Sharp County record., 1878-05-31

flames, saw him, burned and DleeulhS
from ghastly wounds, grasp teebly ana
vainly at rope thrown toward HIM. ana
then sink back dead. An hour passed
before his limbless body and Darea
skull, all that was left Of him, could be
lifted out, though a steady stream OF
water was kept playing on the spot
where he lay.
NARROW ESCAPES.
Fred George, badly burned, leaped
from a window of the Zenith Mill ana
escaped. His companion periShed. lie
saws that at the moment of the explo-
sion a pile of barrels to be filled last
night moved bodily upon him from the
front room. He climbed over them
through the rapidly spreading flames
and dropped from the window.
John Monte, a watchman in the Gal
axy Mill, jumped from a third-story
window. Fortunately, the explosion
had ripped up the timber covering OF
the canal, and he fell in the water, re-
ceiving only slight injuries. Two men
perished in the Humboldt Mills. In all
the lost were IS, of whom all but three
were married. One widow, crazed by
her sudden loss, imagining she heard
or saw her husband, would have rushed
into the fire when burning its tiercest,
but that strong men restrained her.
Daniel A. Day, second miller, acting
as watchman at Petit & RobinSon's
mills, was in the mill Office on the first
floor, by window on the north side,
with his back towards the front win
dow, and near it, and at his right
against the partition was heavy desk.
He heard no sound. The first he knew
he was hurled against stone wall and
the desk after him. Recovering, he in
stinctively rushed to a window, when
he was again thrown back. By this
time the office was full of flying debris.
Somewhat stunned he scrambled to a
side window. The wall was plainly
rocking, and waves from the canal roll
ed several inches deep into the office.
Still he had heard no noise. By this
time an atmosphere of flame had swept
through the mill. He tried to turn on
the water, but found he had not time.
He dropped from side window, and
escaped with many bruises.
OF THE DEAD,
Charles Henning, aged 30, leaves a
widow and one child.
Fred Merritt, aged 2S, single, was a
Minneapolis baseball umpire last year.
| Clark WILDER, aged 45, leaves widow
and two children in Vermont.
! Aug. Smith, aged 45, leaves a wife
and one child.
William Leslie, aged %, leaves a wife
and one child.
Cyrus Ewing, aged 81, was single.
Ole G. Lee leaves wife and one
child.
Walter Savage, aged %, leaves a wife
and two children. p. .l.,, 4
Patrick Jadd, aged 90, leaves wife
and two children.
Ed Merritt, aged 20, was single. He
was brother of Fred.
| CharleS hlmDau was Single.
H. Hicks, aged 23, divorced.
L. w. Burbank, aged 60, leaves wife
and two daughters.
John Rosiennus, aged 26, leaves wife
and an infant child.
John Boyer, aged 25, leaves wife.
Peter Halberg, aged 25, leaves wife
and one child.
Two other men are reported missing
Peter Tund, first reported as having
perished in the Humboldt, was outside,
and escaped unharmed. He asserts that
the explosion occurred only in the
Washburn Mill, and that the Humboldt
and Diamond Mills were blown down
by conclusion. Per contra, Alex Brad
ley and George Hind, who were twice
prostrated by explosions, when walking
from the vicinity of the mills, being
twice laid on their backs and a second
time Showered with stones, say the second
explosion occurred in the Diamond
Mill, just behind them, but the weight
of evidence is that all the explosions
were in the Washburn Mill.
The total loss of property is estimat.
ed to-day at S1,000,00O. The burned
mills and four small manufacturing es-
tablishments destroyed will be rebuilt
The city has temporarily lost 81 run Of
Touring stone, but has 1870 left, although
several mills are so shattered by the ex.
plosion as to need repairs.
As to the
CAUSE OF THE EXPLOSION,
the most positive are the millers
Their theory is that fine wheat and
four-dust which is thrown out in vari
Gus processes of Touring is highly in.
fammable, and at the touch of flame
developes a powerful explosive gas
more forcible than the explosive gases
of mines, or than steam. In one nota.
BILE instance, in the destruction Of the
Trade e-Stone Mill at Glasgow, Scotland,
few years ago, this theory seemed con-
/ 6rmpd hv all the circumstances That