Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-09-02
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A Witness Describes the Explosion OF
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CHICAGO, Aug. 30.---James Duhnstock,
the only person who has been found that
really saw the explosion of the powder.
house yesterday says" was walking
toward John Jung's house holding an
umbrella over my head. The wind came
from my back and held the umbrella
back little which allowed me to
look ahead. was on the Archer road
a little over an eighth Of mile away
from Latin u Rand's powder-house
and happened to be looking at
it, The same instant that my eyes rested
on il, and know not why singled out
this particular powder house while there
were 80 many others like il nearer 10 mo-
n long zigzag streak Of lightning iarted
across the sky and then frey line came
down and struck fairly on the powder
house. In the little moment that elapsed
between the fash and the explosion /
realized that something terrible was
about to happen. thought so fast
that had determined 10 run long
before could move muscle
Of my body TO effect that object. Then,
rs II II had been swept away like mist,
| saw the bricks and stones Of the powder
house suddenly disappear in tho earth.
The ground shook beneath my feet and l
clutched at the swaying fence near mo.
deep rumbling noise filled my ears and
the next instant stream of fire shot into
the air like the pictures have often seen
OF Mount Vesuyius. knew no more
for nt least 10 minutes. My UNI
brella was snached out of my grasp
as IL by an unseen hand Of invincible
power and i was thrown into the ditch.
When I recovered consciousness | saw
that stones and bricks had fallen around
me. None struck me, however. Scram.
bling TO my feet started for home where
/ have remained
city people began to wonder what had
happened. II was not until the day was
nearly over that the news Of the explosion
became generally known. The concussicn
extinguished every gas jet in the vespar
hall Of the Church of the Nativity,
Thirty-eeventh and Dashiel streets, while
800 worshipers were nj mass. They arose
en- masse and mado for the doors, dozen
or more ladies falling in faint. The
sides of the building ratified and
shook rs though an earthquake
had occurred. All the transom
windows in the corridor of ST. Ignatius
College were shattered, and great seam
opened in the west wall Of that building.
A large bronze statue in the dome of the
Jesuit Church OF the Holy Trinity, at
Twelfth street and Blue Island avenue,
five miles from the scene of the explosion,
was dislodged and fell down through the
| skylight. The rafters shook and the
building trenibled like an aspen lcnf. This
was the church in which the panic oc-
CURED at 10 o'clock mass.
The board of trade building, although
seven miles from the scene Of the explo-
sion, was greatly affected. Tho main hall
is lighted by three sheets of plate glass,
each about ~ feet square. The upper
and lower of those sheets were shattered,
none of the fragments being larger than
n so cent piece. The man who cleans
the electric light lamp WINS in the tower
doing his work. EIe says that the tower
swayed in way that led him TO fear that
the structure would topple over. His
fright was such that for few moments
he became insensible.
II is thought this morning that MIR. md
Mrs. Guhl will recover. George Kern, q
farmer who was thrown 20 feet from his
wagon, is in a dying condition. Mrs.
Devine is very low.
THE SECOND DEATH
CmoAoo, Aug 3O.-George Kenn, the
farmer injured by the powder explosion,
died this morning, making the second
death.