Man's Body Blown to Bits By Dynamite Explosion
The explosion of nearly fifty pounds of dynamite stored in a shack, where it was used for blasting rock for Durham Township in Hancock
County, killed Arthur Shinn, road commissioner, early Friday morning of last week. He was literally blown to bits, peices of his
body being lodged in trees surrounding the cabin and the only means of identification was the filling in his teeth and one finger.
When men reported for work on the rock crusher, an hour after the blast occured, the cabin and Mr. Shinn's car was found
demolished. The terrific force of the dynamite blast which killed Shinn, was so violent that nails out of the shack that housed
the dynamite were driven an inch into trees 500 yards from the shack.
These and other discoveries made told a clearer story of the terrific force of the explosion which tore to bits the body of Shinn, and
left a gaping a whole in the ground where the shack has been.
The shack was splintered to small bits and pieces of it have been found a half mile from its original location. It is almost
unbelievable that there could have been a blast of such terrific force.
The sound of the exploding dynamite was heard twenty miles away and nearby residents felt the earth tremors. It will never be
known what caused the explosion as no plans had been made to do any blasting that morning and Mr. Shinn was alone.
The quarry is about three and one-half miles west of La Harpe. Shinn's residence was ashort distance from the pit.
Published November 28, 1934
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