The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-02-06
POWDER EXPLOSION.
Five Powder Mills Blown Up-Five Men Killed
and Others Seriously Injured-Debris Scat
tered Around for Half Mile

SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, Feb. ., 1872.
| Five powder mills belonging to the Miami Powder
| Company and located between Xenia and yellow
Springs, on the Little Miami Railroad, exploded
| about ten O'Clock this morning.
| Five men were killed, and another who Is missing
Is supposed to nave persisted The ground Is strewn
| with tiplbers and debris for half q mile around.
At Yellow Springs hundreds Of windows were de-.
moished. This city was considerably shaken, send
ing the inhabitants into the streets in great alarm.
The particulars to the cause OF the explosion
anu value OF the property destroyed have not yet
come to hand.
| The names OF the killed were Nero Ballard,
Robinson White and colored man named Conley
Conley was blown into fragments; nothing could
be found Of him but portion OF his head and
trunk.
The shock was distinctly felt al Dayton, Urbana
ana Xenia. The amount Of the loss has not been
ascertained. Hundreds Of citizens are nurrying to
the Of the disaster and rendering all possible
assistance.
Duncan, a coored man, Is so terribly lacerated
that death is momentarlly expected Search Is
being made among the ruins for more OF the work.
men, some Of whom are missing.
The bodies Of the dead are snockngly mutllated
and burned
The mills were situated some distance apart but
the conclusion was SO great as to produce the ex-
plosl0n OF all OF them.
A brick house standing more than a mile distant
had the windows completely blown out and was
otherwise damaged Great excitement prevailed.
Another Account.
CINCINNATI, Feb. s, 1872.
The explosion OF the mills of the Miami Powder
Company, near Xenia, this morning, was one OF the
most terrible In the history OF powder making in
the West The shock was SO great that In the
adjacent towns and cities much CONSERVATION en-.
sued. In Dayton the children rushed out OF the
school buildings, the fire bells rang and it was
generally apprenended that some great calamity
had occurred within the city limits.
In Troy and Tppecanoe houses were shaken as
| by an earthquake.
The first explosion took place In a wheel mill
| this communicated with the press MILL where the
powder was In process OF manufacture and was
contained In canvas bags. The double dryhouse,
fifty feet square, containing vast quantities OF dry
| powder, came In next Tor destruction. From this
the flames spread and other mills exploded in quick
| succession. Two large double dryh0uses, three
| glaze Mills one canning mill, two press mills and
| one packing house were annihilaed, while the re-
| mander Of the company's works were more or less
| injured.
The following named persons were instantly
kied:-Arthur Nero, David Conley (colored), Will
liam H0bDins and John Ballard. Henry Duncan
(colored, wounded In the head. Will probably die.
Samuel Miner was blown across the mil race and
his hearing partially destroyed. Others were badly
stunned, barely escaping with their lives. All the
killed were men OF families.
From twenty to twenty-five tons OF powder ex-
ploded.
The company's loss is estimated at $4,000.