Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1894-07-20
KILLED SOLDIERS.
THE STRANGE EXPLOSION OF
a CAISSON AT CHICAGO.
Two ArtilIerymen, One Trooper and
Seven Horses KIled-A Score More of
Soldiers Wounded-Remains OF Dead
Men Blown 500 Feet-other News.

A caisson of Battery +, Second artil-
lery, L. $. A., exploded with terrific
force at Grand and lakewood boule-
wards, Chicago Two artillerymen and
one trooper were Instantly killed.
Nearly score of other persons
troopers, residents in the vicinity and
-by-were injured, some of them
fatally. The list of the killed is: j.
Donovan, private, Battery +, Second
artillery; Edward Doyle, private, Bat
terry f, Second artillery; Joseph Gay
lor, farrier, Troop Ii, Seventh cavalry.
The troops left Brighton Park for a
long march around the city to exercise
the horses. There were $50 men and
officers in the detachment. Every
thing went smoothly and there were
no incidents until the column, march
ing south on Grand Boulevard, was just
crossing lakewood Boulevard. Then a
terrific explosion occurred. The men
on the caisson, supposed to be Dono-
van and Doyle, were literally blown
to pieces and others were thrown
many feet by the violence of the con-
cussion. Four Of the horses drawing
the caisson fell in their tracks, shot
through and horribly mangled, while
three others were blown so feet ahead
against the trees on the boulevard,
dying instantly. The caisson was
blown TO atoms, not piece OF 1t
larger than 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 conclusion broke every window
in the houses for blocks away. The
walls and roofs of the dwellings
showed the terrific effect of the mis-
siles. UneXploded shells of the rear
part of the caisson lay strewn over the
ground. With the explosion came
great confusion of the troops, and for
a moment the men and officers seemed
powerless TO move. To this was added
the fright of the occupants of the sur
rounding houses, who ran screaming
| from their dwelling only to be sick
ened by the sight in the street.
a still alarm was responded TO by
| the fire department and complement
of 80 police officers. 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 board
sign 20 feet high, and was found in a
vacant lot behind it. One leg and an
arm were gone. The man supposed to
be Donovan had been thrown 300 feet
diagonally TO the right and was found
IN vacant lot. Joseph Gaylor was
found near where he was struck
Great damage was wrought by the ex-
plosion to the neighboring property.
| Windows in the surrounding houses
were blown out and the damage TO
residence and park property in the
neighborhood of the accident is esti-
mated at about $4,000
Col. Wilson, who was detailed by
Gen. Miles to investigate, said of the
cause of the explosion: my theory
of the accident is that the screw plug
at the base of one of the shrapnel be-
came looSened some of the powder
leaked out, and being ground and
pounded by the jolting of the timber,
! ignited powder in the cartridges, eX-
ploded. and the ignition of the cart.
ridges in the other two chests followed.
The force of the explosion can be more
readily understood when it is remem-
bered that the 1872 cartridges contained
| 40J pounds of powder"