Omaha daily bee., 1888-12-12
AN EXPLOSION OF MEAL DUST
It's Force Sufficient to Shake the
Earth for Nearly Mile.
THREE MEN INSTANTLY KILLED.
One Building Completely Wrecked
ana Scattered to the Winds
and Several Othcrs
Damaged.
A Terrific Force.

CHICAGO, Dec ll.-Three men are known
to have been killed, one fatally injured and a
number of persons badly bruised and shaken
up early this morning by an explosion of
meal dust which completely wrecked the
three-story brick building on North Halsted
street, occupied by David Oliver as an oat-
meal mill. Several adjoining buildings were
also shattered. The explosion, which oc-
CURED shortly after o'clock, was terrific,
one shock being felt q mile away. Buildings
in the immediate vicinity were bombarded
with flying bricks and timbers, aud nearly
every pane of window glass within a radius
of six blocks was smashed. Almost before
the rumble of the explosion had died away
flames sprang from the wrecked mill and the
whole place was aba2e in few minutes.
The fire spread with incredible rapidity,
and when the first fire companies reached
the scene they found block of roaring
flames to contend with. Engines were sta
toned at every available point around the
blazing patch, and buildings that did not
take fire at the outset were saved after the
hardest kind of fight Sparks that were car
ried by the wind ignited buildings two blocks
distant, and for half an hour the fircmen had
all they could do to prevent half dozen
serious contiagrations. 1t was nearly two
hours before the flames were under control.
III was known UntJ lOur men nau Dpcn at
work in the meal mill and about twenty in
the planning mill next door Besides these,
the neighboring houses contained many men,
women and children. The men at work IN
the planning mill made their escape a few of
them badly hurt, but the majority only
slightly injured. Hundreds of men searched
anXiously for the missing millers and
after some time one of them-John Holmes
was found lying in an alley across the street
from the mill, terribly burned and lucerated.
"a ~ at nf hn
mill when the explosion occurred, and was
hurleu through window and across the
street. He cannot live. Ho trace could be
found OF the other three men-Charles Mil
Ter, Charles Cooper and John Smith-and it
is believed their bodies are buried in the de-
bris.
Tho firemen are hopeful that no more lives
were lost, but people living in the vicinity of
the explosion are sure more bodies will be
found when the debris is explored This
cannot be done for several hours.
Persons who were asleep in buildings ad-
jacent to the wrecked mill We're thrown
clear out of their beds by the force of the
explosion, and most of them were more or
less seriously injured during the terrific
bombardment of bricks and other debris
Many of the people escaped from the shat
tered building with great difficulty. The
loss will aggregate Sl50OOO.
A battalion of twenty tiremen and over a
hundred volunteers are at work clearing
away the runs. Ernest Casper, one
of the three known to be dead, was
working in the cupalo at the time of
the explosion. The cupalo was lifted almost
entire and thrown distance of sixty feet
upon the south side of the street The multi
ated form of Casper is somewhere under the
wreck.
John Christensen, a kiln man, is the second
known victim. His body has not been found,
and he may have been blown some distance
by the force of the explosion.
Charles Miller, engineer, is also buried
under the mass of debris, and it is thought
his body will be found near the boiler.
The proprietor and manager of the mill
were on the ground early this morning but
have been unable to learn posi-
lively the cause of the explosion. Each
thinks that oat meal dust may have caused
it, but the terrific force is unprecedented if
this theory be accepted. No other reason
able explanation is offered, however, and an
explosion of dust is accepted until a better
reason can be found.
About 1890 this morning the excavating
party discovered the body of a man supposed
to be that of Engineer Miller. The
corpse was found on the north
driveway of the mill and was
covered with about three feet of debris. The
face was mangled so it could not be recog-
nzed. The unfortunate man had evidently
been blown from the boiler room clear to the
driveway.
The boilers have been uncovered and are
intact, which dsposes of the theory that
they had exploded. The police say there is
no evidence of the use of dynamite and it is
now considered certain that mill dust was the
material exploded.