Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1885-04-07
A Tel rifle Explosion.
THE sA. n SHOP OF THE JACK.
BON d SHARP COMPANY DAM.
AGED BY FLYING ROCKS.
MANY NARROW ESCAPES.

The Wilmington Malleable Iron Com
pauy intend to construct wharf at
the loot of Ninth street, on the Brandy
" inc, and for the purpose of securing q
sufficient depth Of water, contracted
with Thomas Summers to remove the
Iocks with which the stream abouhds
at that point. For several days the
people in tho vicinity have been
startled by blasts, but on Monday
shortly before noon they were frighten-
ed almost out of their wits by three
heavy explosions following each other
| in quick succession, and q shower of
stones and rocks, that broke windows,
tore their way through roofs, and did
other damage.
The buildings of the jackson
q Sharp Company seemed to have re-
ceived the greatest number of flying
missiles, and the tin roof of the new
shop near the railroad bridge was rid.
died as completely as though regiment
] of riflemen had used it for a target,
while the men, frightened by the heavy
discharges, and almost blinded by the
dust caused by the stones crushing
through the roof, thought that the flues
Of one of the large boilers were bursting
and hastened to make their escape. A
man who was running q planning ma.
cline in the sash shop made o narrow
escape from instant death, he had just
turned from the machine for some pur-
pose, when o stone weighing nearly
200 pounds came crashing through the
roof, striking the bed of the machine,
breaking 1t to pieces, and splitting the
stone. 1t tore . hole through the roof
nearly four feet square.
Another large piece of rock struck
the brick wall Of the paint shop and
forced its way through, although this
building is fully 400 yards distant from
the point where the blasting was being
done. The roof was also struck and
wrecked, while a large rock crushed
through the roof making hole fully
three feet square.
The galvanic iron ventilator was
struck and badly damaged, and the
gas and water pipes broken all through
the shops by the falling rocks and
stones. The gas was Immediately shut
off, but the flow Of water could not be
controlled so easily, and some OF the
shops were almost flooded before 1t was
stopped.
A few seconds before the ex xplosion, q
train passed over the railroad bridge,
and had barely reached Eighth street
when the crash came. When everything
l Is bsfhou lubO COnblu6IaUlOu, IL B66Iub
wonderful that no one was injured or
killed. The residents OF the lower part
of Eighth street and those on Decatur
and Greeley streets had been notified
that blast was about 10 be fired and
req uested to remain in their houses,
but when the explosion came and shook
their dwellings to the foundations, they
rushed pell-mel! into the streets, intent
on making their escape. There were
three blasts, and 1T is stated that each
one consisted of keg of giant powder,
possessing the strength of several hum
dreds of pounds of RuEpowder.
| M Job II. jackson Immediately
called at the office of the MalleabIe
Iron Company and notified them that
he would hold the company responsible
| for lie damage to his buildings ard
| works. An officer of the company,
WI n contractor Summers companied
! Mr.. jackson to the place and examined
the damage done, which is supposed
will reach fully $500. 1t Is stated that
the understanding with the contractor
was that all the drilling was to be done
when the tide was down, and that all
the blasts we're to be fired at high tide,
80 that there would not be any danger
from flying fragments. and that the
blasts were to be so arranged that the
stones should be- thrown up the stream.
Greater care will be exercised in the
future, and smaller blasts used