The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-05-05
THE MINNEAPOLIS DISASTER.
C1PICITT IND TALUdTION or THE SIX
MILLS DESTROYED.
The thnrred and BInckened Remains or seven
of the Victims Recovered what Caused
the Explosion over 81 900 900 Lost.

MrNNEAPoLIs, May 4.-During the whole
Of yesterday the scene Of the explosion and fire
has been the centre OF interest. The ruins pre-
scented only shapclcss heaps Of stone. where the
six mills destroyed had stood. which still smoul-
dcrcd. and upon which streams Of water were
kept playing from several fire engines all day.
UpOn the platform on the south side of the
canal the ruin is complete. except MS to the
Wushhurn Mill Il. which stands at n slight dis
lance from the others. On the other side the
walls OF the Petit & Robinson mill arc n stand
ing ruin, while the paIisadc mt li;tlc distance
escaped by singular freak Of the flames. Tho
mills destroyed. with their valuation and the
number of runs Of stone were: Washburn.
A. Al runs. valued ut s30O.OO0; Petit. Robinson
q Co... 10 runs s12j 600; Galaxy mill u runs.
sS5 900; Zenith mill 6 runs. 100000; Henncpin
mill 6 runs $4,000; Humboldt mill. runs.
500 900 Besides these were DESTROYED Petit
RObinson's lumber yard. with one million feet
of lumber planning mill owned by W. ID. Wash
burn. loss SIS 600; mill companies elevator.
loss t6l 600 on building. and thirty thousand
bushels Of wheat. twenty -sevcn cars on the rail-
road track. and several small machine shops
and buildings This liat embraces the destruc-
ton bv fire alone. Tho loss to surrounding
buildings 10y the shock Of the explosion Is ma
tcrial. The round house Of the Chicago. Mil
waukee and ST. Paul road was blown down by
surance of 81 500 on the building. The total
oss is now estimated at $l.OO0,OOO. which may
hc increased later.
The search for the dead has proceeded all
day. rs fast as the fire could be cNtnguished
and the ruins cooled. W To II o'clock this
morning the black and unrecogn Fable remains
Of seven of the victims of the Washburn mill
had been recovered Only one body bore any
semblancc of the human form, and even this
was horribly distorted. with the head. arms and
legs burned To a crisp or removed. and the
;Iunk barty eaten away by the acton 81 the
Bower. The smaller fragments Of the bodies,
consisting Of churred bones or little heaps OF
larger trunk above described. until seven were
deposited altogether One OF the number was
OF the number Of the dead. based upon the
bodies recovered those known to be in the mill
ana inquiries Tor missing Is placed at sixteen.
OF whlch the following II a list:
In the Washhnrn mill.Charlcs Henning, Au-
gust Smith, Clark Wiher and Fred Miller.
grinders; William Leslie and Cyrus Ewing,
oilers; Ole Shic. Walter Savage Patrick Judd
and ~ Merrill. mnchincmen; Harry ii cks and
In the Diamond mill. sJohn Boyer. In the
Zenith mill John Y. Rosiennus. In the Hum
bolit mill. Peter Holberg. The smaller casual.
further devo lopmcnts may Increase the number
dead. II IL not likely that all the bodies will be
Later inquiry confirms the first theory that
the chuse ot the explosion was the ignition Of
the infhmmabe mill dust floating in the air.
anu We cuuseuu'nt generation ana explosion
OF innnmnuhe gases. Reports Of Witnesses
~ 10 the power and suddrnness of the eNplO-
sion are almost incredible. An instant after the
first fash aud explosion all the buildings
wore wrapped IA flames, showing that the air
oil around fun of iunpmmnhc gus A.
J.. Iunn, who was nj frat supposed To he lost.
says that he WIS ~ the time looking directly at
thc Nashiurn mill. and that the entire roof Of
the grcHt building shot upward like rocket,
developed in smoke and fame. The immense
walls seemed 10 rise from thCir very tuunda-
tons, especially on ithe northerly side oi the
building CULVER between heaven and Garth aud
then fan outward with deafen'ng crash, and
the ruins wore instantly envcloped in flames.
hc lld not observe any further explosion: but
The Diamond and the Humboldt mills and the
Minneapolis planning mill ciumbled and fell 10
the ground instantly, and, rs he believes. from
the shock and cOnrussion Of the explosion in
the Washhurn mill. Al the very instant II the
cNplosion n It appeared TO him, tho mill COM
completely wrapped IN flames. All the books
! and papers Of the mills are buried in the ruins
but some may b" found intact
Gov. Nashhurn. the principal owner OF the
mil whore the explosion occurred, arrived
here ~ 80 this morning. He said that he
! should NJ once rebuild the mill with some
changes. Instead Of forty run of stone. he
y could pni ~ MY. making i the largest mil In
the world. In the construction ne should con-
form more To- the Hungarian system. aud be
more careful in providing for ventilation. In
sinnd 81 seven stories II II probable thatth new
mill will be only i've; but tn" area covered VIII
be- considerably larger than 10y the old mill
/ The \ mill was two years in construction, hut
! Gov. Mashburn says that, with prOpeH efOrt,
the nity run mill can be built the pres mt sea-
son. All tho other owners. without nm eNcep-
ton, Dc are their intention 10 rebuild without
delay and us soon as the ground cools the
sound OF the stone hammer will once more Ice
hrnrd in the land, and before snow hies il Is
sale 10 predict that instead Of two hundred run
drcd and lfty. and will be recognized as the
/ mllllu. centre OF the planet.