New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1894-07-18
BLOWN Z o PIE ES,
Victims Of the Chicago Caisson
Explosion Mangled Beyond
Recognition.
SCENE RESEMBLED A Battlefield,
Three Persons Instantly Killed
and Nearly a Score More or
Less Injured.

Less Injured.
CHICAGO, July 15.-The particulars
Of the accident by which three regular
soldiers were killed, and 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, 20 men; Troop E, 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 terrific ex.
plosion occurred. Two 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 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 piece
of it larger than a mans hand being
found. The boulevard looked like a
battlefield. There was 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.
1t 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 board sign rs feet high
and was found in vacant lot behind
1t. 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 neighboring property.
Windows in most of the surrounding
houses were blown out and the damage
to residences and park property in the
neighborhood of the accident is esti-
mated at about $4,000.
An Official Report.
General Miles directed Captain Mich
Ter and Colonel Willitson of the COM
missary department and 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 ac-
count of the accident preparatory to
writing out his report:
which is 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 tho explo.
sion was to the rear, tearing away the
caisson and igniting the powder in the
other two chests. The first caisson
carried d shrapnel and AZ cartridges.
The shrapnel are loaded percussion
shells, containing Eliminates and small
balls, and are fred 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 loosened.
Some of the powder leaked out, and,
being ground and pounded by the jolt
ing of the Timber, ignited, the powder
in the cartridges exploded, and the ig-
milton of the cartridges in the other two
chests followed. In the second chest
on the caisson were 20 time shells, IL
shrapnel and their Implement of Al
cartridges. In the third and rear ches,
were ~ shells and AZ cartridges. The
force of the explosion can be more
readily understood when it is remem.
bered that the 1872 cartridges contained
495 pounds of powder. The men on
the caisson were lifted by the explosion,
while the horses were killed by the
missiles from the shrapnel. All of the
40 shrapnel in the timber chest ex.
ploded, while four Of the 10 in the sec.
ond chest were found unexploded.
None Of the shells exploded, they dc
not contain any illuminate and are fired
by time fuse.
For Feeding Police.
CHICAGO, July IL. Chief Brennan Of
the police department has forwarded tc
General Manager Egan bills for owe,
$40. 900 turned in by DroDrietors of diff.