The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1878-05-09

after machinery Of the mill. Have charge Of
the mill when idle:t The NH shut down Wed
ncsday evening. About six o'clock went to
the mill as usual. After looking the mill
The mill faces the big Washburn mill and is
about forty feet from said mill. The office Ia,
or was, in front and hos one window on that
side, and window on the side overlooking .
small vacant lot.
l sat with my back to the front window and
quite near il, and at my right ard against the
office partition wall was heavy desk. The
fi-st knew was lifted out OF my chair and
hurled violently against the stone side wall of
the mill, and the desk after me-; 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; did not hear
any noise at all, except the cracking Of break.
Ing timbers Of the platform. Although some-
what stunned did not lose nv senses, but
scrambled back to the side window, knowing
that il the roof and upper floors were coming
down should be safer In the window, rs the
walls are ut least three feet th,ck-the hest
bratlng backward and forward with consider
able rapidity.
When the debris quit flying through the air
l looked out of the window and saw that the
Washburu mill was leveled to o'the ground
The canal was full of stones and broken tim
the elevator one huge bonfire.
The falling Of the walls into the canal food
ed the packing floor of our mill, and the water
was several inches deep until it run of. saw
that the mill must burn, as the sacks ON the
packing or Office floor were all on fire. It
seemed as if = sheet of fame had bcen 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 vas splintered into tooth
picks. The flames were roaring over head,
and looked mp to find the whole mill al owe
and as ! knew couldn't do anything, l left
the mill. Under ordinary circum- -tanccs,
with men on the several floors. could have
flooded the mills in minute bv means of the
rotary fire pump. lam not badly hurt only
little bruised. I don't believe it possible that
a soul could have escaped from the big mill,
as it was on fire in an instant. / can't give
any opinion as 10 tn" cause Of the explosion,
but doubt II it was caused by the dustf from the
mddlings purifier.
Mr.. Day mentioned having seen Joe Monte
as he came out of The mill.
Mr.. Day was not badly injured and only
suffers from stiffness. A few scratches on
portions OF the body, were the only injuries
received. He was the only man in the mill at
the time.
FRED. GEORGES MIRACULOUS ESCAPE,
Fred George, the young man who had such
miraculous escape from instant death, tells
his story as follows: He was i'll the rear Dor
tion of the Zenith mill when the explosion
occurred. This mill, like that Of Petit & Rob
inson. was facing the big mill with its front
on the canal. Mr.. Ge rye 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 ignitcd 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 and he
was thrown down. Then the stove was
thrown upon him and he thought all was
over. By superhuman effort he succeeded
in extricafing himself from the perilous posi-.
ton IN which he was placed and started for
the front of the building. Eeaching the door
he jumped out and, as the platform had been
destroyed, landed in the canal With all the
speed possible he crawlcd out on hands and
knees and escaped. Reaching sixth avenue
south, he ran up to the corner of Third street
where he entered W. f. Serrish's store and
exclaimed, 'For Gods sake water, or some
thing for me-" Without waiting he turne',
ian out and entered the drug store next door.
Procuring some liniment he started for his
boarding place on Sixth avenue south, between
Third and Fourth street.