The Red Cloud chief., 1878-05-23
4 MINNEAPOLIS ueaooa!
Terrible Explosion and Loss Of Lie.
RrRylxG ~ vlOrRIyG MILLS.
ssss sr Properly s;~ssiasseA ~
O1So.ooo.ooo.

A,Du, : o's osk On the evening q Nay ~.
the city II M~innespotis, MINI, YES Ahoehed'
% " by an earthquake. BY . terrific erplos>co.
shieh secured Of the group 81 touring mills
known Q. the Platform" just stove ~. An
tbony's. where the entire touring district 81
the city 10 concentrated. The erplosion came
from the wsshborue mill, from which . column
u Same VS. ssen N shoct up several hundred
feet, folloued By . crash which crushed the
Immense structure like On sSE shell sscond-
sy explosions instantly destroyed nompson q
Hoyt's and The Humboldt mill. and the nsmes
immediately burst out, communicating TO the
GALAXY Niils snd tho>e 81 Pet,ei, Robinson a
Co.. tahill, Ankeny a Co, l.. Day a Sons,
Dsy, Rollins 4 Buell., Newton q Co, Gordon.
Hayward 4 Co, the washbuvn A. 4 b. Mills,
and lesser structures, dovn the bank u the
river nearly IA the Minneapolis 4 ~. Louis
railroad shops, The Destruction from the
shock % the explosion extended much farther.
glass being wrecked for several squares and
buiidiugu shaken throughout the city.
The theory 81 the explosion IL. that It took
place In the gas generated Ia the patent mid
dlIngs pannss prrcess. Al fr-s the loss Of life
was greatly exaggerated, being placed a, sew
enty or eighty. Later Investigation. place the
number 81 the dead at seventeen.
Many thrilling incidents aud narrow escapes
are reported. Darrell Day WAS blown the whole
length u Pe,titt 4 Robinson's mill, and ihro'
the rear window, and escaped. One poor Eel.
low, who could not be recognized, had escaped
alive from the explosion, and WAS observed
crawling In the flames toward the trark IL the
Minneapolis 4 ~. Louis railroad, directly In
the rear ~ wnshburne's mill. He managed 10
reach the railroad, aud there evidently became
exhausted aud fell back into the raging fire be-
hind, where his sgonics instantly ended. II
nov appears that most Of the day force had
gone home aud only . smaller night force re-
NAMED. The loss to property 10 enormous, but
the confusion Ia too great for INTEL gent esti.
mate 1T present. Rough calculations p ace II
ut ei, sD,O 900, Of which 81 ,O0O, 90 " ~ fall upon
the milling interest. The loss throughout the
city by hr breaking Of glaA~, etc., 10 ei.0O.
Five Touring mills and . planning Mill we're de
stroyed, besides adjoining property, including
eighty ~even out u 100 runs II stone 10 the
city.
The Ave Touring mills which we're involved
In the disaster, form . group which O mprtses
the heaviest concerns In the State chief among
them we're the two washburn mills, the prop
erty VI ex-Gov. &. W. Waehburn, OF Wis, IL
which one Ia which the explosion occurred was
the largest Touring mill In the country, and
the largest but one In the world. 1t was built
In 1k.n l...l,,l.N (..s~,u 49, "a s,.. .uN
~as worth e20O,OOO II Is now . smoking mass
OF ruins, with It's companions on the PLAT
FORM" The destruction IL complete ~ far ~
the limit above named, and serious within
much wider bounds.
Later dispatches give . list of the mills de-
stroyed. with the number Of runs Of stones In
each. as follows; ws.hburn, A, ~ runs; Gal.
axy, " runs; Hennepen or Diamond, d; Hum
boldt. q: Petit, Robinson 4 Co., Is; Zenith, a.
Total, 81 runs. The washburn mill WAS oper-
atcd by J. A, Christian & Co, the Humboldt
by hall, Newton 4 Co., the Henpepin by Nor
ton, Haywood 4 Co, the Galaxy BY CAhill,
Ankeny 4 Co, the Zenith, by Day, Rollins &
Co.. and the Pitt 4 Robinson mill by the nrn
named.
In addition TO these mills there were numer.
ous other buildings destroyed by fire, including
. large elevator and planning mill.
The following Ia reported ~ the total insur-
ance ~ stated by the companies representing
the several mills destroyed: Humboldt, ball,
Newton 4 Co, t%%,5O0; Petit 4 Robinson,
$4,000; Galaxy, Cabin and Ankeny, s75,OO;
wsshburn mill, A, s2i7,OOO.