1885 Dynamite explosion

Lock at the Trent-Severn, 2009

George Morton and James Simmons were transporting a wagon load of dynamite from Tweed, Ontario[1] to Burleigh Falls, Ontario to be used for the rock blasting of the Trent Canal lock.[2] They stayed overnight at a hotel in Indian River on September 3, 1885.[1]

Their load exploded at 9:45am on September 4, 1885 on the 6th Line (road) at Douro, Ontario,[2] noted as being a corduroy road and rough to travel in poor weather.[3] Both men were killed in the blast and the only parts of the men that were found were "a finger, two tiny sections of a skull, a tiny piece of cheek identified by the whiskers, and what appeared to be a man's shoulder that was found hanging on the branch of a tree 300 feet (91 m) distant."[2] The blast blew the metal shoes off the horses hooves and broke windows in Selwyn, Ontario and Campbellford.[2] The shock wave was felt in Tweed, 50 miles (80 km) away.[3]

Sources at the time describe a 8 feet (2.4 m) deep by 60 feet (18 m) wide crater,[3] and 1960s sources report a 10 feet (3.0 m) deep and 70 feet (21 m) wide crater[2] being left by the blast and trees were flattened in a radius that varied between 50 yards (46 m) and 75 yards (69 m).[2]

The blast site aroused public interest for subsequent weeks.[2] Reports on visitor numbers vary between 300 and 1,000.[2][1]

• List of explosions