New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-05-04
THE vJyyE4POLIs EXPLOSION.

| The Barcay-st. disaster has been repeated
upon a great scale in Minneapolis Without
/ any warning, there was an explosion
Which shook the city; an immense struc-
! ture was almost instantly leyellcd with
! the earth ; in two mills other explosions
followed they took fire the flames spread
to other mills and other buildings and before
all was over, there was an estimated loss OF
fourteen lives aud of property valued at
| from 81 ,OOO, 900 to 81 100000. OF course,
the first inquiry will be into the cause OF this
remarkable occurrence. 1t was so in this city
when the Barclay-st. accident occurred, but
| the investigation of that matter was far from
satisfactory various theories were promul-
| gated [; yet We are not aware that any one
of them was scientifically established
Here, however, is case in which
mystery need not be encouraged. The
telegraph tells us that there was ian cx-
"p!osion Of gas generated in the patent
| middingS purifier process" We may learn
from the past experience of insurance compa-
mics Just what this means An excellent
essay by f. C.. Moore, of this city, sup
plies thc requisite data. He says, q" the fine
dust of -four mills is very intanmabe, es-
"pecialy that from the 'middiings' which
"hqs been known to take fire readily-hke
gas-from the fame of candle" Hence arti-
fetal Illumination in such a mill cannot be per-
mittcd But, unfortunately, the flame may be
started from other sources. Electric sparks may
be given OF from the running belts, rs often
has happened IN factories. The Fiction OF the
hiuty millstoEcs may generate fire, especially Il
a particle Of iron comes between. want
Of grain in the hopper or an obstruction OF the
feod-ppc may cause the miustoncs to grind
each other. a violent explosion in an
ENGLISH mill we are told, was thus
due TO the obstruction caused by
spidcr's web. In the essay to which
we have alluded, there is n long list Of fires
and explosions in flour mills, due to the lgnl-
ton of the finer dust produced in milling,
and experiments are described by which an
explosive mixture of ordinary -four dust and
air can be ariiicially produced. As a
consequence of their experience, our most care
full companies have reduced to minimum
their assurances on -four mills.
The sympathy of the whole country will be
extended to the unfortunate city which has
wcll-nigh been destroyed. Comparatively, it,
loss has been greater than that which fell
upon Chicago and Boston, by the coniiagra-
tions there. 1t must be a great while before
this centre Of IN important manufacture Will
recover from blow which has arrested produc-
ton, palsied industry and annihilatcd capital.
rebound from great prostratiOn is never so
rapid as it seems to be. The insurance money
is gathered in trading or manufacturing Is
resumed the best face is put upon matters !;
there il much help and forbearancc but after
all, the pull is a terribly hard one, and it may
be years before it is pull through. The pO-
sition of Minneapolis, however is so strong,
geographically considered, that it can never
be other than great business centre. 1t will
revive, and that, too, with reasonable CELEBRITY.