Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1894-07-20
BLOWN TO. PIECES.
Victims Of the Chicago Caisson
Explosion Mangled Beyond
Recognition.
SCENE RESEMBLED "A BATTLEFIELD.
Persons Instantly Killed
and Nearly a Score More or
Less Injured.

and Nearly a Score More or
Less Injured.
CHICAGO, July 15.-The particulars
Of the accident by which three regular
soldiers were killed, and a number in
jured are as follows:
The troops left Brighton Park for q
long march around the city to exercise
the horses. They were in command of
Captain Dodd of Troop F, Third cav
airy, and consisted Of Troop F, Third
cavalry, 30 men; Troop 3, Sixth cav
airy, 40 men; platoon of Battery F..
Second artillery, two guns, % men;
Troop B, Seventh cavalry, 40 men.
Everything Went Smoothly
and there were no incidents until the
column marched south on Grand
boulevard and was just crossing Oak
wood boulevard. Then a terrific ex-
plosion occurred. Two men on the
c%aisson, supposed to be Donovan and
Doyle, were literally blown to pieces
and others were thrown many feet by
the violence Of the conclusion. Four
Of the horses drawing the caisson fell
in their tracks, shot through and hor-
ribly mangled, while three others were
blown 80 feet ahead against the trees
on the boulevard, dying instantly. The
caisson was blown to atoms, not a piece
of it larger than a mans hand being
found. The boulevard looked like a
battlefield. There was a quick series
of explosions after the first report and
shrapnel shot rained like hail among
the trees on the boulevard and pierced
= the surrounding dwellings. The con-
cussion broke every window in the
houses for blocks away. The walls and
roofs of the dwellings
Showed the Terrific Effect
of the missiles. Unexploded shells of
rear part of the caisson lay strewn over
the ground.
It was some little time before the two
dead artillerymen could be found. One
Of them, mangled beyond recognition,
but supposed to be Doyle, had been
blown over a board sign rs feet high
and was found in a vacant lot behind
it. One leg and an arm were gone.
The other man, supposed to be Dono-
van, had been thrown about 800 feet di-
agonally to the right and was found in
a vacant lot near the Lake Shore track.
Joseph Gaylor was found near where
he was struck.
Great damage was wrought by the
explosion to ghboring property.
Windows in most of the surrounding
houses were blown out and the damage
to residences and park property in the
neighborhcJd Of the accident is esti-
mated at about $40, 600.
An Ofacial Report.
General Miles directed Captain Mich
Ter and Colonel Willitson of the COM
missary department and a former com
mander OF the battery to go to the
scene Of the accident and report the at
fair. On the return of Colonel Wilt
son he gave the following verbal &C
count OF the accident preparatory tc
writing out his report:
The caisson consists of a timber on
whichiis a chest and the carriage con.
tanning two chests more of ammunition,
making three chests on the caisson.
The explosion occurred in the chest OF
the Timber and the force OF the explo'
sion was to the rear, tearing away the
caisson and igniting the powder in the
other two chests. The first caisso1
carried AZ %shrapnel and AZ cartridges
The shrapnel are loaded percussion
shells, containing Eliminates and small
balls, and are fred from the cannon b,
q cartridge containing, as in this case
three and th~ree-quarter pounds o
powder.
My Theory of the Accident
is that the screw plug at the base o
n Of the shrapnel became loosened
Some of the powder leaked out, and
being ground and pounded by the jolt
! ing Of the timber, ignited, the powde
in the cartridges exploded, and the jig
milton of the cartridges in the other tw'
chests followed. In the second ches
on the caisson were 10 time shells, i
shrapnel and their complement OF 4
cartridges. In the third and rear ches
were AZ shells and a. cartridges. Til
force of the explosion can be NOR
readily understood when it is remem
bered that the 1872 cartridges containe
495 pounds of powder. The men o
the caisson were lifted by the explosion
while the horses were killed by th
missiles from the %shrapnel. All Of th
40 shrapnel in the timber chest 81
ploded, while four Of the 10 in the SEE
ond chest were found unexploded
None Of the shells exploded, they d
not contain any illuminate and are fire
by a time fuse.
For Feeding Police.
CHICAGO, July 18.-Chief Brennan (
H %ho nolioo doporkrorE~ho. orrr i 1