Evening journal., 1905-07-10
EIGHT KILLED
I'M [YpI 0cInM
lH LALuuIuH
Another Disaster Near the
Scene of the Dynamite
Wreck
NEARLY ALL VICTIMS LABORERS

Harrisburg. Pa. July 10-Eight men
were blown to pieces and two others were
injured by the premature explosion of a
big blast Of rock powder on the Penn
sylvania Railroad improvements near
New Cumberland at 7so O'Clock yesterday
morning The accident occurred directly
across the Susquehauna river from the
scene OF the Pennsylvania railroad wreck
on May II. in which twenty-three persons
were killed and many others injured.
All the victims Of the disaster We're em-
ployos of II. S. Kerbaugh & Co. tlnc).
contractors. who are building the double
tracks for the Pennsylvania Railroad TO
connect with the Enola yards. The bodies
Of the men were terribly mangled.
Not a trace Of two colored men who
were killed can be found. and it is sup
posed their bodies were blown into the
river. which is being dragged. An in-
quest was held yesterday afternoon by
Squire Coble of Lemoyne. The jury rem
dered a verdict of premature explosion
from an unknown cause and no blame is
attached TO the contractors.
NEARLY ALL LABORERs.
All the killed and injured were laborers
except James Wiseman. a dynamite boss
Of Buffalo. whose body was terribly man-
gled. What could be found Of IL was iden-
titled by the fact that he dyed his hair.
His scalp and portion OF his head were
found on a hill 200 yards from the blast.
wiseman had been with the Kerbaug
company for hve years and had gone to
the scene Of the explosion personally to
superintend the preparations for what is
called a big shot, to be fired this morn
ing. A big shot" consists Of a series OF
blasts. the holes having been drilled in
a row and the charges being set on sim
ultaneously by an electric spark. Five OF
, the holes had been filled with powder and
! the men we're at work on the sixth wher
s the explosion occurred II IS supposed
e that a small stone had got into the hole
. and the iron bar with which the meI
! were "tamping" down the charge caused
a spark by scraping on the stone an'
that this ignited the powder.
SAVED BY HIS HAT.
d One Italian escaped because a feilo'
= workman had playfully snatched his ha
e and run with it. The owner chased IN
I man with the hat and had just got ou
i / or range or the explosion Whtn IL occur
= red. An Italian water boy, who was o
lis way 10 the men with a bucket
= ,Vaier. was hurlea fsgg feet Every stitc
J Of clothing was torn from his body.
i leather belt containing S3l2 in pap,
:. money, supposed to belong TO one Of N
men. was picked up near the scene OF tn
l. explosion. The fragments Of the bodie
Il were placed in rough collins after the COZ
n oner's inquest, and they will be buried "a
o day.
s There We're no buildings in the immed
ate neighborhood of the explosion, an
. there was no damage, except for the dc
struction of a few telegraph poles and
: large tool shed in a nearby quarry, whic
: was torn clear out and drawn fifteen fec
= toward the scene OF the blast.
: The explosion shook the country fo
e miles around and broke many window
1t in Harrisburg and towns across the rive
n Twelve hundred and fifty pounds Of roc
J. powder had been unloaded just before II
explosion. but it was not disturbed.