The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-07-17

conclusion. Four of the horses drawing
the caisson fell in their tracks, shot through
and through, and terribly manged. while
three Others were blown fifty feet ahead
| against the trees on the boulevard. dying
Instantly. The caisson was blown to
pieces, not piece larger than a mans
hand being found. The boulevard looked
! like battlefield
There was quick series of explosions
after the first report and shrapnel shot
| ralned like hail am ne 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 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 officers seemed powerless to move. To
this was added the fright of the occupants
of the surrounding houses. who ran
screaming from their dwellings only 10 be
| slckened by the sight in the street.
still alarm OF fire had been turned in
and with the department came the stock
yards police patrol wagon. The wagon
was sent back TO the station and with it
returned twenty-five men under command
of Lieutenant Morrissey. He then tele-
phoned to Hyde Park for endorsements
and Captain Dollard arrived with twenty
five more men. Later Inspectors Hunt
and Fitzpatrick and Lieutenant Bonfield
arrived.
1t was some little time before the two
dead artillerymen could be found. One of
them, mangled beyond recognition, sup
posed 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.
One other man, supposed TO be Donovan,
had been thrown about 800 feet diagonally
to the right and was found in a vacant lot
near the Lake Shore tracks. Joseph Gay
lor was found near where be was struck.
General Miles directed Captain Michler
and Colonel WillotsOn of the Commissary
Department and a former commander of
the battery TO the scene Of the accident to
secure a report of the affair.
On the return of WilOtson he gave the
following account of the accident, prepar-
atory 10 writing his report "The COM
mand, under escort of cavalry, was taking
its marching exercise. The caisson con-
siSts of Il timber on which is a chest and
the carriage con taning two chests more of
ammunition, making three chests on the
caisSon. The explosion occurred in the
chest of the timber and the force of the
explosion was TO the rear, tearing away the
caisson and igniting the powder in the
other two chests, The first casson car
ried 42 shrapnel and "a cartridges. The
shrapnel are loaded percussion shell, con-
tanning Eliminates and small balls, and are
firedfrom the cannon by cartridge con-
tanning, as in this case, three aDd three
quarters pounds of powder. My theory of
the accident is that the screw plug al the
base Of one of the shrapnel became
loosened. some of the powder leaked out
and being ground and pounded by the
jolting Of the timber. igDited the powder
in the cartridges discharged them and the
ignition Of the cartridges in the other
chests followed.
''In the second chest on the caisson were
twepty-six time shells, sixteen shrapnel
and their complement of forty-four cart
ridges. In the third and rear carts were
forty-two shells and forty-four cartridges
The force OF the explosion can be more
readily understood when it is stated that
132 cartridges contained 495 pounds of
tachment said they recognized two distinct
reports. seemingly almost simultaneous.
This was the timber chest, followed almost
instantly by the other chests The rattle
of the explosions that followed the great
detonaton was the bursting of the shrap-
mel as they struck together. The men on
the caisson were lifted Dy the explosion,
while the horses were killed by the missiles
from the shrapnel.
II take no stock in the theory that dyna-
mite had anything to do with II. The
greatest caution is always taken about
ammunition. Each chest is locked by
Yale lock especially made for the Govern
ment. There are no keys in any battery
that will unlock any but the chest. and
l do not believe there is key in Chicago
that will unlock any OF our artillery chests
The ammunition is a couple of years old
and has been jOlted over the rough roads
in Kansas. and yet going at light pace on
the smooth streets Of Chicago the ex-
plosion took place"
KEEPS HIS OWN COUNSEL.