The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-12-13
MANY KILLED
AND WOUNDED
IN EXPLOSION
Twenty-Five Tons of Dynamite
Set Off by Accident in
Panama Canal.
MOST OF THE VICTIMS
SAID TO BE SPANIARDS
RELIEF TRAINS SENT FROM
COLON TO SCENE OF DISASTER
CAUSE is UNCERTAIN.

L.H"H" q 4. @ o o q q q <: 9 g . e,
.. washington. Dec. $50 far as p
., official advices show, there were g
e, only two Americans killed in the g
.. explosion at Bas Obispo today. g
G. These were John J. Reidy, fore 6:
G. man. of Indianapolis, and James s:
9, L. Hummer. steam shovel crane q
., man, of Dunneilen, y. j. Today y
o accident is only one of several 2
{, premature explosions of dynamite g
9. reported during the recent stages g
4. of the canal construction =
@ 9 g g q q q q g q 9 q g g @ . g g g
Colon, Dec. ia giant blast Of dy-
Mantle was prematurely exploded in
the canal workings at Bas ObispO to-
day. Ten men were killed and fifty in
iured. It may be that others were
killed. for the debris is piled up in all
directions.
Bias Cbispo cut is about thirty miles
from Colon, and the shock of the eX-
plosion was distinctly felt here.
Loss of Life Unknown.
Numerous reports are current as to
the cause of the accident, but the Of
fetal version from Culebra, which gives
On estimate of ten killed and fifty
wounded states that during the load
ing of the last hole of the blast the
dynamite in this cut was discharged
and the remaining twenty-five tons
were exploded by conclusion The holes
had not been connected electrically, as
the discharge of the blast was set for
O'Clock in the afternoon. The last hole
was being loaded under the supervision
g H. "a,
in the employ of the commission
Passenger Train Had Just Passed
A passenger train had just passed
when the explosion occurred, but it
was not in any way damaged. Most OF
the victims are Spaniards. Relief
trains were sent to the scene of the
disaster, and one which returned here
several hours later brought back the
report that forty-fve of the injured
had been. sent 10 Ancon hospital.
The officials on the train stated that
eleven dead had been found, while
many others in the gang OF 100 who
we're employed in the cut were missing.
II was also reported by the trainmen
that the explosion was due TO a pass
ing steam shovel. which hooked the
wire leading to the immense charge of
the cause of the accident, a shovel and
crew which happened to be on the
scene were practically buried under
the mass of rocks and earth thrown up.
Searching for the Dead.
Parties were soon searching for the
dead and assisting the wounded. Elec-
tric lights were set up and tonight
steam shovels are at work removing
the tons upon tons of debris. Many of
the men have been seriously injured
some of them probably fatally. Tradi-
ton has it that the Panama railroad
cost enc human life for every tie, what
with accidents, Instructions and dis
ease, and the construction of the canal
has not gone along without exacting
its toll. There have been a number Of
accidents in the last two years. chief
among which was the premature ex-
plosion of dynamite at Pedro Miguel
in June. 1907, which resulted in the
death Of seven men and the injury of
q number of others