The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-03-23
HIGHER THAN A KITE.
POWER OF POWDER.
THE CLEVELAND EXPLOSION.

TONS OF POWDER IN ONE CHARGE-THREE
MEN KILLED AND EVER so MANY SCARED
TO DEATH.
The Cleveland Leader gives full particulars
of the terrific awakening of that town by the
powder disaster: The city on yesterday
passed through an experience the like OF
which she mas never before known, and
which for few moments filed the minds Of
all with condemnation and dread. It was
the instantaneous and utter destruction of
the Austin powder works, which were
blown to pieces without moments
warning, and in which three men
in the twinkling of an eye were
hurled to 6 terrible and violent death. At
exactly O'Clock in the afternoon sudden
and heavy shock was heard, and hardly had
it ceased before il was followed by three or
four others. which came so near together
that they might almost have been counted
as one. The first thought CT some peo-
pie was that the giant powder brought
here 10 be usSd in clearing the
river of ice had escaped control,
but a glance to the southwark over Uni
white smoke rising from the district where
the Austin Powder Works are located.
Another but less violent explosion
followed some minutes after the first
ones, so that il was thought the de-
stIuction of the company's works must be
complete. The shock felt in the city was
terrific. Heavy brick buildings swsyed and
grated as though heaved by an earthquake.
The plate glass windows of the new City
Building the superb front of Ryder's art gal
lery, 4. L. Baldwin & Co.'s show windows,
those of Rice e. Burnett and, doubtless, many
others are shivered to atoms. On Garden
street, from Brownoll out to the stables,
panes of glass were broken in every few
houses. Tine residents, as in other places.
took to the streets at the first
sound, all appearing with fright
ened countenances and casting their
first chances back at their houses, which
they expected to see totter to the ground.
One woman near the corner of Forest street
fell on her knees in the middle of the street
and began to pray, while several little ones
raised their voices in sobs. When atten-
ton was directed to the volume of smoke
rising from the southern part OF the city
and people began to realize the cause of
their alarm, their fears materially subsidized,
and all began to look about to discover the
damage caused in the neighborhood.
A large number of panes of glass were shat
tered into fragments: The first report OF
the explosion had the effect TO empty nearly
every building of Its occupants, and in
many places where large panes of glass fell
in with crash there was great alarm. Fur
ther over towards the southern part Of the
city the shock was more intense, and the
alarm and damage much more extensive.
The
6hOCh OAME< ~ nAN -
with the wind striking that portion of the
city with its greatest force. The people
were wild with fear. In every other house
windows ard sashes were broken and in
some cases sashes composed of four panes
were shaken from their positions and thrown
down upon the sidewalk. The only win.
-dOws LETT unbroken were those consisting OF
small panes of glass. Throughout the city
xt-fll
quire some days before it can be easily
estimated. A steady stream Of excited peo-
pie set in immediai ely toward the place
whsre the work of ruin had been
wrought. The streets were crowded and the
tow-path of the canal soon assumed the ap-
pearance of a crowded street. The widest
excitement prevailed, and excited rumor
passed from tongue TO tongue the strangest
and most improbable theories of the cause
and consequences of the explosion. Once
upon the spot the eye caught sight of a scene
of destruction and ruin that can not be de-
scribed, and that could hardly be realized
when seen. The works covered a surface of
some fifty or a hundred acres that lay in a
hollow on the bank of the canal, and
between the high hills on each side of the
river. Scattered in all directions were the
ruins of some fifteen or twenty buildings,
and the indescribable wreck and rubbish
that are produced only by some violent ex-
plosion or sudden upheaval. In many places
ceS the ruins were on Qr0 ana the l0aVy
clouds of smoke that lifted and fell in the
steady breeze that was blowing served only
10 add to the confusion and horror of the
scene. To attempt to give an exact
description OF the order in which
the explosions occurred is i'm
of those who are best able to tell that the
first explosion was in the rifle corning mill,
which is situated in hollow on the side
hill This was followed almost instantane-
ously by the blowing up of the rifle press,
which was situated few yards away. The
rifle glaze mill followed, and the cinders
from the exploded mass fell upon the pack
ing house, sending il into the air.
1t was followed by the glazing
and blast corning mills, and the last
explosion, which was heard few mo-
ments after the first series, was caused by
the blowing up of the hydraulic press. This
building was situated some rods away from
the others, and did not blow up until after
the burning brands from some of the other
buildings fell upon the roof and eat through
TO the powder beneath. This building, in
which was kept the general stores of the
employees, and several other buildings in
which were no explosive substances, caught
6re from the falling brands, and in twenty
minutes after the first shock was felt, the
devouring flames were finishing the work
of ruin that the powder demon had COM
merced.
HOW THE EXPLOSION OCCURRED
is mystery aud always will remain so, al
though it is easy to guess that some slight
disarrangement OF machinery, or one of
those unforeseen accidents that no human
foresight could prevent, brought on the sud-
den and dread catastrophe and scattered
ruin, where before there had been only ac-
tive industry and business prosperity. At
the time the accident occurred only three or
four of the mills were running, and the loss
of life WAS much less than il otherwise might
have been. Some eight ten men
were about the works, and iE seems al
most a miracle that so large a number of
them escaped. The three who were killed
were in the two mills that exploded first.
One of them, David Lamson, wasRlone in
the riffs corning mill, while the other two,
AuGust R 4dcliiIa and Eredaricls RnfIla ID