The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-03-23


here and there from among the ruins and
embers, by the friends who had known and
! labored with the victims to so terrible a fate.
Several thrilling escapes from danger were
related. One of the men, William Goss,
was in one of the buildings that did
and when he heard the explosion of the
others be leaped over a car load Of powder
that was before him, and into water tank,
where he remained until after the danger
was past. The company clerk, Mr.. Brooks,
was in the Office and rushed out in time 10
save himself. A narrow escape was also re-
lated by Mr.. Ralph Shurtliff, who Is a car
penter, and has been in the employ of the
company for years past. He was on the
roof a new building that was being pus up
some of two hundred feet from one of the
buildings that exploded. he felt the shock
and before he could make any attempt to
save himself the whole building sank be-
meath him, being throwa to the ground by
the conclusion. He attempted To eXtrcate
himself from tho ruins, and while doing so
was struck in the back of the head by piece
of II yirg timber which Knocked him almost
senseless. AT the same moment another
piece struck him in the back and Inflicted
severe brdise. He received no other iDjur-
les.
THE DAMAGE DONE.
The amount of damage done can not be es.
timsted, although it is the estimate of one of
the company that il will be in the region of
from forty to fifty thousand dollars. The
loss in machinery, material and stores, is not
we'll attainable until after ascertaining how
much can be made of use, and what percent
age of the whole lot can be used in the flu
ture. There was an unusual amount
of powder on hand, although the
mills were not running to their
full capacity. Considerable of this
H. al,
some distance from the rest of the works
and were not injured. n rough estimate
places the amount actually in the mills at
the time of the explosion at forty or fifty
tons, while some fifteen or twenty buildings
were entirely destroyed. Among these were
four wheel mills, two corning mills, one glaze
mill, the packing house, workshop, dry
house, two press houses, office and several
other buildings that were entirely destroyed,
while some three or four others of lesser
value were badly shattered. The buildings
were not valuable as a rule, although some
were Of brick, and the loss to them will not
be so heavy as might be supposed. With so
tons of powder scattered among these build
ings and ex ploded in one shock, the amount
of destruction accomplished can be esti-
mated by those who are in any degree ac-
uuainted with the terrible power OF the des-
tructive agent. In every quarter that one
would look could be seen some striking evil
dence OF the malign power, and the crowds
who wandered aimleSsly over the grounds
were constantly struck with some new evil
dence that caused their wonder and aston
isbment. On one hand was the large brick
building in;which was locs tad the steam pow
e., IN from whence lo0g iron cranks
kept the wheel mills in operation.
Although no fire or flying ruins had struck
it, it was yet shaken to a wreck, sDd its
heavy brick walls broken and scanned in all
quarters. The roof was crushed in, and the
no pm hrOxan a
hundred pieces. Strange as it may appear,
however, the tail chimney stack was I'M
hurt, with the exception OF a few pieces of
brick that were shaken from the top. The
hydraulic press mill was another scene of
ruin. The roof was burned away from over
the engine, and this ponderous piece of
mechanism was lifted bodily and blown
some forty or fifty feet from its original
res ting place. In the center of the grounds
used by the powder company was the pack
ing mill and here perhaps was exhibited the
FORCE OF THE EXPLOSION
in it's most dire form. Not one vestige of
the building remained, and the ground be-
meath it was torn Hp to the depth of some
ten or fifteen feet. Great pieces OF frozen
earth and chunks of ice weighing in some
cases scores of pounds, were thrown hum
dreds of feet away. The surface of the earth
was plonghed and scanned as if torn up by
artillery. Heavy pieces of machinery, great
fly wheels and broken beams lay scattered
about in endless confusion. In another part
of the field where glazing mill had stood, a
hole ten feet deep and already filled with wa
ter mark ed the power of the explosion. Not
stick or stone of the building remained.
But it was in the surrounding dwelling
houses that the feal ful shock could be most
readily seen. On the hill and along the
highway to the south of the works were sit
I..sT II. l..
the families of mon employed in the pow
der mills, or farmers. In none of these
houses was there left an entirely unbroken
window, and in some of them whole sashes
were broken in. A boarding house on the
summit of the hill and where it was ex-
posed to the full force of the shock bore all
the evidences of having been through
an earthquake. The windows were broken,
the chimneys shaken down, and the plas-
tering fallen from the walls and ceilings
In all of the houses within the region
of half a mile about the plastering
was more or less injured. It a scene OF
desolation that stared one in the face along
the front of that road so beautiful in sum-
mer time. The picture was in no way re-
LEVIED by glimpse of the white faces of
women and children that peered from the
open doors and dismantled windows. The
explosion occurred about l O'clock as
has been said above, and in less
than two hours most of the build
ings were entirely burned down
and only great heaps of smouldering en-
bers and ashes marked their site. The wheel
mills were some of them saved from entire
destruction, although their coverings were
all gone and nothing but their black frame
loomed up overhead. A couple of store
houses were also saved from fire, although
the root of one was gone and the other was
badly broken in on one side. The flames
worked unchecked where they once got pos
session, and a brisk northwesterly wind
tanned them to greater force. Two or three
times during the afternoon sharp snow
storms blew up, but they were OF only short
duration and seemed to have no effect upon
the fire. But the severe storm that fell
toward evening had a good effect and
assisted materially toward extinguish-
ing the piles of glowing embers and, allaying
much anxiety that might have been felt.
The chief cause of alarm was the fear that
some spark might be carried to the mana