The Brookhaven leader., 1886-06-10
TERRIBLE EXPLOSION.
A Building Containing a Country Store and
Dwelling Demolished by an Explosion
of Gunpowder, and the Inmates, Nine
teen In Number, All More or Less Injured.

Dwelling Demolished by an Explosion
of Gunpowder, and the Inmates, Nine
teen In Number, All More or Less Injured.
DETROIT, Mich, June 4.-The little
four-corner town of Ecorse, eight
miles below Detroit, was treated to
hrst-class sensation last night, at about
nine O'Clock, when the general store and
residence combined of Joseph Salliotte
was blown to fragments with powder
and nine persons scattered in every direc-
ton and one probably fatally injured.
The store proper was two.story frame
structure, and was large one for a
country village. 1t contained the usual
stock of groceries, boots, shoes, dry
goods, etc. An adjoining oue.storY
building under the same roof, containing
a quantity of paints, oils and flour, was
used as a store-room. In the rear of this
addition was an L. The store was fifty
feet long from front to rear. The hands
in large mill had been paid off during
the day, and the store had been unusually
full all evening of men and women pay
lug their accumulated bills of the
previous month. At the extreme rear
of the store, under counter
that extended across the end
6ve-pound keg of gunpowder, out of
which five or six pounds had been sold.
1t had small! orifce for pouring out the
powder, which was generally covered
with metal can. Under the rear half OF
the store was cellar, and over it, in the
second story, were bedrooms. Persons
belonging to the family, adults and chill
dren, or customers who had not yet left,
were scattered throughout the building
TO the number of nineteen. Just after
the neighborng clocks had struck nine,
tremendous explosion took place in the
rear lower part of the store, while fierce
aud sudden blast of fire tore away the
rear part of the building and shattered the
front and sides. The grocery floor and
floor above were shattered into splinters.
The proprietor, Salliotte, his son-in-
law, Columbus Labadie; Simon Labadie,
his brother; II. Morris and Louis Pre-
wort fell into the cellar. Carrie, a daugh
ter of the proprietor, who was in an
upstairs room preparing to retire, was
sent skyward. The five men were COW
cred with falling debris. The wreck be-
low prevented the daughter from falling
farther than the first floor, but she was
covered with fragments of the roof.
The tremendous force of the explosion
threw four bows standing at the front
part of the store into the street.
c. A. Ferguson was thrown through
the window into the road, but only re-
ceived a slight cut on the hand from
broken glass.
Six others, Mrs. Morris and her child,
Alex Labadie, Felix Cicotte and two
boys, were thrown through the front
door into the street, as though projected
from catapult.
Lottie Salliotte, girl of thirteen, was
blown into a side yard.
Mrs. Salliotte and two young children,
whom she was preparing for bed, were
covered with debris and received some
bruises.
Mrs. Salliotte was struck by the door
leading in from the store. Her body was
bruised and her face covered with blood.
Mrs. Columbus Labade, who stood
near the center of the store, had nearly
all her clothes stripped from her body,
but escaped without scratch.
A bedroom which contained sleeping
infant was wrecked but the babe escaped
comparatively unhurt.
The people of the village were fright
ened by the noise of the explosion, and
rushed out in the darkness adding to the
momentary confusion. Soon lanterns
were procured and then the work of res
cue began. Fire broke out in the ruins,
but line of men with buckets was
formed to the river near by, and the
flames were soon eXtinguished.
The work OF rescue was not a difficult
one, as none of the timbers were heavy,
and the whole party in the ruins were
extricated in a short time.
Columbus Labadie, being in the rear OF
the cellar, had to work his way to the
front, from which point he was rescued.
His clothes had taken fire, and he had to
tear them off. He was the only person
dangerously hurt. He was badly burned
about the head and face, hands, feet and
side both by the powder and the flames,
and was cut ON the head and badly bruis-
ed by the falling beams. He lies in
very critical condition, and it is feared
that even if he should survive, an ampu-
tation of some of his limbs will be neces-
sary.
The rest of the persons in the store es-
capped with severe bruises and scratches.
The cause of the disaster, was, with
out doubt, the ignition of the powder.
How it occurred remains mystery.
Smoking is an obvious solution, but the
persons in the rear of the store all de-
clare that none of them were smoking at
the time.
The building is total loss, and a
$4,000 stock was damaged to the extent
of 81 900. Mr.. Salliotte took in about
$500 during the day in payment of debts,
and had $4O0 of it in leather bag.
Some 800 of this has been found, but the
rest has disappeared.