The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1885-04-09
EXPLOSIONS IN POWDER MILLS.
Some Narrow Escapes-Why One Man
Left the Business

A writer in the New York Tribune,
who began life as an employe in pow
der mill, says:
One who has never looked upon the
scene after a heavy mill has exploded
cannot imagine the destruction involved
IN the immense force eXerted by ton or
two of frst-class powder The first ex-
plosion after my connection with the
works occurred in the packing house
where the powder was being put in kegs
for delivery to the government 1t took
place about Z o'clock on short Decem-
Der morning, just as 1 was eating my
breakfast. A pane of glass from the
window six feet away suddenly slapped
the side of my head, and at the same
time heard and felt tremendous re-
port and heavy jar which made me think
the world was coming to an end. Run
ming out of doors | saw a heavy column
of smoke shooting up in the air; all the
tree tops in the vicinity of the building
were full of burning powder bags which
gave the scene a strangely wierd look in
the twilight of a dismal winters morn
ing. The only occupant of the mill
| largest bit found being his left
hCoC ICllSS VI pOOI
were scattered around in the woods for
/ fully half a mile from the mill. At night
when the coroner arrived to hold an in
quest he asked for the corpse. Some one
silently pointed to peach basket placed
on the stone wall; it was full of small
pieces of flesh and bones, all that was lef
of a stalwart man. The victims wife
and daughter were in the house he had
| e.
the house was racked to pieces but
neither received Il scratch, and the horse
| in the stable beside the house was found
roaming around the yard unharmed.
The next explosion that l witnessed
took place at noon of July day. The
hay in the yard about the mills had been
cut and eight or ten men had been work
ing around the corning mill all the fore
noon drawing the hay away to the barn.
At noon they went to dinner, and while
they were eating the mill exploded,
killing only its regular attendent. If it
had occurred either an hour earlier or
later eight or ten lives would have been
lost. The mill stood on the bank of a
pond about two acres in extent. The
explosion forced the water completely
out of the pond and over the dam, leav
ing nothing but the creek running
through the center. Where the building
had stood pit was dug large enough to
| hold two o-story house.
| At one time man was discharged
from the works for neglect of duty. A
fortnight after he met one Of the en-
ployees in the village near and ques-
toned him as to whether the men who
worked at night were changed at the
SINE hours as formerly. He was an
swered in the affirmative That night
about II o'clock [ was awakened by a
violent pounding on the door and a
voice proclaiminS that ''the Office was
on fire" This building stood on a
rather steep hill near. 1t was a com
bination of office and carpenter shop. and
was used on occasion as a storage house
for powder when other places were full.
On hearing the cry of fire pulled on my
clothes-in my excitement getting inside
of two vests-and started out of the
house, picking up pail of water on my
way. At the gate | met the foreman, a
tall lank Yankee. "That's right" said
he, hurry up and follow me!' He
threw himself against the door and burst
it open. There was the fire flaming in
one corner of the carpenter shop. A
large pile of shavings had been raked up
and set on fire apparently with a slow
match. AS we entered the flames began
to gather headway and burned up bright
ly. At that moment l happened to
think that there were about two hundred
kegs of powder stored in the room di-
rectlv over the carpenter shop and that
the floor between consisted only of loose
boards laid down on the beams My
courage came near leaving me and
shouted to the foreman, who was before
me: ''For Gods sake, come back
There's powder ovcrhead!' 81 know
that" said he coolly, I" but we must put
out the fire. Taking off his coat, he
threw it over the shavings and
then threw himself full length
on top of it. At the same time
he called out to me: ''Now throw on the
waterr' and l d1d it, thoroughly drench-
ing him and checking the flames mate
rally. BY the time the other workmen
came running up the fire was out. Turn
ing and grasping me by the hand the
brave Yankee exclaimed: II would not
have entered this building in the face OF
such danger as threatened us for all the
company is worth if [ hadn't thought it
was my duty" Examination showed
that the office had been robbed of several
costly rifles and other things, and then
the fire was started to hide the crime
Several days after the employe who had
met the discharged workman on the day
of the fire happened to remember about
his interview with him and reported it.
Two or three other suspicious circum
stances were recalled, he was arrested
and all the stolen goods found in his
ROOM He had robbed the Office and SET
fire to the building in revenge for his
dismissal, little thinking and perhaps
little caring how many lives might have
been lost in consequence. If the fire had
not been discovered at its start and had
communicated with the powder, the resul
would have been terrible to the whole
settlement. The criminal was sent te
State prison for seven years.
The last explosion l witnessed, and
the one which finally led me to leave the
hills, has a little ghost story connected
with it which make the incredulous
lau. FL but which nevertheless occurred
just as tell it. One evening in Juie
started for home about 10 o'clock. II
was bright moonlight night and "a
warm one, and my road lay along mar
row causeway and over a bridge between
two large ponds. The water looking in
viting, l concluded to take swim all
by myself; so l undressed and plunged
in. 1 had finished my bath and was
dressing to go home when [ happened to