The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1878-05-08
Dan disappearance.

Mr. Daniel Day, who resides near the cor
ner of Sixteenth avenue south and Ninth
street, tells his experience as follows: Have
been In the employ of Petit, Robinson q Co,
for two years. Am second miller when the
mill is running; tile special duty Of looking
the mill when idle The mill shut down We'd
nesday evening. About six O. clock Invent to
the mill as usual. After looking the mill
over sat down the Office to read paper
The mill faces the big Washburn mill and is
about forty feet from said mill. The office is,
or was, in front and has one window on that
side, and u window on the side overlooking o
small vacant lot. lE@i
sat with my back to the front window and
quite near II, and at my right ard against the
office partition wall was heavy desk. The
first knew was lifted out of my chair and
hurled violently, against the stone side wall Of
the mill, and the desk after me; I had fairly
gained my feet and reached the side window
when was thrown back again by the same
kind of leverage, and then the office was full
Of falling and flying debris; I did not hear
any noise at all, except the cracking of break,
ing timbers of the platform. Although some
what stunned did not lose my senses, but
that if the roof and upper floors were coming
down should be safer in the window, as the
walls are at least three feet thlck-the best
mill walls on the canal. The walls were vi
brating backward and forward with consider
able rapidity.
Hooked out of the window and saw that the
Washburn mill was leveled to the ground.
The canal was full of stones and broken tim
Der. The timber was one mass of flames and
the elevator one huge bonfire.
The falling Of the walls into the canal flood
ed the packing floor of our mill, and the water
was several inches deep until it run off. saw
net hIlrY &C fhn oil fhn
packing or office floor were all on fire. It
seemed as if sheet of flame had been blown
through the mill, igniting only light stuff.
coupled on the rotary pump, which is kept for
fire purposes and started into the basement
to let the water into the wheel, but found I
couldn't get along, as the heavy oak floor in
the packing room was splintered into tooth
picks. The flames were roaring over head,
and looked up to find the whole mill above
me was as full of fire as the walls would hold,
and as knew couldn't do anything, I left
the EMIL. Under ordinary circumstances,
flooded the mills in a minute by leans of the
rotary fire pump. I am not badly hurt only a
little bruised. don't believe it possible that
soul could have escaped from the big mill,
as it was on fire in an instant. can't give
any opinion as to the cause of the explosion,
but doubt if it was caused by the dustfrom the
middlings purifier. @'--@ ..e1 80 -
as he came out of the mill.
Mr.. Day was not badly injured, and only
suffers from stiffness. A few scratches on
face and head, with few bruises on various
portions of the body, were the only injuries
received. He was the only man in the mill at
the time.
FRED. GEORGE s MIRACULOUS ESCAPE.
Fred George, the young man who had such
miraculous escape from instant death, tells
Aa in. thn
ton of the Zenith mill when the explosion
occurred. This mill, like that Of Petit s. Rob-
inson, was facing the big mill with it's front
on the canal. Mr.. George had seated himself
near the husk and in close proximity to the
stove. When the explosion occurred blast
of hot air, smoke and fire burst through the
front of the mill and ignited the dust in the
mill. About one hundred and fifty barrels of
flour were in the front of the building, and
these were knocked about as though weigh
ing no more than so many spools of thread.
Some of the flour barrels struck him apd he
was thrown down. Then the stovc< was
thrown upon him and he thought all was
in eXtricating himself from the perilous posi-
ton in which he was placed and started fol
the front of the building. Reaching the door
he jumped out and, as the platform had beer
destroyed, landed in the canal. With all the
speed possible he crawled out on hands anG
knees and escaped. Reaching sixth avenue
south she ran up to the corner of Third street
exclaimed, "For Gods sake water, or some
thing for me-" Without waiting he turned
ran out and entered the drug store next door
Procuring some liniment he started for hi
boarding place on Sixth avenue south, between
Third and Fourth street.
The Mills Destroyed and mills sema In