Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-09-01

At 9:15 O'Clock on the mornino IF
the goth, III the midst ola heavvt6nn-
der storm, the powder magazine ha.
longing to the La6in-Rand Powder
Company, at Chicago, was struck bv
lightning. An explosion followed
which destroyed property valued at
STE, 900, besides killing one person
almost instantly, fatally iniuring
three and infiictiDg painful injuries on
several others. The dead and fatally
wounded are: Miss Carrie Aherean-
werth, killed instantly; Peter Kenn, a.
farmer, ribs broken and fea1fully
burned; John Guhl, teamster for the
Oriental Powder Company. ribs frac-
tured, right leg broken in two places,
internal wounds; Mrs. Guhi, skull
crushed; Miss Eliza Devine, right leg
crushed to jelly; breast transGxed by
g. strip of glass. Besides the one
dead and four who cannot survive, the
following is a partial list of those who
are known to be seriously injured:
Peter Ham, % years old, gardener;
James Shannon, 16 years old; Kelly
brothers, IA and 10 years old, parents
residing on Western Avenue; - Mad
den, small boy, whose parents reside
on Thirty eighth Street; Philip Bowler.
723 South Union Street, arm crushed
by flying stone and amputated; John
Lordev, Jr., II years old, OF 165 Ca
nal port Avenue, leg badly crushed;
John Jung, SO years old, gardener, re-
sides south of Archer road; Mrs Jung,
40 years old. wife of the former; Miss
Kennedy, Is years old, parents reside
on johnson Street, a quarter of a
mile from the scene. The shock caved
in the two magazines of the Oriental
Powder Company, and also those be-
longing to the Warren Powder Compa-
ny, the Hazard, the Dupont Compa-
MES and the Forcite dynamite store
house. The Lafin-Rand Company's,
was the only one which exploded.
Where it stood is now an immense ex-
cavation nearly fifty feet in depth.
The exploded magazine contained,
it is estimated, 100000 pounds of
powder and half as much dynamite.
In the neighboring ten storehouses
was 100000 pounds of dynamite and
twice as much powder. Not one of
the eleven buildings had a lightning
rod or conductor. The board of
trade building, seven miles from the
scene OF the explosion, was greatly
affected by the disturbed condition OF
the atmosphere. The main hall on
the second floor is lighted by three
sheets OF plate glass, each about
twelve feet square. The upper and
lower of these sheets were shattered,
none of the fragments being larger
than a 5Ocent piece. The man who
cleans the electric-light lamps was in
the tower, which is $50 feet high, doing
his work when the explosion occurred.
He states that the tower swayed in
way that led him to fear that the
structure would topple over.
The shock of the explosion was dis
tinctly felt at the Palmer House, and
caused q sudden extinguishing of all
the lights in the barber shop. The
substantial structure was shaken from
the roof to the foundation. In che
Union Building, in which are located
the general Offices of the Associated
Press. many windows were broken.
The force of the explosion travelled
across the city IN a northerly and
easterly direction, and left trail
about three-quarters of a mile wide.
The shock was distinctly felt in all
parts of the city, and many people
were greatly frightened. The explo-
sion played sad havoc at the bridewell.
The building was shaken to its fOunda,-
tions, the inmates we're thrown to the
floor and over 200 window panes were
broken.