Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-11
BODIES BLOWN over HOUSEHOLDS
Impossible to Find the Remains Of
. One.
A TERRIBLE DIS A S T Err

The accident occurred on Broadway be-
tween Sd and 18th streets, where the first
Kentucky artillery were stationed for the
purpose of firing the morning salute.
Eye witnesses Of the disaster say that
the explosion was caused by dropping the
caisson on the friction primer OF the piece
The gun was situated directly in the center
Of the street, pointing toward 4th avenue.
Two of the bodies were blown over the
house tops and horribly mangled. Two
horses attached to the cannon were so hor-
ribly mangled that they will be killed.
The Killed and Injured.
Those killed are Corp AL. Robinson. Pri-
Yates Charles Oestrich. Charles Woods
Mcbride Hutchins Howard Irwin, Driver
VIM. Adams (colored).
The wounded are: Fred Cohn, eyes and
face badly burned; VIM. Hobbs
All the men excepting the colored driver
were members of battery A of the Ken
lucky National Guard. and all reside In
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 attended to. 1t
Is feared that Fred. Cohn will die. The
whole left side of his face was blown off.
Even IL he should recover, he will be blind
and horribly dis1gured.
Hobbs was badly burned about the face
and bruised.
Scene Of Disaster.
The place where the accident occurred is
one of the finest residence 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 un-
doubtedly been greatly increased. Every
window in the block was blown out.
Nearly every one in the neighborhood was
asleep. and the noise and concussion
caused by the explosion almost created
q panic.
Half-clad men and terrified women came
running from their homes, and most
horrible sight met their eyes, The body of
recognition, fell on the front porch of
residence, fully 800 feet from the place
where the explosion occurred Just outside
the fence and on the sidewalk was the
body Of Private Woods.
Bits of flesh and pieces of bloody uniform
were. scattered all along the street. cling
Ing to the tree tops and in the shattered
windows. A leg and half coat were
found on Sd street, one block south Of
where the explosion took place They
must have been blown clear over a three
story and basement house. Several man
gled legs and arms were found on the tops
of adjacent houses.
1t is believed that the body Of Private
Hutchins was blown to pieces. as 1t has
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 house
top was found portions of the bodies of the
unfortunate young men.
The body of Howard Irwin was SO badly
mangled that 1t was almost impossible to
gather it up without a shovel 1t was
found at the Intersection of Broadway and
4th street, almost block away.
On the Way to Fire n salute.
The battery was on its way to Phoenix
for tho nf 6riy Into nf
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 it made was terrific. The
concussion was so great that the buildings
even at that distance were shaken, and In
several of the houses around him windows
were shattered. He fastened to the scene
at once, and lent helping hand in gather
ing up the remains of the dead miltiamen.
In few minutes every one In the neigh
b,rhood was out. Many Of the women,
said Mr.. Cogan, tainted as soon as they
came out, the sight was so horrible.
Daniel F. Reidhae lives next to Judge
Easton's house. Every window was broken
In the house. and several persons were
lady stunned.
r. w. McCanncn, who lives at the cor
ner Of 4th and Broadway, describes the
accident as follows:
II was attending to the wants of my G.
A. r. boarders when the explosion oc-
CURED. I thought the world had come to
an end. ] saw several people in the house
were knocked down and slightly bruised.
] was assisting in cleaning away the de-
bris One foot was found in the alley In
the rear of the house. leg was found
in the front yard. The mangled remains
Of the man lying between the car tracks
at 4th and Broadway were terrible to gaze
upon."
The explosion was heard for several
miles distant.
~ ho
to view the terrible disaster. They were
kept back, however, by special detail of
soldiers and police. No one was admitted
within ,he intersection of Sd and 4th
streets. On oil sides exclamations la
menting the deaths of the soldier boys
were heard.
In short time news Of the disaster
spread over the entire city. Bulletins were
posted at all the newspaper offices and in
several of the public buildings. giving the
names OF the dead and wounded.
Gloom Cast on the Festivities.
The accident has cast shadow of gloom
over the city. Every one had been prepared
for a grand and joyous event. The thous-
ands of visitors who throng the streets and
hotels of the town were everywhere heard
to express their sorrow.
1t is doubtful If anything ever occurred in
this region that has caused such widespread
sorrow. The regin ent 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 David Castleman, who was in
charge. was riding at the side of the detail.
He escaped injury. The report that one. of
the men was smoking is denied by Capt.
Castleman.
Col. Jos. B. Castleman of the first infan-
try, to which battery A belongs, said it was
one of those unfortunate accidents that
cannot be guarded against. A similar one
occurred in Chicago during the strike, in
which four men were killed and several
wounded.
The Governor stunned.
Gov. John Young Brown, who was stop
ping with Maj. George B. Easton, was
asleep in bed. The explosion stunned him,
and 1t was some time before he could real
lie what had happened.
AL the itrhitase in the hall was dam
aged by the explosion. The explosion shook
>u the leaves off a tree in the front yard.