Los Angeles herald., 1907-10-16
DYING AND
DEAD PILED
IN HEAPS
SCHOOL HOUSES BLOWN TO
FRAGMENTS
CHILDREN CRUSHED UNDER MASS
OF wREcKAeE
Disaster at Indiana Powder Works
Claims Awful Toll--Superintend-
ent, His Wife and Her Sister
Among Victims
eContinued from Page One,

(COntinued from Page One.D
this evening. He brought with him 70C
tents and cots for the care of the home
less.
Among those injured from the explosion
OF the MAGAZINE were several physicians
who were at work among the dead and
dying A freight train standing on the
siding leading to the powder mills was
partly destroyed by the conclusion and
took fire. The heat from the burning mills
and freight train was so great that 1t
was impossible to remove bodies from the
wreckage. Eighteen mangled bodies were
taken to the morgue to await identihca-
tion.
Injured were found scattered every
where and were collected and relief given
as rapidly as possible Not a house is
left standing in the town. Fronts, roofs,
sides and even foundations of many
buildings have been blown to atoms.
Great Holes Torn in Ground
Great holes are torn in the ground,
fences have vanished and household
goods from the ruined homes are in
confused heaps of debris in all direc-
tons The people of the town who had
deserted their homes at the first ex-
plosion were saved.
The first body taken from the wrecked
mills was that of DR.. Carroll, an en-
ploye 1t was burned almost to crisp,
but the man was still alive, and begged
for some one to shoot him and put him
out of his misery. He lived but few
moments.
The bodies of two other employees, Yes
Dial and his son, were found near Car
roll VIII Dalton was found unconscious,
lis body badly mangled.
Z Fontanet is a mining town of 500 in
habitants, situated on the Big -Four rail
road eighteen miles east of Terre Haute
and twelve miles from Brazil. The ex-
ploson interrupted telephone communi-
cation with outside points.
Assistance was asked for at once and
physicians with bandages left both
places in carriages and automobiles to
render aid.
An Awful Spectacle
The first view of the wreck was
sickening one Flames soon attacked the
buildings and drove the rescuers away
and the workmen were obliged to stand
by and see their fellow workers burned
to death. When the wounded men were
placed on board the relief train to be
taken to Terre Haute frantic rush was
made by the wives and pareLts and
childrhen of the injured to establish the
identity of those rescued. One man died
on the train before it left. His name
was Justice. and he had applied at the
mill this morning for work. Another
man expired as the train pulled into the
Big Four station at Terre Haute.
Mayor Lyons of that city has called a
special meeting of the city council this
evening to vote relief for the sufferers.
He sent special detail of twelve po-
lice officers to assist in the work of re-
lief He appealed to Governor Hanley
to send company B to the scene of the
accident at once with tents for the home
less.
Late this afternoon ii was estimated
that there are 1900 homeless in Fontanet
and that fully 900 have been more or less
injured, the greater number only slight
ly. Not a person it met but has blood
in evidence either from his own wounds
or from those of people he has been as
sisting.
Rush to Aid Injured
The people of the town, though home
less, rushed from their ruined houses to
aid the injured at the mills and franti-
cally rescued charred bodies and dying
men from the wreck, though in constant
danger that succeeding explosions would
hurl them to eternity. The condition of
the bodies was frightful. Burned and
mang.ed IN every conceivable way, writh-
ine> and distorted the rescued heap of.
dead and dying presented ghastly sight
and the screams of agony were nerve
racking
John Gray, an employe in the press
room of the plant where the explosion
originated, was picked up some distance
from the wreck fearfully burned and
with no clothing on his body. He will
die
William Sherwell, also employed in the
press room. was blown $50 feet and will
die.
William Walker, employed in the pull
verizing mill. was fatally hurt. The
l7-year-old son of Samuel Cottrell' is
xnown to be dead, but his body has not
been recovered.