The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1904-06-08
AN INTERNAL MACHINE.
Exploded Under Station at In
dependence, Col.
Twelve Men Blown to Pieces-Dyna-
mite Exploded by Pulling Wire At.
tached to a Loaded RevoIver-City
Marshal and Sheriff Removed-Rlot
Fellows Mass Meeting.

Cripple Creek, Col, June 7.-Twelve
men were. killed and seven others Sc.
verely wounded by the explosion of all
Internal machine at the railroad sta
tion at Independence. Eleven men
were killed outright, being blown to
pieces, and one died later. AlS the
killed and wounded with the exception
of two men from the Deadwood mine,
we're miners employed on the night
shift of the Findley mine.
The internal machine with which
the crime was committed consisted of
a quantity of dynamite, probably 300
pounds and loaded revolver with a
long steel wire attached to the trigger.
The revolver was fastened so that the
pulling of the trigger would not draw
1t away.
The wire ran from under the station
platform to the cribbing of the Del
monico property, about 400 feet away,
where its end was fastened to a rung
of a chair. The dynamite was placed
close to the muzzle of the revolver,
which was discharged by pulling the
wire. The ball from the revolver and
the resultant concussion exploded the
dynamite.
Bloodhounds to Track Assassin.
A man was seen running down the
hill from the Delmonico property after
the explosion. The Victor troops,
who were ordered out by Mayor
French, were 50 stationed as to keep
people from passing over the path
taken by this man, and bloodhounds
were sent from Canyon City and Trim
idad to trail the assassin.
The internal machine used was sim.
liar to the one exploded in the Vindica.
tor mine on Nov. 21, 1903, killing two
men.
The men quit work at 2 a. m. and
were waiting to board a suburban
train on the Florence and Cripple
Creek railroad to return to their homes
in Cripple Creek and Victor.
Just before the engineer of the ap'
preaching train blew the whistle as a
signal to the miners, according to
custom, terrific explosion occurred
underneath the station platform on
and near which &c men were gathered
The platform was blown into splinters,
the station was wrecked and hole
20 feet in circumference and 20 feet
in depth was torn in the ground.
Fragments of bodies were hurled
several hundred feet. Several bodies
dropped into the pit made by the ex'
plosion, but heads, arms, legs and
trunks were strcwn about on all sides
Pieces of flesh were found on buildings
so feet away, while splashes of blood
were found on everything within a
radius of so feet.
The force of the explosion was felt
throughout the camp and the crash
awakened everybody. The approach
ing train was stopped and the train
men rushed ahead to the scene of the
disaster. They were Joined in few
minutes by hundreds of persons, and
relief work was begun at once.
A special train was sent from Grip
pie Creek carrying physicians, nurses,
officers and many others, but when II
reached Independence the injured al
ready had been placed on board a su
burban train and removed to a hos.
pital In Victor. The mangled bodies
Of the dead, pieced together as well as
possible were removed to the coro.
ner's office. The dead:
Gus Augustin aged IS; Arthur Muh'
leise, relatives in Germany; Henry
Haag, Alexander McLane, Charles Bar
her, Herbert Mccoy. j. II. Hartsell
William Shanklin, E. Kelso, w. W.
Delaney, Edward Ross, e. H. Johnson.
Several of Wounded Will Die.
Amputations have been performed on
some of the wounded. 1t is almost
certain that several of them will die,
Most of the dead and wounded were
unmarried.
Charles Rector of Shurtloff mine
was chatting with several men when
the explosion occurred. He saw
number of men rushing toward the
station and at that moment he was
lifted from his feet. He was deafened
by terrible crash. He regained his
feet to find himself uninjured.
H. w. Vanatta, a Findley miner
who narrowly escaped death, said:
"The earth seemed to heave under
Iotf cto
was deafening. We had been at the
station about two minutes when the
explosion occurred | was thrown IS
feet. A score of miners from the
Bhurtloff shaft were hurrying down
the hill to the station. Had these
men reached the platform the casual
ty list would have been doubled"
George Remick was hurled many
feet from the platform but escaped
with only few bruises, although
heavy timbers aid rocks fell all about
him.
The bodies were removed from
the coroner's establishment to an un'
dertaker's room on request of J. S.
murphy, superintendent VI lht + TlhhlSJ
mine, because II was alleged that Cor
oner James Doran had remarked be
fore the discovery of the internal ma
chine that the death of the men was
due to an accident. Later Coroner
Doran explained that, although he had
spoken of the disastef<2s an awful
rccident" he was convinced that ter
tible crime had been committed
City Marshal O'Connell of Victor
was suspended by Mayor Free I'D
Major II. A. Naylor was appointed
provisional marshal. O'Connell yield