The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1872-03-21
Terrific Powder Mill
Explosion.
FOUR MILLS BLOWN UP.
Two Men Killed and Several
Others Injured.

Shortly before three O'Clock Satur-
day afternoon terrific explosion took
place at the Austin Powder Works
on the Canal South of Cieve-
land, at what is known as the five
mile lock The conclusion was dis
tinetly felt in this place, many sup
earthquake. From the account of the
affair in the Herald wegathers the fol-
lowing particulars:
- The first ignition of
the powder took place in what is call
ed the '.press-honse, the department
in which the powder was compressed
into cakes, preparatory to being
crushed into the kernel. The fame
was communicated to the glazing
house, removed about three hundred
feet from the press-house and then to
two "coraing" mills situated respect
lively three and four hundred feet
from the building in which the disas-
ter originated. The press-house, gla-
zing-house and the first corning mill
went in nearly the same breath, the
time intervening between their explo-
sioBs being hardly perceptible. But
several seconds elapsed before the
combustible in the second corning
mill was ignited. This undoubtedly
accounts for the two reports which
went abroad. the first of which was
noticed to have been more startling
than the second. The three buildings
followed each other in such rapid
succession that the report and concuss-
ion was as that ofa single explosion.
THE SCENE AFTER
the disaster must have been SO horri-
BILE as to defy all powers OF verbal de-
scription. The air about was filled
with smoke, dust aud fragments of
the chris, ,splinters and pieces of tim
Der were thrown in the widest con-
fusion within radius of sixty rods,
aud some bits were afterward picked
up at distance of nearly a quarter of
mile from the scene of the catastro-
phe. Boards measuring six feet in
length were lodged in the tops of
neighboring trees, and countless spiin-
ters hung i'm the branches. As soon
as the smoke cleared away the extent
and seriousness of the disaster became
evident. The press mill was SO COM
pletely demolished that not the first
vestige of the building remained. Huge
stones which composed the foundation
were broken and scattered about the
grounds, no two of them remaining in
their original position. The boards,
timbers and scantling of this as of all
the buildings, charred and blackened,
were shattered and hurled indiscrim.
inately about filling the adjacent mill
race and strewing the ground for rods
around. There was second glazing
mill, located near to the first, which
contained several hundred pounds OF
powder, which vas badly shattered,
one side being blown off. The packing
house, removed may be two hundred
feet from the buildings that exploded,
in which were several hundred kegs OF
powder, had one side knocked in by
some timbers of one. of the other
buildings. An old press mill, at the
time out of use and thirty rods away,
was demolished by the missiles from
the other houses. Hardly building
on the premises escaped without more
or less injury from flying pieces OF
timber or from the eoncnssion,. and
windows in houses half mile distant
were broken. The press which weigh
ed four tons was parted, and pieces OF
it weighing nearly u ton were thrown
four rods from the building. A heavy
metallic wheel, sixteen feet in Diane
ter MAS broken into segments. and
scattered about with the same conf,i-
sion.
The two men who were working at
the press were, of course,
KILLED INSTANTLY.
Their bodies were lifted across the
race and up hill fun twenty rods.
One of them, Albert S. Sherman, was
thrown against it head foremost, his
skull striking a stump with such force
as to fracture it. The stump and the
ground about were despatched with
the brains OF the unfortunate man.
His legs were broken in several places
and his body frightfuliy mangled. Mr..
! Sherman was 4 married man and leaves
q wife and one child residing in
Brooklyn. He had been employed
at the works since last October.
His comrade in life. and in death,
Lyman Leonard, was carried moi
quito so far, but his body was worse
mutiIated. One foot aud part of a
leg was found several rods from the
press-house in an entirely different di
rection from which the body was
thrown, aud still another portion OF
the leg has not yet been found. Leon
ard was about thirty years of age, was
a single man and formerly resided in
Ravenna, where he has relatives still
living. The bodies of both men were
burned and blackened SO as to be ir-
recognizable
Several other persons were more OIL
less injured, but none of them fatally
Persons in the vicinity of the works
are said to have been staggered by its
force. Men and objects SO far away a:
the Square were pretty we'll shaken
up. buildings III all parts of the city
were moved and some of the taller
ones swayed threateningly. The very
earth seemed to tremble.
Mr.. Austin estimates his loss al
from $4,000 to $4,000. Some -four
tons of powder were destroyed. There
was no insurance on anything about
| the works.