New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-05-13
EXPLOSION KILLS
SCORE IN QUARRY
rp1GHTFUL C4RN4GE IN
HB4NY COUNTY.
udf Ton of Dynamite Goes off
prcmGturely- -Vice-Prcsident Of
Com panu and Brother Dead.

rv Nav l2-At least twenty men We're
premature blast Of dynamite this
So -, in = stone quarry operated by ;ae
tnl- Road Improvement Company. near the
&c ~ South bethlehem. eleven miles south
'H-s .,harv. it was at first believed that the
., .o1 would reach thirty. but tonight sew
,.,risn ,rorknen who had been reported as
ga u-ere accounted for. and it is not be
.a hls thar more than a score Of lives were lost
The dead;
,.rs william fireman. South bethlehem
lohn Fsoyt vice-president and general man
AI1rs- .rsr of the company. Albany
.,4,vax. Charles D. brother Of the manager
.,nslrksox Assn, John steam driHer foreman, South
EETsSSii, s.aSis5en H1
,,,GfI.y LEROY assistant superintendent, voorhees,
.-osr,y r,s 7,rnes. blacksmith. SOUTH bethlehem
Trr Fred master rrecfani-. South bethlehem
przT F-ed agent Of the National Powder company
Ysv York
-.,, Italian vo-kmen-
BODIES SCATTERED FAR.
.,,o,,san5 mounds Of dynamite exploded,
.....sri.r the bodies Of the victims for hundreds
oTo,,r,d and it was with difficulty that
-.,,ls,ed almost beyond recognition. they were
i5sntifed. As darkness was falling wagon
- ,,n 10 the engine house. loaded with bodies
tbat had been picked up back on the quarry
m crowd Of griefstriclen relatives gath
.-s5 around. eager TO identify the dead only |"
,B-p swav al the sickening sight
>T,slians with shovels searched here and there
a. cartons Of bodies e. P. BacelH. the local
I,slan Consul and physicians and undertakeTS
vs-e- sariv IN the scene. The bodies of the
-Eo Callahan brothers. Fred Snyder and Fred
z,nn4rt were among the first l. be identified
1f4s1r f-taT1lFa
does large business. furnishing crushed stone
tr road building, and preparations for to-days
HAS. which was scheduled Ia take place az
4 o'clock this afternoon. had been going on Tor
81. weeks. Thirteen holes FIVE inches in diam
eter and about seventy-hve feet deep had been
drilled at points about twenty feet back Of the
face Of the big quarry, The displacement was
expected 70 amount to nearly forty thousand
tons Of rock. and over eight thousand pounds Of
dynamite was TO have been used.
TONS OF ROCK HURLED INTO THE AIR
The workmen had placed 500-pound charges
in six Of the holes and were working the
seventh when a few minutes before O'Clock
there was 4 terrific explosion. hurling tons Of
rock into the air and scattering the bodies Of
the victims in all directions. Several Of the men
nero engaged IN pumping wafer out of the holes
others were placing the charges of dynamite.
while the officers were standing near by direct
ing TIE work. Another force Of men was carry
ing dynamite from the storehouses some dis
tsnoe away when the blast which was presUm-
ably caused by the premature discharge Of an
electric cap, exploded. Houses in the vicinity
were shaken windows shattered and consterna-
:ion reigned in the little village half mile
away
Another gang Il men at work Il the foot Of
the quarry fed for their lives and it was not
known definitely At nghtfar whether or not
any Of them had met death a result of the
shower of rocks hurled down IN them. The
foreman in charge said to-night-that he thought
Two Of the men were killed.
Soon after the explosion FIRE was discovered
IN the woods in which the dynamite storehouse
vas situated. and il vas feared for a time that
the flames might reach the building in which
carload + explosives was stored. but the fire
vas o1tinguished before the danger was reached.
i developed hat five Of the great charges of
dynamite remained unexploded in the quarry.
his rendered somewhat difficult the search for
pooles the workmen fearing further explosions.
Although The disaster Is supposed to have
PEER caused by the premature explosion Of an
eectric cap il probably never will be known
'-s' how i occurred, Is all those who were con-
hected with il were killed
a number of persons. including several en-
sheers- had been invited To witness to-dav.i
iAliosioh. which IT had been announced would
ne greatest Of all rock displacements ever
s7eh IN this section Of the country" Last year
A's thousand pounds Of dynamite was used IA
ge blast while to-day il WAS planned to use
aole l'ah eight thousand pounds The charges
4" ne various holes we're connected by wire
sc Nere 20 have been electrically exploded.
me Callahan brothers were well known in
Aioany. where they maintained the company's
VAee during the winter months, moving L.
Nouh Bethlehem when the seasons work
Qsned
OIHERs MADE HIS DREAM COME TRUE