The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-07-17
By THEIR OWN SHELLS
United States Soldiers Horribly
Mangled at Chicago.
Explosion of a Caisson Filled with
Shrapnel and Cartridges Containing
Nearly 800 Pounds of Powder.
THREE REGULARS KILLED
Two Bodies Torn to Shreds and
Scattered in All Directions.
Nearly Score More Soldiers and Citi-
zens Wounded by Flying Bullets
and the Wrecked Gun Carriage.
RESEMBLED A BATTLEFIELD
Dead and Dying Men and Shot
Riddled Horses Lying About.
Houses Near the Scene of the Accident
Damaged-An Officers Theory of
the Cause of the Explosion.

CHICAGO, July 16.-A caisson of Battery
F, Second Artillery, U. S. A, exploded with
terrible force shortly after L o'clock TINS
afternoon at Grand and Oakwood boule-
wards. Two artillerymen and one trooper
were instantly killed. Nearly score of
other persons-troopers, residents in the
vicinity and passerbs by, were injured,
some of them fatally. The dead are:
J: DONOVAN. private, Battery F, Sec
EDWARD DOYLE, private, Battery F.
Second Artillery.
JOSEPH GAYLOR, Farrier Troop Il,
Seventh Cavalry.
Names of the wounded and the nature
of their injuries follow:
SERGEANT LEINER, Battery f., Sec
ond Artillery, badly shot through the body,
severely burned with powder about face
FRED STOLZ, private. Second Artillery,
badly burned and wounded about legs; will
JOHN ALLEN, private. Second Artillery,
shot in head and neck; fatally injured.
MAURICE O'DONNELL private Second
Artillery, shot in the head and powder
c. ENCKE, driver in rear, private, Second
Artillery, blown from his horse and badly
JOHN URQUAHART, private. Second
Artillery, ball Of left foot crushed by
HERBERT ANTEs. bugler. Troop b.
Seventh Cavalry, shot in shoulder, leg
and arm will recover.
ANTHONY KANE, sergeant, Troop B,
Seventh Cavalry, ear shot off.
GEORGE HOFFMAN, sergeant, Troop
b. Seventh Cavalry; shot in chin
ABRAHAM RILEY, corporal, Battery
F, Second Artillery, thrown to- the ground
and badly bruised.
SERGEANT KING, Battery F, Second
Artillery, thrown from horse and bruised.
UNKNOWN ARTILLERYMAN. thrown
from horse picked up unconscious; injuries
slight.
UNKNOWN BOY, thrown from bicycle,
injured about the legs.
MISS ALICE YORK, No. 41O3 Grand
boulevard, tendon of heel severed by bull
MRS. E. C. HUHLING. No. 1880 Grand
boulevard, severely cut and injured in her
home by falling glass.
THE EXPLOSION.
The troops left Brighton Park for a long
march around the city to exercise the
horses They were in command of Captain
Dodd, of Troop f, Third Cavalry, and con-
sisted of Troop F, Third Cavalry, forty
men; Troop e, Sixth Cavalry, Lieutenant
Tate, forty men: platoon OF Battery f,
Second Artillery, two guns, Lieutenant
aGyle, twenty-three men; Troop Is, Seventh
Gayle, twenty-three men; Troop B, Seventh
men marched in this order. Everything
went smoothly and there were no incidents
until the column marching south on Grand
boulevard was just crossing Oakwood boule-
ward. Then a terrific explosion occurred
The 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 casson feW in
their tracks, shot through and horribly
mangled, while three others were blown
fifty feet ahead against the trees on the
boulevard. dying instantly. The caisson
was blown to atoms, not a piece of it
larger than a mans hand being found. The
boulevard looked like a battle 1ield-
There was a quick series of explosions
after the first report and shrapnel shot
raned like hail on the trees on the boule-
ward and pierced the surrounding dwellings.
The concussion 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
from 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 pow
erless TO move. To this was added the
fright of the occupants of the surrounding
houses, who ran screaming from their
dwellings only to be sickened by the sight
in the street A still alarm of fire had been
turned in. and with the department came
the patrol wagon The wagon was sent
back to the station and it returned with
twenty-five men under command of Lieu
tenant Morrissey. He then telephoned to
Hyde Park for reinforcements and
x,.f.b ffxvo
men. Later Inspectors Hunt and Fitzpat-
rick and Lieutenant Bonfield arrived.
1t was some little time before the two
dead artillery men could be found. One of
them, nangled beyond recognition. but sup
posed to be Doyle, had been blown over a
board sign twenty-five feet high, and was
found i'm vacant lot behind it. One leg
and an arm were gone. The other man,
supposed 10 be Donovan, had been thrown
about three hundred feet diagonally to the
right and was found in a vacant lot near
the Lake Shore tracks. Joseph Gaylor was
found near where he was struck.
Great damage wrought by the ex-
plosion TO neghboring property. Windows
i'm most of the surrounding houses were
blown out and the damage to residence and
park property in the neighborhood of the
accident is estimated at about $4,000. The
house of e c. Huehling was damaged to
the extent of about 81, 600, most of the win
dows being completely demolished one of
the shells struck the roof of the house and
tore away part of the roof. Another shell
struck between one Of the bay windows
and the wall of MIR. Huehling's house and
stuck in this position. j. l.. Custer. Of No.
1928 Grand boulevard, lives directly oppO-
site where the accident occurred, and suf-
fered a loss of about $500. A large piece OF
one of the wheels of the gun carriage was
hurled through his sitting room wind W
and carried away a large lamp which stood
i'm the window. The house of Samuel Bios
ter attorney for the Grand Trunk road
suffered a loss of about 81. 600. having every
window in the house shot away and the