The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-07-17
THE CAISSON EXPLODED.
Sending a Death Dealing Shower OF
Shrapnel Through the Streets
Of Chicago
Dead and Dying, Man and Horse,
for Blocks Around tho
Soono.
rsEsibls Misbap to a cavalry Troop out
EtereisinE Their uorses-Iiow
~ Was Cased,

CmcAoo. Jolly l6-A eoisson of Battery
\, Second artillery. United States army.
exploded With terrible force shortly after
ons O'Clock thia afternoon at Grand aud
Oaksood boulsyhrds. Two aftillerymen
aud one trooper we're instantly killed.
Nearly a sooro OF other pofsona-tfoopeFa.
residents Ia the vicinity, hnd paaaeu-bJ-
were injured. some fatally. Killed; ].
Donovan. private. Bate , y. Second A1iI-
leTy; Edward Doyle. IriyAts. Battery Y,
second artillery Joseph Gaylor fnisr.
Troop B Seventh cavalry. Wounded. Ser.
Roant TeinoF. Battery h. Second artillery.
badly shot through tho body aud severely
burned with POWDER Fed stollA
private. Second artillery. badly burned
and wounded abou, the loGs will rooovsrI
John Allen, Triyate. Second artillery. shot
In the head and bsck. fatally injured; Msu-
rice ODonnen, private. Rooond artillery,
shot In the hesd and powder burned. may
recoveri @. Encke. driver. private. Second
artillery. blown from his horse and badly
injured, will recover; John ufuqpsharh y
private. Second artillery, slight bullet
wound; Herbert Antes. buoler, Troop Il.
Seventh cavalry, shot In the shoulder. leg
and arm. will recover; Sergeant Anthony
Kane. Troop II. Seventh. cavalry
ear shot Of, Sergeant George
Hoffman. Troop Il, Seventh cavalry.
shot in chin; Corporal Abraham RllsT
Battery +. Second artillery. thrown TO tbs0
ground aud tadiy bruisedj Sergeant King
a.
bis horse and bruised; unknown artillery.
man, thrown from his horse. picked up nnr
conscious. injuries slight; unknown bog p
thrown from bicycle. injured about the
legs; Misc Alice Yotk. 4l03 Grand boole-
ward, tendon OF her heel severed by a bull
let; Mrs. q. HuliuR. 800 Grand boulevard !
severely cot and injured by falling glass. on
The troops left Brighton park for long
mo ch around the city 10 exeroae their
horses. They we're In command OF Can't.
Doid, OF Troop Il, Third cavalry. and con- ID
sisted OF Tloop Il. Third cavalry. foiU
men; Troop L, Sixth cavalry. Lieut.. Iats,
forty men, platoon Of Battery Il, Second
artillery, two Runs. Lieut.. Gayle. twenty
three men; Troop b Seventh cavalry. CapA
Varnum. forty men.
: EVERYTHING won't smoothly until the
|
ward. was jest crossing Oakwood bopls-
vAfd. Then terrible explosion occurred. n
The men on the oaiseon, supposed 10 bs
. Donovan aud Doyle. was literally blown 90
pieces. and others were thrown many fees
by the violence OF the conclusion. -Four
of tho borses drawing the caisson fell ia
their tracks. shot through and through and
terribly msngled, while three Others we're
blown fifty feet ahead against trees on tue
boulevard. dying instantly. The oaiasoni
; was blown 20 pieces. not piece larger than
q mans hand being found.
The boulevard looked like battleheld.i
There wa. q quick series OF explosions
after the frat report, and shrnpnel and
shot rained like hail among the trees on
the boulevard aud pierced snrrouuiina,
dwellings Tho concussou broke windows iu'
houses for blocks away. Tbs walls and
roofs showed the terrible effects OF tho ex-
plosion. The rear part OF ths eaisson lag
seattle ed over the ground. u
With the explosion came confusion OF
the toose, and fof moment men aud oil7
GERS seemed powerleBs 10 move. 10 this
was added the fright OF the occupants Of
the surrounding houses, who ran, seream-
4 ing from their dwellings, only 10 bo siok-
ened by the sight in toe street. A still
alarm Of hTe had been turned In, aud with
the department. eamo the stock yards po4
. lice patrol wagon. The wagon was aent
back TO tho station aud with IA returned
! twenty-five men under command OF LIEUT.
4 MoTfisssy. lie then teiephoned TO Hyde
: Park for reinforoemeuts aud Capt Dollard
arrived with tventY-nvo more men. Later
Inspectors Hunt Rad Fitzpatrick and Lieut..
T. Bohfeid arrived.
> 10 was soms little time before the twd
I. dead artillerymen could be found. Oue-N
j them. manglod beyond recognition. sup
posed TO bo Doyle had been blown over 4
a board sign twenty-five feet high, and was
q "A - auA a. L.
aud au arm we're gone, One other man,
aupposod 20 be Donovan. had been thrown
: about 800 feet dingonallI TO tho right and
was f0aDd Ia vacant lot near the Lake
Shore tracks. Joseph 0aylor waa found
noar whore he was Gtruck,
Gen. Miles directed Capt. Michler and
Col. Willistou, Of the commissAry depart
menL aud the former commander Of bat
terJ, 20 the scone of the accident 10 secure
report OF the affair On hls return v a.
liston gave she the following account of the
accident, preparatory 10 writing hia fegott; 4
"1hs command under an escort OF oavAl'y, +
was takihg ia marching exercise. TIE
caiuson consists OF the tlubo'. on which 10
y the chest aud csrriaso containing two chests
mo OF ammunition, making three cheats
on the oalason. 4 be explosion occurred
In the chest of timber aud the force OF tho
explosion was 10 TIE rear, tearing away the
q cAisson and iRuitlug the powder IN the
n
forty-two ahFapnel and forty-iour car-
4 tridgss Nv theory OF chs nocident ia that
a avrsW plug al tho base OF Que OF the
shrapnela became loossned. soma OF the
! powder leaked out and being ground and
/ pounded by the iol,ing OF the timber. la
4 uiled tho powdsf IN the cartridges dia-
. charged them, aud the ignltion OF car-
tridges In the other chests followed.
10 the second chest on the eAiaaon were
twenty -hve time shella utieen sbrapuels.
and their eomploment OF f0rtY-four cart
ridges; In tue third hnd rear cheat were
B forly-tvo SHELLS aud fofty-iour cartridges.
|. Tho force OF tho explosion can bo more
|, readily understood ahen IL IL said that lb1
y eaTttldgos contained i2b pounds Of pow
. do. The men who were IN Tho deiacbmsnt
. said thor recognized two diatinct rep0fta.
seemingly almost simultaneous THIS waa
. tho timber ohont. followed 0lmoat instantly
3 by the other chests. Tho rattle OF explo-
o atoms that followed tho great deionation
4 was the buFstina OF sbrapnrl 90 they at uok
together. The men on tho oAiuson WrTs
lifted by The explosion, while the h0 90
we're killed by miasilos from The shrap.
ne"