El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-03-08
FOUR KILLED BY
PREMATURE BLAST
Two More Men Are Dead AS a Re.
suit of the Fearful Explosion
at COurCheSne. "details
of the Tragedy.

Full details of the explosions at the
stone quarry of Alfred Courchesne near
his residence, mile beyond the smell
ter. were not obtained yesterday until
too late for publication in the regular
edition of The Herald.
The accident was the most fearful
that has occurred in this vicinity for
years, although most of the men in
jured or killed were humble laborers.
Two men were killed outright and
three were so badly injured that the
surgeons doubted last night if they
those injured was Foreman Charles
Shelly, formerly of San Antonio. who
had been in this city about two years.
He was badly hurt. His left jaw was
broken near the ear and his teeth were
driven through his tongue almost sew
ering that member. He was also in
jured about the head and body and
blood flowed freely from his mouth,
nostrils and ears. At the end of sew
eral hours he had not regained con-
sciousness.
Shelly had only been in the employ
of Mr. Courchesne a few months ard
was residing at Courchesne's with his
wife and two children.
The dead were Fortino Torres and
Bernardo Porras. who were mangled
beyond recognition
Apodaca Garcia had both legs crush
ed off and Julio Reyes lost an arm and
his skull was fractured.
All the men were heads OF families.
who were dependent on their daily la
Dor for bread.
About forty-five men were employed
at the quarry, but strange to say, no
others were injured One of the dead
was the driver of a cart. He was man
gled by the falling stone. his horse was
killed and his cart was demolished.
The Accident.
Just how the accident occurred no
one seemed able to tell.
1t was sudden and unexpected and
terrible In ltS results
Foreman Shelly and three men were
at the top of perpendicular bluff,
probably thirty feet in height, prepar-
ing the blast. 1t had been the Gus
but to make them very heavy. 1t is
supposed that from Is to % cans of
powder had been placed in position,
about ten feet from the declivity, when
by some unknown means the charge
exploded.
The unlucky foreman and his men
were standing around the opening in
to which the powder was being placed. |
They were tossed into the air like |
pebbles and great bulk of solid stone, |
ten feet in thickness, was split off the !,
side of the bluff and pitched to the |
level ground below. The men went J
down with the huge jagged masses of
stone and some of them were buried
beneath the pile.
1t is miracle that any of them es-
capped instantaneous death. but the fact
that three survived is ample evidence
OI tne marvellous vitality OF mankind.
The concussion was fearful. and it
is supposed that it was as hurtful to
he men as their actual wounds. The
'orce of the explosion was tremendous.
A boulder with an estimated weight
IF seven tons was thrown sixty feet
'ut on the level ground below.
Those who witnessed the explosion ,
rom a distance saw only a cloud of ,
lust and smoke and were unable to
discern any of the bodies that were
ossed aloft. All workmen in the vi ,
Unity FASTENED to the spot and with ,
rowbars proceeded to remove the mass 7
# debris that surrounded their COM ,
AIDES and had crushed the life out of q
wo of them.
This was no easy task and it required I;
ully a half hour to extricate the last D.,
naimed quarryman's body. u
AS soon as possible an urgent ap- @
zeal for surgeons was telephoned from +
fr. Courchesne's residence to this city =
nd to the smelter. Three city physi- :
ians and two from the smelter lost