The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1902-05-13
KILLED BY EXPLOSION
Leaking Eaphtha Takes Fire IRON 0
Switch Light in a Wreck.
RESULT TERRIBLE.
More Than q Score Of Lives We're Lost
and Of Two Hundred Burned
Only q Small Proportion
Can Possibly Recover.

Pitsburg, May I3.-The SheradaI
yards of the Panhandle railroad were
the scene late Monday afternoon OF
an explosion in which score Of lives
were lost and 200 persons SO badly
burned that, according to the judgment
of physicians, rs per cent of them will
die from the effects of their injuries,
and damage to property estimated al
5000 600
The following is list OF the dead 50
far as obtainable:
Albert Mexican, brakeman, Shera-
dan.
John Swan, brakeman, Sheridan.
Unknown boy, about IA years old,
died on way to hospital
II. F. Smithley, Uhrichsville. O.,
died at hospital.
Mr., Finnerty, sistervilie, West Va.
died at hospital
Charles Hertig, Chestnut Mines, died
at hospital.
W. w. Taylor OF Millers Station,
died at Mercy hospital.
@. Z. Hunter Of Sheridan, died at
hospital
W E. Wright a carpenter Of Shera
dan, died at hospital
Dallas Bort of Sheradan, died at hos
pitaL
Davis Smith, boy, sheradan, died
al hospital
James keenan,, aged 70 years, Car
negie.
Pascoe Nader, died at hospital
Italian section hand.
Two unknown boys, aged 10, died al
hospital
Mr. Douds, died at Mercy hospital.
While a train of naptha cars was
being switched. the rear car telescoped
a car forward The leaking naptha
ignited from a switch light, causing
an explosion which threw the flames
fifty feet high. Much of the escaping
naptha ran Through COrks Run to Els
Peterborough, a distance of one and a
half miles and caused another explo-
sion, blowing TO atoms the Seymour
and Collins hotel and badly wrecking
a frame building near by, in which
were cOngregated 200 or more men OF
Pittsburg and vicinity. betting on the
races and baseball. Few of the occu-
pants of tbs building escaped injury
many being badly hurt. Mrs. Seymour
and her daughter of the Sheridan ho-
tel. We're seriously, and il is feared
fatally injured.
The first car of naptha exploded
about 4: 40 o'clock and the spectacle
soon attracted large crowd on streets
linig the hills on both sides of. and
parallel to the railroad, The second
explosion occurred about o'clock, but
it was els when three more cars Of
the deadly stuff went up with a roar
that could be heard for miles, before
the work of destruction really began.
A torrent of flame belched forth on
each side of the track. sweeping back
the terrified spectators like a charge
of cavalry and sending a shower OF
fame over their heads. The successive
explosions had heated the air to such
an extent that before the third explo-
sion many were rendered unconscious
by the extreme heat and gaseous fumes
and were being carried away when the
torrent of fame swept over the ex-
cited crowd.
There was an awful hush for a mo-
ment, then followed a scene of frenzy.
Men aRd women, their clothing ablaze
their faces scorched and blistered and
their hair burned of their heads, ran
hither and thither. only intent on es-
Gaping the furnace of fire. Some gave
vent TO frenzied appeals to kill them
and put them out of their misery, and
little children with their hair and
clothing afire, cried piteously as they
were swept along the tide of burning
humanity.
Many of those not seriously burned
were removed TO their homes in Shera-
dan, while others were sent to the vari-
Gus Pittsburg hospitals and the dead
removed to undertaking establish
ments in Sheridan and vicinity and TO
the Pittsburg morgue.