A distressing accident occurred in West Knoxville about 8 o'clock yesterday morning resulting in the almost instant death of one man and very serious, probably fatal injuries to another.
The premature explosion of a dynamite blast caused the accident. The accident occurred in one of West Knoxville's sewer ditches. The dead man was Nelson Wood, a negro laborer, the injured man is Cubine Redding, another negro laborer, both of whom were employed by the West Knoxville Sewer commission in the sewer ditch at the west end of the Asylum Street bridge.
There was a deafening report and stones flew high in the air. Laborers in the ditch hurriedly scrambled out when to their horror, they saw one of their number high in the air. He ascended to the height of twenty-five feet and fell to the ground to live but ten minutes longer. The explosion had also thrown Cubine Redding out of the ditch, which was four or five feet deep.
Physicians were hastily summoned to attend the injured men. Wood's injuries were at a glance, seemed to be fatal and the physicians turned their attention to Redding. In ten minutes Woods was dead. He presented a revolting spectacle. The flesh was torn from his left arm and left leg by the sharp stones that were sent whizzing swift as lightening by the explosion. [portion not transcribed]
Woods was about twenty-five years of age. His home is at Strawberry Plains, where the remains were shipped. He has been married about a year. His wife resides at the Plains.
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Other laborers were jarred by the explosion but were not injured. It was learned that on Monday there had been several blasts in the Asylum Street ditch and that one of them had not exploded. The laborers were not aware of this fact when they resumed work yesterday morning and the cap from the unexploded blast was removed.
In prying loose the rocks shattered by the explosions, Woods and Redding were using a steel bar and a sledge. They came upon the dynamite blast from which the cap had been removed and drove the steel down into it. A terrific explosion immediately followed. [remainder of article not transcribed]
Source: The Knoxville Daily Journal, Wednesday, September 12, 1894
Transcribed by Robert McGinnis
