Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-05-10

plosion had the effect of demolishing tho mill
adjoining the Humboldt mill, aud everything
in that vicinity was on fire Immediately; saw
the fire from the lower floors first; fire might
have been in other mills without my seeing it;
the explosion seemed more like the touching
off Of quantity of gunpowder; the fire
coming out in my face, could not tell whether
or not there was any fire in the upper portion
of the MILL Probably if had not been blown
from the mill, would have been crushed:
After the second explosion, was knocked
down and held by timber.
CHARLES KINDS,
sworn, testified as follows Am brakeman
on the Minneapolis & st. Louis railway; pulled
the train on the side track, then opened
switches and let the engine around on the
roundhouse track; then walked with Bradley
up the track; he said some one was
burning bread; said no, it
were then made. He said as he advanced that
it was growing stronger. Noticed smoke issu-
ing from the vicinity of mills: Heard the first
explosion and then was covered with debris and
fire came out in my face. Think the fire struck
mo before the first explosion. Could not re-
member anything further distinctly. The ex-
plosion appeared to be on the right and further
over than the mill from which the fire
struck me; was about four feet in advance of
Bradley. The fire came from the Humboldt mill.
i
remember distinctly is, was policeman tax
ing me away. My mouth was filled with dirt,
bran, smoke and other unpleasant substances;
the smoke seemed to be towards the big mill,
and between it and the elevator; supposed
it was smoke from the engine; seemed to be
drifting about, rather than resting IN vol
ume; couldn not say how the wind was blow
ing; the smoke appeared like that from
wood burning engine.
JOHN JARVIS.
l was in my Office below Eldred's planning
mill; first knew of it from noise of the explo-
sion, and came out as soon as I could, and the
elevator and mills were in flames at that time;
did not see any smoke or flame before the
plosion; did not notice any smell; was knocked
down in my office by the first explosion; the
first explosion was the hardest; heard three
explosions; the second and third were about
the same; saw flames in the Petit, Robinson 4
Co., Zenith, and Ankeny mills; could see the
Washburn (B) mill when / came out of the Of
flee; removed the papers and books from
my office as soon as possible and
then went down into the lower
ward and did not come back; had great many
cars and other property in the yard and worked
there the balance of the night; did not see
Kinds or Bradley; think they were just behind
me came up the track previous to going to
my office.
ment for few minutes.
DANIEL DAY SWORN.
Was in the Office of the Petit & Robinson
mill; was sitting with my back to the Wash
burn 'A'' mill and was shot right across the
Office by the force of something; the Office is in
the the southwest corner of the building;
was thrown back to the front of the office
again, and then got out of the Office as soon as
possible. When got in the mill, the sacks in
<>f h,,rn ne
the woodwork; when l looked out of the win
dow, could not see anything of the Washburn
(A) mill; had no idea of fire before the explo-
| sion. Was with W. Leslie, employees Of the
Washburn GAY mill, few minutes before l
went into my office, and just barely got there
or seen smoke on the railroad track
below and l not have noticed it,;
heard no explosion at all, but felt it; put the
fire out on the packing floor; there was six
inches of water on that floor and pulled the
| sacks and other things that were burning,
| tho flames burst down from above, and then I
| left; when I was near the city mills the Wash
| burn mill CAY was down and the elevator was
standing, but was all afire. was the only per-
son in the Petit, r. & Co.. mill at the time;
heard the falling of the stones and the crush
ing of the timbers of the canal, and at or about
| the same time the water came
| in on the first floor of our mill.
| / thought the reason was the debris took up
! the room of the water; j. Montry camo to the
| door of our mill and called to me, and wanted
| to know if l wanted help, and if I could get
out; told him I could, and would when
| wanted to, and if he did not have anything
else to do, he might come in and ! could give
| him enough to do
J. A. CHRISTIAN
sworn; do not know anything about the fire
only what l have heard; am going away to-
morrow; there is nothing of an explosive ma
ture about the mill except oil; had the engine
keep one barrel at a time, which the insurance
companies allow us; the oil was kept on the
| grinding floor in one corner, away from any
| thing else; there was q man working just Op
| posite the window of the room where the oil
| was kept and would have seen it soon, if II
had started there no nitro-g lycerine o.
dynamite in or about the building
have had two explosions before, very SMALL die
not use any water; the first time WAS when W.
used gas and the dust passing over n jet al
explosion took place and went out immedia
tely; we thought it was the fault of the ga:
and then abolished the use of it; the second wa
caused by heated roller; We are burning gar
now with q cover and think it safer than oil
think the fire caught in one of the conveyors
perhaps by spark, can't tell what, and from
there spread through the elevators until it wa
through the entire mill; tho dust and gas gen
Grated by the fire caused the explosion; use tn
French purifiers; they are all open, that is tn
dust ali goes into the mill; was running tn
same as usual; sweep up the dust twice day
at - O clock in the day and II at night; hav
hot been il the mill for two months.
Adjourned until tomorrow at o'clock.