New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-02-11
TONS OF POWDER EXPLODE.
THE EARTH SHAKEN TWENTY MILES AWAY.
NOT vEsrAGE LEFT OF THE DUPONT MILLS PACK
ING HOUSE AT wAPwALLoPEN, PENN.-PoUR
MEN KILLED AND TWENTY PERSONS HURT.
uApur riIRr


mo HOUSE AT wAPwALLoPEN, PENN.-PoUR
MEN KILLED AND TWENTY PERSONS HURT.
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE
WILKRsBARnE, Penn, Feb. 10.-1he packing
house of the Dupont Powder Mills at Wapwal-
lopen, twenty ght miles from this city, at 10
O. m. to-day blew up Four men were instantly
killed. and about twenty were more or less hurt.
The mills are, in small valley running up into
the mountains which closely border the Susque-
hanna River at Wapwallopen, about five miles
below Shickshinny. Through the valley runs the
Wapwallopen Creek. The buildings connected
with the mills are distributed along the creek for
o distance Of over two miles and employ, all told,
about l s5 men. The packing house, where the
explosion occurred, was the furthcst but one up
the stream. 1t stood close against the side of the
hill, and before 1t stretches level expanse OF
perhaps 400 yards to the hills on the opposite side
Of the valley. Both hilsidcs were thclSly covered
with young fir and pine trees and many stood on
the level space
At Q clock this morning eight men went to
work In the packing house. Four were in the
building, and four were at work putting the hlled
kegs ON railroad cars. At 80 they had loaded
1900 kegs and started down with them toward
the lower end of the valley. They had not gone
a mile when the explosion took place 1t is
tsti ulftcu tHdJ iDeTe were tuihe WV
tons Of finished powder in the building vi tne
building itself not vestige remained its M Sue
being marked by deep hole in the ground ne
material Of which it was composed, chiefly LUMBER,
was literally ground into small splinters and
thlckly strewn over the ground. Of the trees
that stood on the level space not one was ieit
and up the hillside, against which the Dulldln9
stood, track was swept like that OF cyclone
or the four men there was gathered up over an
area Of half a square mile two small ooxiuls OF
remnants, most OF them only a pound or two IN
wei no
rs the collar bone and upper ribs OF Peter kisn.
baugh, was found in field on the other side OF.
the hill facing the building distance OF onree,
the arm Of John IL Rosman were found IN the top
Of tree on the summit OF the hllL ihese were
the only pieces that could be idenJihed
About 400 yards from the packing house stood
two substantial brick structures, the can factory
and the charcoal mill Both were wrecked and
reduced TO piles of ruins In the can factory ten
men were at work and in the charcoal mill two
All these men were more less injured, three
fatally These three in the can factory. On
the top OF TIE hill, close TO the packing house ston
the stables Of the company, number OF houses oc.
cupied by the employees and new Mrthodist
church The stab were wrecked and even one
OF the houses entirely ruined. Walls were spit,
doors and door frames and window sashes All
blown in and every bit Of plaster in every room
shaken down. All the furniture was broken ana
In nearly every house some Of the inmates were
more or less hurt. Among the houses that suneren
most severely are those OF William Saun' K franK
Freize. Hiram Mover. Wili~m Ashworth. Nathan
Ketcham The child. arc two. Of Abram Kinsey'
was badly cut the face and head.
little further down the valley was another
group Of houses. every ono Of which was damaged,
the windows and doors being blown in. chimneys
blown down and the wall split Among those thrre
injured were tho honses OF Richard sshworIh'
w n Festermacher. W. w Shohert. Frank Do
frame Ruehen Davis ard the store Of Albert Scho-
bort All down the valley and into tho vi'''Ce
NJ Wapwnllopen the houses wore DAMAGED. WIN,
/. In <h, lrp0
rnrn tu-e. glassware and croc'rcrv destroyed. The
shock was plainly felt in Wi'k"sharre. twentv-
eight miles awev. and in Shickshinnv and H"r-
wick the nnarest towns Of anv size: the ron"ussion
was violent and rho earth shook and tremb'ed as
thc;.g in the throcs ~ on earthnnake over the
norntain in Tho orrosi'p direction houses were
lamn red ard destruction wrought TO furniturr and
crocl,orv as far as Alden. seven miles distant,
md the shock was felt in IIazleton twenty miles
awav.
Thonch thcrc have been n number of explo-
sions M those r,ilIs I. Is ninc roars since erv
lifo WIS lost The commands officials nlace the
loss on th"ir pron"rtv Mt about slo'o"o in"v
tate that the cnrnranv will make good every
cont Of damaoe sustained nv the owrore NJ the
hcnsos in the neiqhhorhood nearly all Of which are
ovrod and o"cuniod bv tho cmn'ovrs ~ tho MUS;
In tho afternoon LARGO crowds IF DcODe gathered
M tho Srot frcr, all surrounding towns. COM
mo down from Willynsharro and NaptcOke The
list Of killed and injured is as follows:
KILLED.
r.HpAuGH thrvseven 11o lived at Neseopeek
and Leave. y wife an sr children.
Rosw,x John IT, aga thrtveight HeIesve' five children
rFFrs a. F. age niueteen He lived at the mills
STOUT George. age twentv-one He was unmarried
INJURED.
-oRKry Frank was badly cut and hal ribs broken
Trn nav 10.
PETER sas F. Marie, with tour chill dren. will prob
rorrgv w. hal his head ami his shorler fractured
,opcoR.x Tobn RosMiy John.
nrrR.yr PRANK sHoBERr +. X.
ERERT. John. SHsS y
amy Iacoh SRfIRvHR. Peter.
,,m, Cd rms,v FRUsTERMACHBR. W. n.
Ro.nAy uubert YOUNG. EZeke.
The injuries were cuts and bruises rccelyeh from
aIlinr tfnbers and most of the men are likely TO