The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-05-04
THE MINNEAPOLIS DISASTER.
EIGHT DEAD BODIES ALREADY RECOp-
Erred From THE RUINS.
The Grent wsshburn MIN Completely De-
stroyed-Four Other Large Mills In Ruins
The Loss Asgresntina Nearly a Mirion.

The Loss ARRreentinR Nearly % Million.
MINNEAPoLIs, May 3-Thc Touring mills
which were involved in tho disaster form n
group which comprises the heaviest concerns
In the State. Chief among them was the Wash
burn Mill A. tho properly OF ex-Gov. c. c.
Washburn OF Wisconsin. in which the oxplo-
sion occurred. 1t was the largest Touring mill
In the country, and the largest but one in tho
world. 1t was built in 1870. included forty -one
run Of stone. and was worth 100000. 1t is now
a smoking mass Of ruins. The following is a
list Of the mills destroyed. with tho number OF
runs OF stone in each: Washburn A, AZ runs:
Galaxy. IL runs; Henncpn or Diamond 0
runs; Humboldt @ runs; Petit. Robinson h
Co.. 15 runs; Zenith runs The Wash
ington Mill was operated by j. A.
Christian X Co. Humboldt by Ball. Newton
Co.. Hennepin by Gorton. Haywood \ Co..
Galaxy by Cahil. Ankeny & Co.. Zenith by Day.
Rollins Co.. and Petit, Robinson & Co.'s by
themselves.
Washburn Mill is intact. except injury to
the roof from falling timbers. Thompson 4
Hoyts and Buell. Newton 4 Co.'s Touring mills.
the Washburn Touring mill. and the Mill Com
the race. the walls of Petit. Robinson 4 Co.'s
Touring mills are standing. and the Zenith and
Galaxy mills are more or less In ruins. Tho
loss. IN addition to the NH interest. Is about
$4,000; in the elevator. 10000 on whent. and
about l.WO,OOQ feet ol dry lumber in Robinson
Co.'S yard. The insurance. as given 10y the
companics represented. on the mills destroyed
is MS follows: Washhurn Mil \ s2l7O0O; Rob
inson n Co, S0SOO0; GALAXY. $15.OOu: Buell.
Newton X Co.. s4i 300. Among the insurance
companies involved are the Alnntir and PhUniX
of New York the Hartford and phuniN Of Hart
ford. the North America. the North British and
Mcrcqntlc and thc Lancashire ol Englnnd.
Eight bodies had been recovered upto I % clock
cnnnot be iientincd. Tho debris il moi vet sui.
llciently cooled for the laborers to work and the
bodies that have been recovered wero those that
h.y near the surface. The Minneapolis NWme
oi this evening givcs the number of killed nc
siNtc"n. thgngh two or three others are reported
missing. The names ol the killed are: CAnrl,s
nenntng, agei 30. leaving wife and ono chill;
Fred. Merrill single. m;ed 2s; Clark Wlhar.
agcd 49, wife and two children who are in Ncr-
mont; August Smith. aged 45. wifn and on.
child la this 'ity: Wm. leslie. aged o. wife and
one child; Cyrus Ewing. aged 81. single; OIL,
%, wife and two children; Patrick Judd, aeel
about 23. wife and two chilirn; ~. morrill,.
nephew Of Kimba the owner of the mill at
Forest CITY; " 'nry Hicks. .aged 23. married.
90. wife AMI two grown daughters who mourn
his loss, John r. Roseniuss who pcr!shci IN
the Zenith mil was about 2j years 1, age, ani
Boyer. who made the brave effort 20 escape from
me lnl,, Diamond M, Wa about n ycars Of age,
in the ruins Of the Humboldt mill was % years
old and leaves n wifi" and one child.
More, than half OF the mills that were unde-
stroyed 10y the cNploS Slon are 80 damage Il tina,
thoy are not in condition To- oper1i" though
several are running as usual Those in run
4 Co.. W. II. Cahill 4 Co.. d. +. L. Barber & Co..
Empire. G. \. pillshury ~ Co. Crockcr. Fisk <
the Palisade. A ittlr more than onc-third ~
ne honr OF the ent,,n milling Interests in the
the sufferers declare their intention Of rebuild
ing at once. II is estimated that ON the Let day
OF September next 200 run Of sionc will be in
was yesterday
ST. PAuL. May s.,,The shock Of the explosion
at tho Nashlurn Mills. IN Minneapolis. was
plainly fcit here. and the namcs were seen. crc-
ntirg intense excitement throughout tho city.
Pir""s ~ charr"i roof. piper. small ,imh"rs.
hurled in the air hy the explosion and waited
hero, nine miles distant. by the wind. News Il
graph. and fire engines were mad" ready 10
send 10 the scene. hut inability 10 secure trans
porthtiOn prevented their arrival IN Minneapu-
lis N time 10 be- oi use. There were no trains
TO that point after tnn news was received, hut
hundreds 9f people went NJ by tho road, the
livery stables being cmptied in an hour.
One of the managers ot waehburr Mil r.
wns found Yesterday in the office of the mills
agents. J. VI. Fisk 4 Co. Al Is South street II
said that the mills used the patentor Hungarian
process Of making nour. The grain is first run
to the large stone mills and there crushed. Tho
crushed grain is placed N common recls. the
leaving thc m!dllings or grit-l stun fun Of vcrv
small particles Of bran and nour. Tho mid
clincd sicves. through which n blast of air s
constantly passing The coars"r grains nre
thus sitted out. while the fine dust is blown into
the air. The room in which these machines
work Is very large. and the manager thought
that the dust could not accumulate. To such
thickness as 10 become explosive. The mid
dings after being clennsrd are extremely flnr.
finer than sand. but do not adhere like -four.
They are run into huge bins holding Us much
rs 800 barrels and there kepl until ground 20
-four.
These mddlings when exposed to tho ntmos-
phero are extremely explosive. Everywhere
IN the burned mills notices were posted forbid
ding the use Of matches or open lights, cspe-
cially near the middling bins.
" In my youth. said the manager. fro
qucntly saw men lower lanterns into tho
lniddling bins. 10 see bow much was in them.
When this Mill " B" was first built in 1879. wc
had slight fire. There was u leak in spout
that conveyed the middlinLa 10 the bins. Under
this WAS itt of gas. The middlings flowing
from the hole burst into a flame ~ large as a
barrel. The fire was eXiinguishrd in time.
think this explosion must have been occR, iourd
by some one placing q light ncur the mouth IT
one Of the middling bins or lowering the light
into it. IL SO the man must be- dead. II tht
conditions CHANGED to be right an cNple3in t
would certainly have followed
TIE MIN EITER" SITOT