Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-02-11
THE LAST MAN WHO SAW THEM
Tells His Story to Representative Of
the Globe" and it is
Recorded Below.
THE RUINS STILL BURNING.
Loss Estimated at $4,000, With
$1,000 Insurance.

The explosion of the Linseed Oh mill in
West St. Paul at twenty minutes past s O'Clock
Yesterday morning, an account OF which ap'
peared in the GLOBE Of that issue, was more
disastrous than at first supposed lnasmuch az
It involved the sacrifice Of two human lives.
Owing 10 the late hour at which the disaster
tooR place it was impossible to give more
than hurried sketch of the calamity, full
particulsrs of which we're obtained later in the
day.
A GLOBE reporter visited the scene Of the
sxplosion Yesterday morning and his gaze en-
conntertd most appalling spectacle. II were
impossible for the imagination to conJure up
more complete ruin; the scene was one OF
chaos and perfect wreck. The mill was pie
turesuusly located on plateau east OF the
Hudson road, short distance north OF the
railroad bridge, and the scene OF utter desola-
ton formed marked contrast 10 tne sho"
elad and ics-locksd river short distance be.
low. and the winter surroundings, beautiful
in their vet virgin mantle Of snow.
Proceeding to the wreck the segments of
stone, brick, debris of every description and
nnsiphtlv gaps in the frozen earth, yards dis
tanoe from the mill, clearly marked the ap-
proach to the ruin. The view at this hour,
II A. M, was not vet shorn OF It's horrors; the
walls facing the road, had been leveled from
fhe third to the beams Of the fret story. The
ends of half dozen monster tanks and per-
oolators could be seen above the tangled mass
of general ruins: these percolators and tanks
which had been filled with oil or mash, still
burned furiously, throwing skyward volume
on volume of lurid flames and smoke.
Asreported in yesterday issue OF the GLOBE
the explosion occurred at $40 O'Clock yester-
rrh her ~ ho
calamity is Still a mystery: as the two only
witnesses were immulated in the frightful
pvre, Il fs probable that the exact cause Of the
calamity will never be known. AS near as
could be ascertained there was no fire or light
in the building at the time of the explosion.
1t was positively against orders to allow Il
fire or light of any kind in the mill. The
mill was illuminated by means OF locomo-
tive headlights and lanterns which were ad-
iusted on the outside of the windows of the
building, so as to reflect light within.
Moreover, the engine shut down about
o'clock Wednesday night and the men had
been engaged in steaming out.
There were two men in the building ut the
time of the explosion. They were John Muey.
the foreman of the mill, and his nephew, John
Petri. They both perished. Both men were
ploved with the linseed oil company of Chica-
20. They were employed by Archibald &
Schurmier about two months ago to take
charge of the business and were thoroughly
acquainted with what is called the new sys-
tenn.
The system consists of steaming out pro-
cess by which the superheated steam is forced
through the seed mash for the purpose of ex-
tracting the benzine, with which the latter is
at first saturated.
At this writing very little is known of the
history of either Of the deceased They both
resided in one of the suburbs of Chicago called
Grand Crossing.
Muey was man of family and leaves a wife
and several children to mourn his untimely
taking off Petri was young man and un-
married.
Mr. schumeier telegraphed the friends of
both men yesterday morning, but no response
had come up to a late hour last night.
It is believed that nothing will be left to tell
their untimely fate but a few charred and
blackened bones
The heat was intense, and, throughout yes
terday, the fire continued with unabated fury.
A GLOBE reporter visited the mill last night,
and the debris was still burning. By night the
scene is one of appalling grandeur and beauty.
Shooting up from the ruins were shafts or
bolts of living fame, the fttul, spasmodic
glow of which formed weird and strange pic
ture.