Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-07-10
Eight Men Killed by Ex-
p|osion Of Dynamite.
Scene Across River From Penn.
R. R. Wreck Of May Il.
Bodies Horribly Torn and Mutilated..'
Spark Caused Explosion.

Harrisburg. Pa, July Eight men
were blown to pieces and two others
injured by the premature explosion of
4 blast of powder on tie Pennsylvania
Railroad improvements near New
Cumberland at 7.30 o'clock. this morn
ing. The accident occurred directly
across the Suquehanna river firm the
scene of the Pennsylvania Railroad
wreck. May II, in which 90 persons
were killed and many others injured.
All the victims of today's disaster
were employees of II. =. Kcrbaugh G.
Co. Inc, contractors. who are building
double tracks for the Pennsylvania
Railroad. The bodies of the men were
terribly nangled and particles of flesh
and bone We're scattered for u distance
Of 200 yards from the scene of the eX-
plosion. The dead are:
James Wiscman. aged so, dynamite
boss, Buffalo. n. Y.
Arthur Green, colorcd. 20 years old
steam driller. Harrisburg.
Robert Thompson. colored, % years
old. steam driller's helper. Harrisburg.
Frank Mullach, Il Sav. 43 years old.
Three Italians, known only by num-
berS.
The injured
William Reed, colurcd 20 years old
a steam driller; skull fractured and in
jured internally.
G.. C. Miller, SIS years Old of IGaville;
bruised about body but net seriously.
Not trace of the two negroes killed
can be found and it is supposed their
bodies were blown into the river. which
is being dragged.
An inquest WAS Eeld. this afternoon.
The jury rendered a verdict of pre-
mature explosion from an unknown
cause and no Llame attached to the
contractors.
All the killed and injured were labor
ers aside from Wiscman, whose body was
terribly mangled What could be found
of it was identified by the fact that he
had dyed his hair His scalp and por
ton of his head was found on hill 209
yards from the blast. Wiseman has been
with the Kerbaugh Co. for five years and
had gone to the scene of the explosion to
personally superintend the preparations
for what is called Il big shot" to be
fired. tomorrow morning.
\ big shot consists of a series of
bla ets, the holes having been drilled in a
row and the charges being set off stimuli
taneously by an electric spark. Five of
the holes had been filled with powder
and the men were at work on the sixth
when the explosion occurred 1t Is sup
posed that Il small stone had gotten into
the hole and the iron bar with which
the men We're 'uamping' down the
charge. caused a spark by scraping on
the stone and that TINS ignited the
powder.
One Italian escaped because a fellow
workman playfully snatched his hat and
ran with it. The owner ran after the
man with the hat and had just got out of
range of the explosion when it occurred.
An Italian water boy was hurled 50 feet.
Every stitch of clothing was torn from
his body A leather belt containing Si1o
in paper money, supposed to belong to
one Of the men, was picked up near the
scene of the explosion. Pieces of flesh
and bone were found fastened in the
telegraph wires over the railroad tracks.
The force of the explosion was felt for
miles and broke many windows in Har-
risburc and towns across the river.