Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1895-09-19
CAISSON BLOWS Up.
Shocking Accident Mars the =. a.
r. Encampment at
Louisville.

| r. Encampment at
/ Louisville.
! Louisville, KY, Sept. IA horrible
accident resulting in the death OF SIX
and the wounding of several members
of the Louisville legion occurred shortly
after $50 this morning by the explosion
| of a caisson.
| The dead are:
CORP. AL. ROBINSON:
| PRIVATE CHARLES BIECHNER.
| PRIVATE A. M'BRlDE.
| DRIVER w. ADAMS (colored.)
| The Wounded:
| Sergt. Fred Conn.
Private E. e. William Hobbs
All the men excepting the cClored
driver were members of Battery of the
Kentucky National guard and all reside
in Louisville.
| Where the Accident Occurred.
| The accident occurred on Broadway
between Third and Fourth streets, where
the First Kentucky artillery were sta
| toned for the purpose of firing the
morning salute.
Eye witnesses to the shocking accident
say that the explosion was caused by
the dropping of friction primer into
the caisson.
AS soon as the accident occurred the
city ambulance was called, and the
| wounded men were taken to the Norton
Infirmary, where their injuries were at
will die. The whole left side of his
| face was blown off. Even if he should
recover he will be blind and horribly
disfigured. Hobbs was badly burned
about the face and bruised. The place
where the accident occurred is one of
the finest resident districts in the city.
Fortunately few people were on the
street, owing to the early hour. or the
list Of killed and injured would have
undoubtedly been greatly increased.
Every window in the block was blown
out. Nearly every one in the neighbor-
hood was asleep and the noise and con-
cussion caused by the explosion almost
| created panic. Half clad men and ter
| rihed women came running from their
homes. and most horrible sight met
driver. mangled almost beyond recogni-
ton, fell OH the front porch of resi-
| dence fully 800 feet from the place
where the explosion occurred. Just out
side the fence and on the sidewalk was
! the body of Private Woods. Bits of
scattered all along the street, clinging
| to the treetops and in the shattered Win
] dows. A leg was found on Third street
a block from where the explosion took
place. It must have been blown clear
over a three-story and basement house
/
found on the tops of adjacent houses.
| Shocking Scenes.
1t is believed that the body of Private
| Hutchins was blown to pieces as it has
not yet been found. A hook and ladder
truck of the city fire department was
called and, with ladders. every housetop
| in the vicinity was searched in vain for
the missing body. But on nearly every
| housetop was found portions of the bod
| les OF the unfortunate young men. The
| body of Howard Irwin was SO badly
mangled that it was almost impossible
! to gather it up without Il shovel. 1t was
found at the intersection of Broadway
| and Fourth street, almost block away.
The battery was on it's way to Phoenix
| hill for the purpose of firing a salute of
forty-four guns. There were sixty-six
| pounds of powder in the caisson.
Richard Cogan, who was about two
| blocks from the caisson when it blew up,
said the noise made was terrific. The
| conclusion was so great that the builc-
! ings even at that distance were shaken
| and in several houses around him win,
| dows were shattered. He fastened to
! the scene at once and lent a helping hand
| in gathering up the remains of the dead
| militia men.
| In few minutes everyone in the neigh,
| borhood was out. Many women said
Mr.. Cogan, tainted as soon as they came
out the sight was SO horrible.
d
| had spread over the entire city Bull
letins were posted at all the newspaper
| Offices and in several of the public build
| ings, giving the names of the dead and
! injured. The accident has cast a shac-
ow of gloom over the city. Everyone
| had been prepared for grand and JOY.
ous event. The tens of thousands OF
visitors who thronged the streets and
| hotels of the town were everywhere
heard to express their sorrow.
1t is doubtful if there ever occurred in
this region before an accident that caused
such widespread sorrow. The regiment
to which the young men belonged is made
up of the pick and flower of Louisville.
Many of them are society leaders and
are Of wealthy families.
Capt. Castleman's Statement.
Capt. David Castleman, who was in
charge, was riding at the side of the de-
tail and was uninjured. The report that
one of the men was smoking is denied
by Capt. Castleman.
Col. Joe B. Castleman of the First in
fantry, to which Battery A belongs, said
it was one of those unfortunate acct
dents that cannot be guarded against.
A similar one occurred in Chicago dur
ing the strike, in which four men were
killed and several wounded. Gov. John
Young Brown, who was stopping with
Maj. B. Easton, was asleep in bed. The
explosion stunned him and it was some
time before he could realize what i1 had
happened. All the furniture in the hall
was damaged by the explosion. The
explosion shook all the leaves off a tree,
in the front yard.
Daniel f. Reidhae lives next to Judge
Easton's house Every window was
broken in the house and several persons
were badly stunned. E. w. McMannon,