River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1894-07-19
DEATH IN ITS WAKE.
Your Artilierymen Slain by the Explosi
NJ n laissnrn.

OF tatssous
CHICAGO, July fs.-one platoon %
battery T, Second United States artif.
lery. was wiped out of existence Mon
day afternoon by the explosion of an
ammunition caisson near the corner of
lakewood and Grand boulevards.
Every man in the platoon was either
killed outright or fearfully bruised
and burned.
Following is list of the killed and
injured.
Killed Farrier Joseph Caller. troop n OF
the Seventh cavalry. Fort Sheridan. 30 years
old. six years Ia the service. head blown from
shoulders and the body burned and Hutilated:
Cannoneer Edward Doyle, battery f, Second
regiment. Fort Riley Kan. % years old body
blown to pieces; Artiicer Jeremiah Donovan,
battery f, Second regiment, Fort Riley KAN
% years old, body blown to pieces: Private
Fred Stoltz. battery +. Second regiment. Fort
Riley. Kan, wheel driver OF caisson. terribly
burned, died at Mercy hospital at O'Clock.
WOUNDED Trumpeter Herbert Antes troop
b Of the Seventh cavalry. Fort sheridan.
| shoulder blown on and legs and arms fright
fully burned. taken to Mercy hospital, will
probably die; Serpt. Lniyig Leiner. battery r,
second regiment. Fort Riley. 30 years old.
struck in breast and face by fragments OF iron.
his body mass OF burns, cannot recover; Pri-
vate John Allen. battery f, Second regiment;
Fort Riley. driver of lead team OF caisson %
years old, shot in neck and severely burned
Private Maurice O'Donnell. battery +. Second
regiment. Fort Riley lead driver OF second
caisson, cut on the head and burned; Sergt
George Hoffman, troop b, seventh cavalry
Fort Sheridan, shot in chin Sergt. Anthony
Kane, troop Il, Seventh cavalry, Fort Sheridan.
30 years old, ear blown OF: Private Enks, wheel
driver OF second caisson, battery F. Second
regiment. Fort Riley. blown OF his horse and
fell head first on the edge of a stone sidewalk:
Private Urquhart, battery +. Second regiment,
Fort Riley. shot through the foot; Trooper
Huyck, troop Is, seventh cavalry Fort Sheri-
dan, bruised aud rendered deaf; Private
Panushki, battery f, Second regiment.
Fort Riley wheel driver OF second eaisson
bruised about face and shoulders; Mrs. l.. h.
Griggs, 1850 grand boulevard. cut In the arm by
flying glass; Ralph NJ. Byers, IA years old. liv-
ing at 377 lakewood boulevard, two scrapnel
shots through calf OF leg. removed to his home;
Miss Alice York, 4i03 Grand boulevard. tendon
OF heel severed by bullet, taken home not Sc
rious Corporal Abraham L. Riley. Battery F.
Second regiment Fort Riley, thrown TO the
ground and bruised
Imposing residences on either side
of the scene of the explosion now stand
with blank paneless windows and torn
and shattered walls Pieces of shell,
wagon rims and fragments of iron torn
force against the stone walls and into
crevices between the stones. where they
still cling as evidence of the fury OF
the blast. Wagon hubs. spolxes and
felloes were driven with resistless force
through plate glass windows and
went tearing through parlors filled
with costly statuary, lamps, mirrors
and draperies, smashing and tear.
ing everything in their course.
Heavy oaLen doors were thrown down
and stone columns, weighing thou
sands of pounds, were torn away and
fragments hurled in every direction.
Plate glass lay shattered within the
walls of palatial homes, not a house
within the block escaping damage.
Gen. Miles, on being informed of the
disaster, sent Col. Williston to the scene
to secure a report of the affair. Col.
Williston, while lie could discover abb
solutely no facts concerning the cause
of the explosion. has theory which
may explain it. lie said:
My theory of the accident is that the plug
at the base of one of the shrapnels became
loosened, some of the powder leaked out, anc
being ground and pounded by the jolting of the
lmber lgnlted- the powder IN the cartridges
exploded, and the ignition of the other tive
chests followed.
The shrapnel is probably the most deadly
projectile thrown by modern guns The 3-incb
shells are OF steel and carry at their tips
brass combination fuse screwed on; this
fuse has both a illuminate cap and time
fuse so that the shell will explode either or
contact or at any desired range. In the
head of the shell IS about half a pound
of powder. Back OF these are the missiles
that kill. The bullets are arranged In
layers. each layer resting in brittle cast-iron
ring. The rings are perforated so that the bull
let's lie deeply In them. When the explosion
comes each OF these rings is burst into a num-
Der of jagged fragments that make. awful
wounds. Zach shell holds $50 bullets, and IL Is
expected the rings viii burst into $50 bits-3W
missiles in all, leaving out the scraps of the