The "Blown To Pieces!!" Story

Foreword:  Between 1902 and 1906 the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) built a low-grade railroad line from Morrisville, Pensylvania to Colonia, New Jersey.  The Atglen and Susquehanna Branch was part of that system.  The branch was built by the PRR to relieve congestion on the Philadelphia to Harrisburg Main line as well as the railroad's Columbia & Port Deposit line.  The line was designed for freight service since it minimized the grade profile of the track.  My story today deals with the building of that line and the tragedy that happened one day during the construction of the low-grade line. It was one of the worst days in the history of Lancaster County.

It was an ordinary day.  That was until the newspaper headlines from all over the country screamed, "BLOWN TO PIECES"; "ELEVEN PERSONS BLOWN TO ATOMS"; "EXPLOSION KILLS ELEVEN".  

The dynamite factory that detonated killing eleven workers.

The date was June 10, 1906 and all this happened in southern Lancaster County, Pennsyl- vania the day before.  The accident happened a few minutes before 1:00 PM when a dynamite factory in Bausman's Hollow, near Shenk's Ferry, exploded.  The explosion was so loud that it could be heard 15 miles away in the town of Lancaster.  It broke windows about a mile away.  

Map of the area where the factory was located along the Susquehanna.

The accident was, and still remains to this day, one of he most horrible in the history of Lancaster County.  The victims were literally torn to pieces, spewing body parts throughout the trees over a hundred yards away.  For the next few days the search for body parts was carried out.  Two of the unidentified victims had just left the factory with a load of dynamite when the plant blew up in a great cloud of smoke.  When the smoke cleared there could be found little of the wagons, horses or men who worked at the factory.  

This photo shows the construction of the Low Grade line.

The plant consisted of twelve buildings and all were destroyed but a remote structure in which seven girls were at work. They survived!  The factory was owned by C.B. McAbee & Co. of Pittsburgh who manufactured explosives for use in the construction of the Pennsylvania Railroad Low Grade Line.  People living nearby attempted to search for workers, but there were few in the plant, or outside, that had not been blown to bits.  

This is the marker at the site which I was unable to locate.

The remains of these people they gathered and placed in soap boxes.  Trying to identify those killed was impossible. The one person who was identified was done so because of a scar on the severed wrist that was found.  Five men did survive, but were badly injured.  The factory was in the forest near where a new railroad line was being built.  In order to build the line they had to blast through tons of rock.  The factory was also supplying dynamite for a dam that was being built along the Susquehanna River.  

This monument is located in the Colemanville
Church cemetery.  Click to enlarge.

One survivor, John Gebhart, ended up wearing a metal plate in his head for the rest of his life.  His brother, Ben, was luckier.  He was supposed to be working that day, but took off to go fishing.  That was the best fishing trip he ever took.  Many of the men who were killed lived in nearby Colemanville in Conestoga Township.  All 11 killed were buried a couple of miles away from the site at the Colemanville United Methodist Church.  The body parts of ten of the men were placed in one common grave while the one man who was identified was buried in a separate grave.  There is no way anyone can tell for sure where the factory was located that fateful day, since there was no remaining trace of any of the main structures.  

I searched for the single headstone and this was the
 only one I could find that showed a 1906 burial date.
His age would be consistent with the others who died.

A local resident placed a sign, about 10 years ago, where he thought the site might have been.  That still remains today along with the markers at the church.  The reason for the explosion has remained a mystery to this day.  The headlines described the event in awful clarity.  Lancaster County will never forget those who died that terrible day over 100 years ago.  All that remains today are the two tombstones that do little to tell the tale of the lives of those who were killed that day.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.