River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1894-02-08
TWO MEN KILLED.
Fatal Explosion of Dynamite on the I'LL.
Doss Drainage Canal


CHICAGO, Feb. 6.-By two accidental
explosions of a dynamite cartridge in a
cut on section - of she drainage canal
near Romeo Saturday noon two men
were killed and three injured One of
the two men killed, an Italian laborer,
was horribly mangled and died instant
ly, the other, Contractor Conner died at
11:l5 Sunday night The wounded men
were all Italian laborers.
The accident occurred at 1l:43 a. M
Saturday. Contractor Conner was watch.
ing gang of dozen laborers en-
gagged in 'mucking" in one corner
of the cut ''Mucking," it may
be explained, is gathering up the
rock loosened by the blast and
loading it into large buckets that
hold a ton, which are hoisteG up
from the ditch and off to one side and
dumped. Tesavi, the laborer who was
killed, was using pick, the Others
were using crowbars or picking uE
pieces aud tossing them into the
bucket Tesavi aimed blow at
point in the debris near which there
had been charge. As the pick
struck the rock there was deafen.
ing explosion that filed the all
with fragments of the rock. Tesavi
and the half dozen men standing near.
est him were hurled dozen feet away
and the others of the squad of laborer.
were thrown violently to the ground.
Five of them failed to rise when the
smoke and dust of the explosion had
cleared away.
All together there were forty men al
work in the pit when the explosion oc-
Cured For moment they were too
frightened to do anything, but they
quickly recovered and hurried to the res.
cue of the injured. Tesavi, who was
using the pick, was SO frightfully
mangled and so covered with the dirt
and dust that he was scarcely recog-
nizable as a human being. His prin-
cipal wound was great gaping hole
in the abdomen, through which
fragment of rock as large as
a mans fist had plowed its way, His
face was battered into a pulp and his
body was literally covered with wounds
and bruises. Upon examination by the
coroner Saturday it was found that
there were fully 500 wounds upon his
body.
Contractor Corner was standing AZ
feet away when the explosion came. A
fragment of rock, weighing, perhaps,
fifty pounds, struck him in the
right lilac region and smaller piece
struck him on the abdomen near the
right hip and penetrated to the peri
toncum lie was knocked senseless.
He was picked up and carried to the
office of the firm, loo yards away. DIR.
j. H. Brownirp, the surgeon of the
works, was sent for. He CHANGED to be
in another part of the camp at the time
and did not reach Mr.. Conner for thirty
minutes. By that time he had recov-
cred consciousness and was suffering
circulating agony. His entire right
side was badly discolored and covered
with blood from the wound made by
the smaller stone. He fingered thirty
six hours, retaining consciousness near
ly to the last, and expired at ll:l5 Sun
day night.
Christopher Tesavi, cousin of the
man, was so covered with wounds the
surgeons were obliged to swathe his
face and the upper part of his body in
white, leaving only his nose free. DR..
Browning counted forty separate
wounds upon his face.
The wounds of the three injured were
dressed and they were made as comfort
able as possible in the rude Office until
Sunday noon, when carriages were pro-
cured from Lockport and they were
removed 70 the hospital at Joliet All
viii recover.
No one is blamed for the accident,
which was caused by one of the charges
OF dynamite used in blasting missing
fire. Four cartridges containing twelve
ounces of dynamite each were placed
in the solid rock on Saturday and
fired For some reason one of
the charges failed to explode. The
remaining ware sufficient to tear
away the rock. and of course it was
not possible tn know that the other
charge remained. so the workmen be-
gan their task of clearing away the
debris When that part of the debris
was reached where the unexploded
charge lay it was examined and as the
rock looked as if it had been fired the
workmen kept on with no thought of
danger until Tesavi's pick struck o
CARTRIDGE with suph deadly effect