from the ground, but that was al
The question for the scientists to settle
h, what caused the explosioni A nun.
ber Of people from Birmingham have visited
the place, but have heard only one plausible
theory, and that was advanced by Mr.
Schultz, q scientist. Il Is known positively
that Mr. Mertz had no dynamite with him,
and Mr.. Schultz says the only possible way
70 account for the explosion b that be Ind
constantly, for . number Of years, been
handling dynamite and nitro-giycerine, and
that 20 much had been taken into his system
by absorption that 1t was only necessary iuf
him to receive slight jar to set it Of, whicH
was done when be struck tho ground on fall.
ing from the ledge
Whether HISTORY Is true or not I can'tsay.
but give the facts as they happened, and
they can be substantiated by q number u
citizens In this vicinity and Birmingham