Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1897-12-31
A HORRIBLE ACCIDENT
Occurs at Asheville, n. c., on
Christmas Day.
POWDER CAN EXPLODED.
Thirty or Forty People Injured.
Some will Die, Others
Blinded for Life.

49, hAAS ioAAS W 49, - L
culars of an accident On Christ
mas day
A crowd of 100 or more mer
and boys were firing a Christina:
salute from all old cannon Oh the
outskirts of the town when a car
of thirty pounds of powder ex'
ploded in the thick of the crowd
Thirty Or forty persons were
injured, but none, it is believed
fatally.
The cannon stands On the
cres: of a hill just north of the
city, overlooking French Broad
river, and had been used for
years in celebrating holidays.
Saturday forenoon, having pro-
cured ammunition for the salute,
a party of hundred set out for
the hill The cannon was loaded
and fired several times, and then
Joseph Finch, an employe of
the Southern Railway, running
on the Asheville and Spartan
burg division, picked up the
powder can and began to reload
the piece. The gun had not
been swabbed, anu the moment
the tiny stream of powder struck
the heated metal, there was a
fash and thirty pounds of pow
der exploded with report that
made the earth trem Bile.
A moment later there was a
scene that make sick the heart
OF those watching the hiHfro1n
their homes on the river. In the
smoke that rose from the expio~
sion they saw human beings run
blindly here and there over the
hill, falling and rising only to
fall again as they frantically
rushed about, blinded and pow
der burned, and 1nadly trying to
eXtinguish their flaming clothes.
Those who were unhurt ran to
the aid of their unfortunate play
fellows, smothering flaming
clothing Or cutting the garment
from their bodies. One man was
blown or rolled compile ely down
the high bluff 800 feet nearly to
the river.
People in the eighborhocd
ran to the scene and the work
of giving assistance to the in
jured began. The hill was dotted
with blackened, groaning figures
some of whom lay almost per
fectly nude. A number of the
injured were able to walk from
the scene, while cots were pro>
vided and gentle hands placed
the more seriously wounded On
them and conveyed them to an
old residence near by, which was
improvised into a hospital.
Those seriously wounded are:
Joseph Finch, Edward Miller,
John Ingle, Barton Means, Clar-
erce Ledford, Vernon Sentell,
Charles Earwood, Hay Eaton,
Eugene Wynne, D. Bennett,
Dexter Aldrich, John Powell, h.
L. Gowan, Henry Mclnty re,
Buck Trivett, Dell Bishop, Geo.
Eaton. J. F. Hamilton, James
Warren and Frank Pratter.
The porch and hall of the
house were soon filled with an
guished relatives of the injured
and the scene was pitiful.
Joseph Finch IS among the
more seriously hurt, his nose
and mouth being torn out of all
shape, and he is probably blind
ed. Clarence Ledford, who stood
near the cannon when the pow
der ignited, was thrown mere
than fifty feet. His clothing Was
torn Or burned entirely off, and
part of the skin on the fore
head burned loose. Charles Ear
wood and John Ingle also are
seriously hurt, and several 9th
ers will probably lose their
sight or be dis6gurered for life.
A later dispatch says that
Sentell will die and Ingle will
lose his sight.