The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-07-17
SOLDIERS BLOWN UP.
Explosion of a Caisson on q
Chicago Boulevard.
DURING A PARADE OF TROOPS.
Ammunstion OF . Riot Gun KILLS -Four
Msn. wounds Numerous others
and Creates Constsrnsfisn.

this afternoon at Grand and lakewood
boalevards Three artilierymsn aud one
trooper were killed. Nearly score
Of other persons-troopers, residents
in the vicinity and passers-by-were liz
iured, some Of them fatally. The killed
are J. Donovan. private, Battery +. Sec
ond artillery; Private Doyle. Second
artillery: Fred siEalts. private, Sec
ond artillery. and Joseph Gaylor. tarrier,
Troop b, Seventh cavalry. The wounded
are Sergt. Teiner. Battery +. Second artfl-
lery. badly shot through the body.
very severely burned with powder;
John Alien, private. Second artillery,
shot IN head and neck fatally
injured; Maurice O'Donnell, private. Sec
Dad artillery. shot in the head and powder
burned; c. Encke. private, Second artil-
lery, blown from his horse and badly
injured, will recover: John Urquhart.
private. Second artillery, ball in left arm.
NOS serious; Herbert Antes, bugler. Troop
b. Seventh cavalry. shot in shoulder and
leg and arm, will recover; Sergt. Anthony
Kane, Troop b, Seventh cavalry, ear shot
of; Sergt. George Hoffman, Troop b. Sew
enth cavalry. shot in chin; Corp. Abra-
ham Riley, Battery r, Second artillery,
thrown 20 the ground and badly bruised;
Sergt. King. Battery =. Second artillery.
thrown from his horse and bruised; I'M
known artiIieryman. thrown from has
horse. picked up unconscious. injuries
slight; unknown boy. thrown from BIZ
cycle. injured about the legs; Miss Alice
York, 4I03 Grand Boulevard. tendon of
heel severed by bullet; Mrs. Schuiing.
$3.50 Grand Boulevard. severely cut and
injured in her home by falling glass.
The troops left Brighton park for long
march around the city 10 exercise their
horses. They were in command of Capt
Dodd. of Troop +. Third cavalry, and con-
sisted of Troop +. Third cavalry, forty
men Troop f. Sixth cavalry, Lieut.. Tate,
forty men; a platoos OF Battery +. Sec
ond artillery, two guns, Lieut.. Gayle.
twenty-three men, and Troop b. Seventh
cavalry. Capt. Varnett, forty men. The
men marched in this order.
Everything went smoothly and there
were no incidents until the column
marched south on Grand boulevard and
was crossing Oakland boulevard. Then
terrific explosion occurred. The
men on the caisson, supposed TO
be Donovan and Doyle. were literally
blown to pieces. and others were thrown
many feet by the violence of the concus-
sion. Four Of the horses drawing the
caisson fell in their tracks. shot through
and through and terribly mangled, while
three others were thrown fifty feet ahead
against the trees on the boulevard, dying
instantly. The caisson was blown TO
pieces. Not piece longer than a mans
hand was found. The boulevard looked
like battle field.
There was quick series Of explosions
after the first report and shrapnel shot
rained like hail among the trees on the
boulevard aud pierced the surrounding
dwellings. The conclusion broke every
window in the houses for blocks away
Walls snd roofs showed the terrible
effects of the explosion. The rear part
OF the caisson lay scattered over the
ground. With the explosion came the con-
fusion of the troops. and for a moment the
men and officers seemed powerless to move
To this was added the fright of the occu-
pants of the surrounding houses, who ran
screaming from their dwellings, only 10 be
sioksned by the sight in the streets A
still alarm of fire had been turned IN, ana
| with the department came the stock yards
police patrol wagon. The wagon was sent
back to the station. and with il returned
twenty-five men under command Of Lieut..
| Morrissey. He then telephoned to Hyde
| park for reinforcements. and Capt. Dol
lard arrived with twenty-five more men.
Later Inspectors Hunt and Fitzpatrick
and Lieut. Bondeld arrived
IL was some little time before the two
artillery men could be found one OF
them. mangled beyond recognition, sup
posed to he Doyle had been blown over
board sign twenty-five feet hish, and was
| found in the vacant lot behind IL. One leg
and one arm were gone. One other man,
supposed 90 be Donovan, had been thrown
about 500 feet diagonally TO the right. and
was found in a vacant lot near the Lake
shore tracks. Joseph Gaylor was found
near where he was struck.
Gen. Miles directed Capt Mich.er and
| Col. Willotson Of the commissary depart.
ment. and former commander Of the
/ battery. 10 the scene OF the accident 10
secure a report of the affair. On the re-
| turn Of Willotson, he gave the following
account of the accident, preparatory 10
writing his report;
| "Tho command under tho escort Of
/ cavalry was taking It's marching exercise.
/ The eaisson consists of timber on ahich
/ is chest and carriage containing tao
/ chests more OF ammunition. making three
/ chests on the caiszon. The explosion
/ occurred in the chest Of the Timber. aud
/ the force Of the explosion was TO the rear.
| tearing away the cassson and igniting the
| powder in the other two chests The first
! eaiSson carried forty-tWo shrapnel aud
/ foEgy-fOnr cartridges The shrapnei are
/ loaded percussion shells, containing fsll-
inmates and small halls, aud are bred
| from the cannon by q eartrldee containing.
I s. tn this case, three and threr.auaFters
/ pounds of powder. Ny theory Of the se,.3.
/ dent Is that the screw plug at'the base If
/ one Of the shrapuei became loose. some OF
| the powder leaked Qua and, being ground
/ and ignited BY he lo.upg II the timber.
| ignited the powder IA the cartridges dts-
charges them, and the .lxa{tiaa 81 tbs
/ cartridges in the other chests followed
I In the second chest cn the eaiss5n were
tNenty-slx time shells, sixteen sbrsunel
and their com pleNeat al fortv-fossr cart
/ ridges. in the third and rear chest wer.
foTsy-tWo shells and forgy-fotlr carf Fi.s.-ss
/ The force 81 theexpiosi can ha more resf
| ily understood from ths FAC; that ths lga
/ cartridges contained A. pounds ~ noRtigr
The men who we're in tae detacb nleft ss5d
they recoguea ~ tao dlsssnes gsf.orts. seen.
inEty almost Simultaneous THIS Was the
+ Timber chest follo&ed almost iasfanEly by
she other chests. The rsfsta ~ tke axf,tts.
slons that toll0Wea she great fetoaafsoa
Was the bursting 81 the shrannel a. thav
struck together. Iae men GA .tke sSsss
we're i4flsi By the explosions. whils The
horses asFv killed hy ghe missiles teom lie
strapped. / take "a stock Ia the tAeorv
that dynamite had anything q do With
a. TIE greatest caution = alaavs taken
about ammunition. ZACH chest Is locked
~ Yale tos& ssnec sSslv made to- tie
government There are no keys IA any
battery th2& Sal UntocE anx hGs IS GA