Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-05-06
the buildings blown up are not ignited by the
explosion tn INV extent

(
the pure -four dust theory or other gases OF
powder referred to by writers on the subject.
| Indeed, there seems to be but one explanation
to be given Of the extensive and appalling cir
| cumstance before u.s. and for it, like the phi
losophers and astronomers of the past, we must
force which corresponds in it's effects to the
one here witnessed, which alone seems to be
equal to the result here produced.
by the aid of -four dust all over every wheel,
beam, window, surface, crevice, etc., unavoida-
bly,, to a certain degree, this explosion would
hardly be accounted for, if it were possible to
simultaneously burn it; but by the aid of this
universal force shown to us everywhere in
nature, and used by man to perform no less
wonderful or extensive operations, the catas-
trophe is easily accounted for. 1t is known
that insulated machinery, whether by oil,
glass, dry dust. or otherwise, will generate or
produce peculiar disturbance of this force,
making articles, or their parts, or even the
entire machinery and circumscribed area, rela-
alive to other articles or areas, known as posi-
tive and negative poles or clouds. Now, as
one scientist has spoken Of this in the same
light, agree and look upon these mills as
having furnished the positive pole or relative
force, to the above cloud, thus producing an
electric discharge, as from bursted Leyden jar,
or other artificial continuance of man. Indeed
this seems to be exactly the fact. The rapidly
revolving stones, belts, levers, wheels, etc,
which are well known to be generators Of elec-
tricity, together with the insulating oil, glass;
dry timbers and attenuated dust, every particle
OF which, could be intensely charged and burn
ed by the disturbed force brought to bear in an
equalization or explosion, formed stupendieus
electrical machine, highly charged and well in
sulated.
As before intimated this discharge took
place toward the clouds, giving us what may
purely be called an electrical explosion different
from shock by lightning, in it's artificial
origin and confinement, the which only makes
it possible to produce the greater shock and
ignite in an instant, surrounding substances,
as was here witnessed.
makes plausible the enormous explosion and
accounts for all the phenomenal? Let flour
dust explosion" answer. Yours respectfully,
J. A. Kendall.
n Parallel Case In Cincinnati Il. 1843.
To the Editor of the Globe:
1t is said that History repeats ITSELF" and
trnly said, too; for the awful calamity of last
Thursday at Minneapolis calls to my memory
wildly scene witnessed at Cincinnati thirty
five years ago. SO similar in many respects a
brief account of it may be interesting at the
present time.
On the morning Of February rs, l843, a FIRE
extensive pork packing establishment of Pugh
& Alyord, on the corner of Walnut street
and the canal. The smoke-house
was in the rear of the main build
ing, in which was stored q large amount
of pork, lard, etc. It was thought for while
that the fire could be confined to the former,
and for this purpose the main building was
closed as tightly as possible, by shutting all
the doors and windows, to exclude a rush of
air to feed the flames. In the course Of half an
hour the main building was filed with smoke,
rarifed air, and infammable gas, from the
smoke house, or evolved from the meat and
lard, by the heat. Soon the flames burst
through wooden door separating the two
buildings, when a terrible explosion occurred,
similar in its effects to that at the Washburn
mill. In the twinkllng OF an eye the whole
building, large one, two stories high, with
heavy wallis of brick, was mass of
ruins. The roof was blown upward,
into fragments, and the walls
blown outwards, hurled into crumbling
masses in every direction, leaving not one
brick upon another and burying a number of
men beneath the ruins.
The writer of this, then quite lad witness
ed the calamity from one of the high bluffs
surrounding Guc ClLy. Willie watching Tue
huge column of dense black smoke, suddenly q
puff of fame, looking all the more vivid from
the black pail of smoke behind it, shot up
many feet, followed by muffled roar, some
thing like the detonation of cannon, though
not SO sharp.
The most unfortunate feature, and which
marked it for generation in the memory of
every Cincinnatian as q black day, was the loss
of life. The street in front of the building was
packed full of citizens but moment
before. strong smoke blown that way
quite cleared the space nearest the
building just in time, or the loss of life
Nine men were killed at once, and about twenty
badly hurt, some of whom subsequently died.
Most of them were fremen, and included some
of the most estimable citizens. The calamity
caused chill Of horror in the city which did
not wear away for months, and the whole Incl
dent is as fresh in the mind of the writer as if
but of recent occurrence. ]. F. w.
St. Paul, May S, 1873.