The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1878-05-09
THE MINNEAPOLIS DISASTER.

THE MINNEAPOLIS DISASTER.
Particulars Regarding the Great Explosion
and Confiagration=Theori as to the
Cause of the Disaster
Especial to the Chicago Tribune.I
ST. PAUL, MINI, May 3.-The Wash
burn cav Mill stood the inside of the
water-power canal at Minneapolis, about
q hundred yards below a street leading
into "the saw-mill platform" over St.
Anthony Falls. In front of it, across
the canal, on the bank of the river,
stood q stone block of three Touring
mills, viz. Petit, Robinson & Co.'s the
Zenith Mill, and the Galaxy Mill. Be-
low it stood Mller's Elevator. At their
rear, across the track of the Mime
apolis & st. Louis Road, on which stood
% cars loaded with wheat -four, were
the Humboldt and Diamond Mills and
other buildings fronting on the freight
yard of the Milwaukee Il st. Paul Rail
way. To the right of these last build
ings stood the Washburn ''B" Mill. All
the above-named mills were run to their
full capacity yesterday, except the Petit
and Galaxy. The Washburn ga" Mill,
run by water, was
THE LARGEST FLOURING-MILL IN AMER
ICA,
having Al run of stone, and all the ap-
pliances for manufacturing the finest
grades of flour. 1t was owned and
operated by j. A. Christian & Co.,
Christian being manager, and G. G..
Washburn the principal owner. The
building was 100x13S feet on the ground,
seven and half stories high, with stone
walls feet thick at the base to Is inch
es at the caves, and was supplied with
ample apparatus for extinguishing fires,
including hydrant and hose on each
floor. The management had insisted
upon every preeaution, including pro-
hibition of the use of open lights. Ex-
ira caution was recently enjoined be-
cause of fire having been narrowly es-
capped through flour dust from the mill
stones coming in contact with the flame
inside of an open lantern.
At I o'clock last evening the day
hands went off and the night force came
on, being II at the Washburn GA "
Mill, 10 each at the Diamond, Zenith,
and Humboldt Mills, and one Waterman
each at the Petit and Galaxy Mills. AT
20 minutes after
THREE EXPLOSIONS
were heard in parts of Minneapolis, the
first and third of which were plainly
heard ten miles away, and sensibly Jared
buildings at that distance in every direc-
ton. All accounts of those nearest the
scene agree that the first explosion oc-
Cured in Washburn GA Mill, end
most that all three occurred in the same
mill. The force of the explosion was
enough to move every stone
to the lowest foundations All
the walls of the Washburn
Mill fell outwardly, the western walls
against the Humboldt and the Diamond
Mills and adjoining buildings, all of
which were instantly Frustrated, falling
from the Washburn Mill in the direction
of the Tound-house across the Milwau-
kee yard. The round-house was split
by the conclusion and partly wrecked.
THE FLAMES
Immediately enveloped the ruins of the
mills and the adjoining wrecks. Par
ties standing on high ground on the ell
evated side, several blocks away, saw
from behind the tall elevator spring up
columns of whitish vapor, like steam in
appearance, Immediately followed by a
dense black cloud, which was quickly
Illuminated by the reflection of a great
fire. Simultaneously the elevator build
ing appeared TO part in the middle from
70, 70, no. -,
of bright flames. At the same time the
flames rolled across the canal through
the crushed doors and windows of the
Petit, Zenith and Galaxy Mills, setting
the interiors all on fire. The same APP
pearances were observed from other di-
rections, and those who noticed the lift
ing of the roof of the Washburn Mill by
the explosion say it went not less than
SEVEN HUNDRED FEET HIGH.
That this is not an exaggeration may
be judged by the fact that small pieces of
roof-timbers and pieces of tarred roof
covering fell few minutes afterwards
in different parts of st. Paul, one stick
falling ON Wabasha Street, in the center
of St. Paul, fully seven miles from the
mill in an airline. The wind was blow
ing down the river away from the other
mills and closely-built sections of Mime
apolis. The leaping flames passed over
the Palisade Mills to envelop COoper's
warehouse beyond, jumped small
building used for undergrad Office,
and set in blaze 1,000,00 feet of lum-
Der. Several frame buildings, three and
four squares away, were set on fire by
flying embers and consumed, while many
other buildings which caught were saved.
The fire meantime ragged with uneon-
trollable fury where it had first started,
until it had consumed every thing which
would burn, leaving besides the empty
walls of the three river side mills moth
ing but heaps of stone and masses of
wrecked machinery. Under or in these
debris lay the remains of
A NUMBER OF HUMAN BEINGS. l-
Of IS men in the Nashburn Mill not
one escaped. A fourteenth man, who
belonged to the night force, was acct
dentally 90 minutes late, and so saved
his life. From the Diamond Mill, at the
time of the explosion, one man, had gone
out for a pail of water, and escaped. His
companion, John Boyer, was seen by
those who rushed to the scene of the
fire, painfully struggling over the ruins
through the blazing fire and smoke. He
reached the side of the railway bed and
crawled till he could almost touch the
rail with the already charred stumps
which ended his arms. Twenty men,
barred from him by wall of fierce
flames, saw him, burned and bleeding
from CHASTITY wounds, grasp feebly and
vainly at rope thrown toward him, and
then sink back dead. An heur passed
before his limbless body and barred
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 window of the Zenith Mill and |
His companion persisted. He
says that at the moment of the explo- |
sion pile of barrels to be filled last
NIGHT moved bodily upou him from the /