The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-08-30
GUNPOWDER AND DYNAMITE.
Vaults Containing Large QUANTITIES ofEx-
plOsiyes Fired by Electricity.
One Person Killed and Three Mortally Injured
An Awful Shock that Caused Panic in
Catholic Church Five Miles Distant

of an earthquake, was felt in every portion of
the city this morning. The cause was the ex-
plosion of the Latin & Rand Powder Companys
magazine, on the Archer road, near the McCor-
mick reaper works. It is supposed that bolt of
| lightning struck the magazine and that the con-
cussion set off the dynamite and the gunpowder
stored there. The shock caved in the two mag
azines of the Oriental Powder Company and
| those belonging to the Warren Powder Compa-
ny, the Hazard, the Dupont and thu Forcite dy-
Mantle store houses. The Etna, which
stood about three.quarters Of mile dis
tant, was unframed. The Latin d
Rand company's magazine was the only one
which exploded. The house of John Guhl,
driver for the Oriental Powder Company, was
fattened out upon the ground, mass of kindling-
wood. Guhl and his wife were fatally injured,
and Carrie Ernwurth, the servantgirl, was in
stantly killed The residence of Mrs Devine
/ was demolished in the same way. Mrs. Devine
had her leg broken and her body bruised but
suffered other injuries She was dragged out
from under the ragged heap of splinters. and
taken to the hospital A farmer whose name
could not be learned was driving past toward the
city when the explosion occurred. His skull
| was fractured and his back badly lacerated by
blocks of stone. He cannot live. The horse he
was driving was instantly killed and the wagon
smashed to bits. The whole side of Justice
Michael Tearney's house, near the Oriental mag
azine was ripped off, and the roof caved in but
not one of the household was injured Little
Tom Tearney, nire years old, was lifted bodily
from the back stoop on to an clubhouse about ten
feet from the dwelling The ut.house col
| lapsed, but the boy came out unhurt. Sew
eral people received slight wounds from
falling stone, and q aumber Of barns
were riddled. The scene Of the disaster was
crowded with people this afternoon Where the
Latin & Rand powder-house had stood was a
| deep hole in the clay. in which not vestige of
the building remained. Over the prairie for
half mile were scattered bits of stone and
slivers from the roof timbers A block of stone
said to weigh nearly $50 pounds went through
| the wall Of the Grand Trunk round-house,
| about mile north, and another dropped through
the roof, smashing In the cab of an engine The
Chicago Sc Alton round-house. nearly mile
northeast was riddled with small fragments and
every window smashed to pieces.
| John Shannon, aged fifteen, and Willie and
Dan Kelly, lads of about the same age, found a
can of black powder on the prairie about three
quarters of a mile from the scene OF the explos-
ion 1t was still hot, and they had curiosity
to know its contents. They pried it open and
| the powder exploded, scorching them severly
about the face and hands. They may lose their
| sight
| Throughout the southern and western portions
| of the city many thousands Of dollars damage
| was done by the explosion. Plate-glass win
dows all along State and Halsted streets
and on Clark and Madison, and several other
streets fully six miles distant were demol-
ished Two plate-glass windows in the Board of
Trade building and one in the johnson building,
opposite were destroyed. The congregations at
| ST. Patrick's Church, corner of Desplaines and
| Adams streets, and at the Jesuit Church, on
| West Twelfth street, were stampeded At the
| Jesuit Church, boy named Fitzgerald was
| thrown from window by the conclusion.
The farmer who was injured and whose name
could not be learned, died tonight at the Coun-
| ty Hospital 1t is also reported that Mrs De-
vine will not recover.
| The exploded magazine contained, it is esti-
mated, 100000 pounds of power and half as much
dynamite. In the neighboring ten store-houses
was 800 900 pounds of dynamite and twice as
much powder Not one of the eleven buildings
had lightning-rod or conductor.
| When the first shock of the magazine explo-
sion reached the Jesuit Church of the Holy
| Family, at Twelfth street and Blue Island ave-
| nue. five miles distant 10-oclock mass was going
| on in the basement of the edihce. The rafters
shook and the building trembed like an aspen
leaf There were between 1000 and
| 1900 people at the service. The
| Rev. Father Lega was the celebrant.
| The worshipers got up on the benches and made
an ndscriminate plunge for the staircase and
windows. The latter were knocked out, castings
| and all. The utmost confusion prevailed. Men
| fell in heaps over fainting women and children
| to get out on the grounds, and in the excitement
| many were knocked down and trampled under
foot Father Lega's admoniton to remain seat
| ed was drowned in the passionate appeals
| for help from the trodden-o on women and children
Just at this time the Rev. Father Coughlin, the
parish priest made his appearance at one of the
| windows through which the frantic crowd was
| surgng. The presence of the reverend gentle
man had good effect, and after assuring the
| congregation that there was no danger, they
were the point of taking their seats when
i some one cried fire.
| The cry was taken UP by hundreds, and was
heard across the street at the engine-house. The
marshal ordered his men out, and when the fire.
men made their appearance, hose in hand, every
thing assumed an indescribable state of confu-
| sion. Men howled, women screamed and chill
/ dren screeched By common impulse the en-
tire congregation rushed for the iron
screened windows. The wire protectors
were snapped asunder like so many threads,
| and for time the iremen and unconscious
women and children were the sole occupants of
the sacred edifce A large bronze statue on the
| dome of the church was disodged and fell down
through the skylight. All the transom windows
| in the corridor of st. Ignatiuss College were
tcha md at ned in
wall of that building. Strange to relate. not
withstanding the panic, no one was seriously
| hurt
| Following is partial list of those who are
| known to be seriously injured:
! Peter Ham, twenty eight years DID, gardener;
/ Lamar Shannnn sixtAan old. narenLs