The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-07-20
AN EXPLOSION.
A Caisson Causes the Death Of
Four Soldiers.
NEARLY A SCORE INJURED ALSO.
Houses Shaken and Windows Broken
Eight battery Horses Blown to Pieces
Col wilitson's Account of
the Accident.

,
the ammunition in a caisson belonging
to light battery +, Second artillery,
through some unknown circumstance
exploded and caused the death of four
and the serious injury of nearly score
of others. While moving down Grand
boulevard, near the corner of Fortieth
street, without a moments warning,
the caisson exploded. What the cause
of the explosion was no one seems to
know, but it is supposed that the
plunger of one of the Shrapnel shells
slipped and the powder slipping down
from the shell was exploded by fric-
tion. The houses on both sides of the
street for two blocks were shaken on
their foundations and window glass
broken to pieces.
The street was lined with people
watching the troops, and how any
more were not killed is miracle, as
shells and pieces of the caisson were
thrown in all directions. There were
eight battery horses literally blown to
pieces by the explosion. The wounded
are all doing well and are at Mercy
hospital.
Lieut.. s. r. III. Thompkins, of the
Seventh cavalry was riding immedi-
ately in the rear of the caisson when
the explosion occurred, and it is won
derful how he escaped. He was
knocked off his horse by the concus-
sion, but beyond few bruises received
in falling is all right. The dead will
be inferred with full military honors
in a day or SO.
The troop left Brighton park for a
long march around the city to exercise
the horses. Everything went smoothly
and there was no incidents until the
column marched south on Grand boule-
ward and was just crossing Oakwood
boulevard. Then a terrific explosi on
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 conclusion. Four of the horses
drawing the caisson fell in their tracks,
shot through and horribly mangled,
while four others were blown 80 feet
ahead against the trees on the boule-
ward. dying instantly. The caisson was
blown to pieces. not piece larger than
a mans hand being found. The boule-
ward looked like a battlefield.
There was a quick series of explo
sions after the first report, and shrap-
mel shot rained like hail among the
trees on the boulevard, and pierced the
surrounding dwellings. The concus-
sion broke every window in the houses
for blocks away. The walls and roofs
showed the terrible effects of the eX-
plosion. The rear part of the caisson
lay scattered over the ground. With
the explosion came the confusion of
the troops, and for moment the men
and officers were powerless to move.
To this was added the fright of the oc
cupants of the surrounding houses who
ran screaming from their dwellings
only to be sickeneds by the sight in the
street.
A still alarm of fire had been turned
in, and with the department came the
stock yards police patrol wagon. The
wagon was sent back to the station,
and it returned with twenty-five men
under command of Lieut.. Morrissey.
He then telephoned to Hyde park for
reinforcements, and Capt. Dollard ar
rived with twenty-five more men.
Later Inspectors Hunt and Fitzpatrick
and Lieut.. Bonfield arrived.
1t was some little time before the
two dead artillerymen could be found.
- 1nI hnynn1
tion but supposed to be Doyle, had
been blown over a board sign %
feet high and was found in the va
cant lot behind it. One leg and an
arm were gone. The other man, sup
posed to be Donovan, had been thrown
about 300 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.
Great damage was wrought by the
explosion to neighboring property.
Windows in most of the surrounding
houses sustained much damage, it be-
ing estimated at $4,000. The house of
Z. C. Hueling was damaged to the ex-
tent of about 81, 900, most of the win
dows being completely demolished.
One of the shells struck the roof of the
house and tore away part of the roof.
Another shell struck between the two
bay windows and the walls of Mr..
Huelings house and stuck in this posi-
ton.
Gen. Miles directed Capt Michler and
Col. Wilitson of the commissary de-
partment, and former commander of
the battery, to go to the scene of the
accident and secure a report of the
affair. On the return of Wilitson he
gave the following account of the acci-
dent, preparatory to writing his report:
The command under escort Of cavalry was
taking it, daily marching exercise The cais-
son consists OF q timber on which Is 4 chest
and the carriage containing 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 explosion
was to the rear. tearing away the caisson and
igniting the powder in the other two chests
The first caisson carried forty-two shrapnel and
forty-four cartridges. The shrapnel are
loaded percussion shell. containing Eliminates
and small balls, and are fired from the cannon
by a cartridge containing as in this case,
three and three-quarter pounds OF powder.
MY theory OF the accident is that the screw
plug at the base Of one Of the shrapnel became
loosenei. some of the powder leaked out. and
being grounded and pounded by the iolting Of
the timber. ignited, the powder in the cart
ridges exploded and the ignition OF the cart
ridges In the other two chests followed
In the second chest on the c3isson were
twenty-six time shells. sixteen shraplel and
their complement Of fo-ty-four cartridges
The force Of the explosion can be more readily
understood when IL is remembered that the l32