Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1886-09-02
A CHICAGO CALAMITY,
Thirty Tons Of Powder Exploded by
Lightning at Chicago.
FIVE Person Killed and Many Thous-
ands Dollars OF Damage TO
Property.

CHICAGO, Aug. ga tremendous explo-
sion occurred at Brightoa,a suburb of Chicago
at half past nine o'clock yesterday morning.
powder magazine containing thirty tons of
powder was struck by lightning and the shock
was distinctly felt in all parts Of the city.
One or two people were killed by falling win
dow glass in the city and it is reported that
fully dozen people were killed near the
scene of the explosion. The large plate glass
in the board of trade building six miles dis
tant were broken.
A severe shock like that Of an earthquake
was felt in every portion of the city. The
cause was the explosion ;of the Latin & Rand
Powder company's magazine, on Archer road,
near the Mccormick reaper works. 1t Is sup
posed that bolt of lightning struck the
magazine and the conclusion set off the dyna-
mite and gunpowder stored there. The shock
caused in two magazines of the Oriental Pow
der company and those belonging to the War
rem Powder company, the Hazard, Dupont
and Forcite dynamite store houses. The
Etna, which stood about thres-fourths Of
nile distant was unframed. The Latin &
Rand compauy's was the only one which ex-
ploded.
iuS uOusc VI JOuu UOuJ, u urlNcT lot Tue
Oriental Powder Co., was fattened out upon
the ground, a mass of kindling Coil and
his wife were fatally injured, and Carrie Ern-
wurth, their servant girl, was instantly killed
The residence of Mrs. Devne was demolished
in the same way. Mrs. Divine had her leg
broken and body bruised, but suffered no
other injuries She wa' dragged out from
under heap of splinters and sent TO a hos
pial.
A farmer, whose name could not be learned,
was driving past toward the city when the ex-
plosion 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 magazine was ripped
off and the roof caved in, but not one of the
household was injured. Little Tom Tearney,
nine years old, was lifted bodily from the back
stoop on the clubhouse, about 10 feet from the
dwelling. The clubhouse collapsed but he came
ont unhurt. Several people received slight
wounds from falling stones and a number Of
barns were rlddled.
The scene of the disaster was crowded with
der works had stood was deep hole in the
clay in which not yestige of the building re-
manned. 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 a mile
north, and another dropped through the roof,
smashing in the cab of an engine. The Chi
cago & Alton round house, nearly mile
northeast, was ridded with small frag-
ments, and every window was smashed to
pieces.
John Shannon, aged Is, and Willie and Dan
Kelley, lads of about the same age, found
can Of black powder on the prairie about
three-quarters of a mile from the explosion
1t was still hot and they had a curiosity to
know its contents. They pried it open and
the powder exploded, scorching them severely
about the face and hands. They may lose
their sight on account of their burns.
Throughout the southern and western parts
of the city many thousands of dollars of dam
age was done by the explosion. The plate
glass windows all along State and Halstead
streets, and on Clark, Madison and several
other streets, fully six miles distant were de-
molished. Two plate glass windows in the
board of trade building and one in the John
son 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 stamDeded. 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 county hospital. 1t is also reported that
Mrs. Devine will not recover.