The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1894-07-19
MEN BLOWN TO ATOMS.
FOUR SOLDIERS TORN TO PIECES
AND A SCORE WOUNDED.
Disaster Occurs OH the Grand Boule-
ward in Chicago. gO.-Cartridges
Containing 425 Pounds OF
Powder Explodes.

Chicago, ILL.,, July 16.-Duriug "a
practice march of "a detachment from
Colonel d. S Gordon's command
to day, the ammunition in caisson
belonging to light battery f, Second
artillery, through some unknown
circumstance exploded and caused
the death of three and the serious
injury of many others. While moving
down Grand boulevard, near the
corner of Fortisth street, without
moments warning, the calssou ex-
ploded. What the cause of the ex
plosiou was no one seems to know,
but 1t is supposed that the plunger
of one of the Shrapnel shells slipped
and the powder slipping down from
the shell was exploded by friction,
The houses on both sides of the
street for two blocks were shaken
on their foundations aud window
glass broken to pieces.
The street WAS lined with people
watching the troops, and how any
| more we've uut hIIleb 10 d iAli hCIS. dS
shells and pieces OF the caisson were
thrown in all directions. There were
eight battery horses literally blown
to pieces by the explosion. The
wounded are all doing well and are
at Mercy hospital.
The men on the caisson, supposed
to be Donovan and Doyle, were liter
ally blown to pieces, aud others We're
thrown many feet by the violence of
the concus sion. Four of the horses
drawing the caisson fell in their
tracks. shot through and horribly
mangled, while four others were
blown fifty feet ahead against the
trees on the boulevard, dying in
stantly The caisson was blown to
pieces, not piece larger than a
mans hand being found. The bon
levarG looked like battlefield.
There was a quick series of eXplo-
sions after the first report, and
shrapnel shot ralned like hail among
the trees on the boulevard. and
pierced the surrounding dwellings,
The coucussion broke every window
in the houses for blocks away The
walls and roofs showed the terrible
effects of the explosion. The rear
part of the caisson lay scattered
over the ground. With the explosion
came the confusion Of the troops,
and for "a moment the men and off
GERS seemed powerless to move. Tc
this was added the fright Of the oc.
cupants of the surrounding houses
who ran. screaming from their dwell
ings only to be sickened by the
sight in the street.
1t was some little time before the
two dead artillerymen could be
, found. One of them, manGled be
yond recognition but supposed to be
Doyle. had been blown over a board
: sign twenty-five feet high and was
: found in the vacant lot behind it
One leg and an arm were gone The
other man. supposed to be Dorovan
had been thrown about three hun
dred feet diagonalIy to the right anc
was found in vacant lot near thu
| Lake Shore tracks. Joseph GayloI
was found near where he was struck
Great damage was wrought b,
the explosion to neighboring proper
tv. Windows in most OF the sur
l rounding houses sustained much
Z damage, il being estimated at $40,
i 900.
r General Miles directed Captai,
AIichler and Colonel Willitson of tn
commissary department, and form
er commander of the battery, to G.
t to the scene of the accident ant