The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-05-13
ABOUT FIFTY !.
WILL DIE
Twenty Victims of Explosion
of Naptha at Sheraden,
Pa, Last Night.
Tank Cars Are Telescoped
by Careless SwitChmen
With Awful Results.

Pittsburg, Pa, May ia disastrous
explosion and fire occurred last night in
the Shereden yards of the Panhandle rail
road. The cause of the catastrophe was
the explosion Of train of naphtha cars
which were being switched at the yard,
and in the switching the rear car tele-
scoped car forward. The leaking naph-
tina ignited from switch light ~caus-
ing an explosion which threw the flames
fifty feet high. ~ =. :-.... =,
Much of the escaping naphtha ran
through Cork's Run to Esplen borough, a
distance Of one and one-half miles, and
caused another explosion, =. blowing to
atoms the Seymour hotel and the Collins
house on River road, and badly wrecking
frame building near by, in which were
! congregated 200 or more sports from
Pittsburg and vicinity betting on the
races.
Before the second explosion a crowd
had gathered and the torrent of flame
belched forth on each side of the track,
sweeping back the terrified spectators
like charge Of artillery and sending
| shower of flame over their heads.
| Then followed a. scene Of frenzy. Men
| and women, their clothing ablaze, their
faces scorched and blistered and their
hair burned off, ran shrieking wildly, in
tent on escape from the awful furnace Of
| fire. p ...... .-.- - ..>..
Fourteen are dead and not less than 300
| others injured as the result of the catas
trophe. The physicians say at least fifty
| will die. : = t:f@a5
At $3.50 o'clock this morning nine bodies
were at the Pittsburg morgue and five at
the Carnegie morgue. The last body was
brought in at s. o'clock this morning. "A
list of the dead follows: -- -.
JAMES KEENAN,, aged 20, single, Carnegie,
clerk on wreck train; died at Mercy hospital.
CHARLES HEARTIG, aged 13. Chestnut
mines, Pennsylvania died at Mercy hospital.
W. W. TAYLOR, aged ~, brakeman, Millers
| Station Ohio; died. at Mercy hospital HI
HARRY F. SMITLEY, aged TO-, Urichsville.
Ohio level man on Pan Handle single; died
at Mercy hospital .>...@st,,y:-. - 'szas%',te
| - FINNERTY, Sisterville, w. Va, aged
40; died at Mercy hospital Is e@5 -
| G. E. HUNTER, married. Is years old; five
children; freight conductor, sharsdar, killed
at wreck, body taken to McDermott's under
| taking rooms, Carnegie. s.E:,.s~< e. ~.
WALTER E. WRIGHT, aged e.; sheraden
killed at wreck. taken to McDernott's under
DALLAS M BYRD, fireman, aged %,
Sheraden; killed at wreck. taken to McDer-
motifs undertaking rooms, Carnegie.
PASCAL NADER, aged rs, section foreman
badly burned, died at Allegheny general
hospital. 80 ..s.-'' .E..
UNKNOWN BOY, badly burned taken tc
Allegheny general hospital died N short time
| DONALD SMITH, aged 10, Sheraden, son OF
Jerome Smith, train dispatcher; badly burned
died at Allegheny general hospital
GEORGE WILSON, aged Is, messenger, o.
Sheridan; body almost cooked. died at 2:3t
this morning at the Homeopathic hospital. r.,
| MATTHEW MARNON, teamster, aged a
single, McKees Rocks; body fairly cooked
died at Homeopathic hospital at $40 this
morning.
JOHN SWAN, brakeman. aged 80 years.
Later the list of dead was increased
by the following: .a
ALBERT McKEAN, aged g. brakeman
HUGH FLAHERTY. IS. -.. :.
TONY LEO, laborer, O..
- LEWIS, burned to death on the track
UNKNOWN BOY, found in potato field OF
farm Of J. R. Douglass, burned to crisp AMI
, unacceptable.