Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1885-04-30
Explosions in Powder Mills.
Some Narrow Escapes-Why One
Man Left the Business.

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 heavy mill has exploded
cannot imagine the destruction invOlv-
ed in the immense force exerted by a
ton or two of first-class powder. The
first explosion after my connection with
the works occurred in the packing
house where the powder was being put
In kegs for delivery to the government.
Il took place about z o'clock on short
December morning, just as I was eat
ing my breakfast. A pane of glass
hrm the winoow six feet away sudden
II slapped the side of my head, and at
the same time heard and felt a tre-
mendous report and heavy jar which
made me think the world was coming
TO an end. Running out of doors !
saw 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 strangely weird look in the
twilight of a dismal winters morning.
The only occupant of the mill was
blown into a thousand pieces, the larg-
est bit found being his left arm. These
relics of poor humanity were scattered
around in the woods for fully half a
mile from the mill. At night when the
coroner arrived to hold an inquest he
asked for the corpse. Some one silent
ly pointed to peach basket placed on
the stone wall; it was full of small piec-
es of flesh and bones, all that was left
of q stalwart man. The victims wife
and daughter were in the house he had
occupied not oyer 200 feet from the
mill; the house was racked to pieces,
but neither received scratch, and the
horse in the stable beside the house was
found roaming around the yard un-
harmed.
The next explosion that I witnessed
took place at noon of a July day. The
hay in the yard about the mills had
been cut and eight or ten men had been
working around the corner mill all the
forenoon drawing the hay away to the
barn. At noon they went to dinner,
and while they were eating the mill ex-
ploded, killing only its regular attend
ant. If 1t had occurred either an hour
earlier or later eight or ten lives would
have been lost. The mill stood on the
bank of pond about two acres in ex-
tent. The explosion forced the water
completely out of the pond and over
the dam, leaving nothing but the creek
running through the centre. Where
the building had stood a pit was dug
large enough to hold two-story house.
At one time man was discharged
from the works for neglect of duty A
fortnight after he met one of the en-
ployes in the village near and question
ed him as to whether the men who
worked mt night were changed at the
same hour as formerly. He was an
swered in the affirmative. That night
about ii O'Clock was awakened by
violent pounding on the door and
voice proclaiming that'the Office was on
fire. This building stood on rather
steep hill near. 1t was combination
Of Office and carpenter shop, and was
used on occasion as storage house for
powder when other places were full.
On hearing the cry of fire l pulled on
my clothes-in nv excitement getting
on two vests-and started out of the
house, picking up pail of water on my
way. At the gate I met the foreman "A
tall lank Yankee. That's right said
be, hurry up and follow mel He
threw himself against the door and
burst it open. There was the lire fam
Ing in one corner of the carpenter shop.
A larae pile of shayings had been raked
up and set on fire apparently with
slow match. AS We entered the fire
began to gather headway and burned
up brightly. At that moment I hap
peHed to think that there were about
two hundred kegs of powder stored in
the room directly over the carpenter
shop and that the floor between consist
ed only of loose boards laid down on
the beams MY courage came near
leaving me and I shouted to the fore
man who was before me For Gods
sake. come back There's powder O.
yerhead u 'Iknow that said he COOL
~, but we must put out the fire. TAX
ing off his coat, he threw it oyer the
shaYings and threw himself full length
on top of it. At the same time he call
ed ont to me: Now throw on the wa
ter i and ] did it, thoroughly drench-
ing him and checking the flames mater
tally. By the time the other workmen
came running up the fire was out.
Turning and grasping me by the hand
the brave Yankee exclaimed /: Il would
not have entered this building in the
face OF such danger as threatened us
for all the company is worth if hadn It
thought it was my duty Examination
showed that the Office had been robbed