Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-07-11
BY Bursting Cannon.
Two Persons Killed at Bridgewater on
July @.Another Death Wednesday.

Fourth of July in Bridgewater
was married by a fearful accident,
two men were killed, one almost in
stantly, by bursting cannon, and
fourteen others injured, some of
them severely. The victims of the
accident were:
Charles Bedor and William Cow
drey, killed.
Among the more badly wounded
were:
Bert Woodward, II years old, leg
broken.
Carroll Southgate, about ID years,
severe flesh wound in the leg and
badly burned by powder.
Charles Hadley, ankle broken.
Bert Hubbard, face burned and
flesh wound in leg.
Robert Thompson, about II years,
leg broken and face badly burned.
Charles Sprague, flesh wound in
thigh.
George Lombard, slight W ound in
the abdomen.
Harold Perkins, face badly burned.
Besides these half Il dozen boys
were injured less severely, most of
them bearing powder marks. They
were: Wesley Barrows, James
Gokey, William Rice, Julian Rob-
,nson, Will and Eddie Smith.
A crowd of men and boys num-
bering about thirty-five were gath
cred on the common in front of the
new school house at Bridgewater
Corners, near the Josselyn bridge,
where they were firing cannon, a
piece of shafting bored out, about 4
inches thick and IS inches in length.
The disaster occurred about 10
o'clock in the forenoon, after the
gun had spoken few times and had
become overheated, as the party
were trying to see how fast they
could load and fire it, and the pre-
caution of swabbing out the piece
was overlooked.
Charles Bedor was sitting on Il
pail containing three or four pounds
of powder and holding the tamping
rod, the cannon being in an upright
position when it exploded with ter
rifle force. Every man and boy sur
rounding the gun was Frustrated by
the tremendous shock or struck down
by flying bits of metal and rock, the
charge being composed of damp,
earth, sod and cobble stones. Bedor
lived only few moments, his legs
being almost blown from his body.
Cowdrey was blown several feet
toward the roadside, his body and
limbs frightfully torn, where he died
two hours later, bleeding to death.
An attempt was made to cord his
limbs, but he was unable to
bear it, and it was given up.
Lewis Josse!yn was the first one
to reach the scene, where lac found
five men and boys still Oh the ground,
the others having struggled to their
feet. Young Southgate ran for
home with a smashed ankle and
burning clothes, but fell after going
a short distance.
Charles Hadley had two giant
crackers in his pocket when he fell,
and these exploded, burning his flesh
and clothes, though the injury to
HIM from this cause was less serious
than that due to the explosion.
MIR. Lombard had just cautioned
the men not to use a steel tamping
rod, and and also to move the pow
der, and hod got but a few steps
away when the explosion came.
DR.. Boyden was hurriedly sum
moned from Quechee, where he had
gone with the band, and Drs. Sher-
win, Boynton and Kidder of Wood
stock were OIL the ground as soon as
possible, Edward Horton hurrying
to Bridgewater on his wheel, from
which place telephone message
was sent. The injured had in the
meantime been conveyed to their
homes, and it was several hours be.
fore the physicians could attend to
all. William Cowdrey, whose right
foot was almost severed, and with
an ugly wound near the body, was
past help. OF the others, Hadley
and Woodward were among the
worse injured, the former having
severe wound on the right side of his
body and his right foot partly blown
off the latter with compound frac-
ture of the left leg below the knee
and both knees badly burned. 1t
was at first thought that amputation
would be necessary in both cases,
but later reparts indicate that the
limbs may be saved.
The cannon, of winch then not
much left now, was made by Frank
~ T. IL 4