Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-12-14

The Force Unprecedented-ih Extent of the
Wreck and the Amount Of the Loss


Wreck and the Amount of tile Loss
CHICAGO. Dec. ll-An explosion that
shattered Divers big Oat meal mill on
HnIstcad street, near the yiaduct, destroy
ed jacob Press wagon factory, James
McCOrmck's aaloOn, and jacob Heng'5
Farmers Home, occurred in the oat meal
mill at O'Clock this morning. Three
men are known to have been killed, one
fatally injured, and q number of people
were badly bruised and shaken up.
Cuief SseIie, who lives on Pierce street,
thres quarteTs of q mile south OF the mill,
said that the force of the ex plosion threw
him out ot bed. Thers was not a whole
pane of glass iest in any building within
O quarter of a mile of tho mill. ii re
and there the panels of door were blown
out And this was one of the curious
features of the accident. The glass and
wood Hork we're pushed out instead Of
smashed in as one would naturally expect
The proprietor and manager of the
mill were on the ground early, but have
been unable to learn positively the cause
of the explosion. Each thinks that ost
meal dust may have caused it, but the
terrific force is unprecedented If this
theory be accepted. No other reasonable
ex xDlanation is offered, however, and the
explosion of dust is accepted, until bet
ter reason is found.
The FIRE seemed to spring up almost
before the rumble of the explosion died
out, and in less time Ahan it takes to tell
it the whole wreck was in flames. Sparks
that were carried through the air by the
wind ignited buildings two blocks away,
and for half an hour the chemical com
panies haa all they could do TO prevent
half a dOzsu serious couhagations. The
streets were filed with debris for block
on svery side of the burned
patch, and this seriously OLstructed the
tiremen in their work. They stumbled
over boards and TINT bers and debris IN
Ill their clothes were torn, their HANDS
and faces cot and their limbs so badly
stifened that they could scarcely walk.
But. notwithstanding these terrible
obstacles, the firemen worked CO until
the danger was over.
By9 O'Clock the fire department had
succeeded in extinguishing the fire, ard
the work of eIcavatipg in the ruins was
begun.
About 1890 O'Clock the boey of Charles
Miller, the engineer, was found in the
north driveway of the mill. 1t was Gov
ersC WltD PpCGt IDf6S lttt OI dsbes, tub
lower part covered with bruises and
burns, and the face so mangled as to be
uurecoyuizgbie. He was 80 years old,
and leaves a wife and three children.
Shortly after his remains were found
the body of Ernst Casper Sas discovered
He was Iyiug on his back, his chsrred,
blackened head rested On step OF
stairway. His hands and feet were
burned to cinder. Hundreds of men
searched anxiOusiy for the missing
millers, and after some time one
of them, John Holmes, was found
lying In the alley across the
street from the mill terribly burned and
lscerated. He wss working in the second
story of the mill when the ex plosion oc-
CURED and vas hurled through d window
and across the street. He cannot live.
The loss will aggregate Si50,O00.
A Change in the Chairman OF Two Committees
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1l.-Rspresontative
McCresry, cnsicmaz of rhs committee
on private laud claims, has resigned,
having succeeded Belmont as chairman
of the foreign affairs committee. Gen.
Viewer, the second member on the list,
declined TO serve as chair nan for the
reason that be is at the head OF the com
mirtee on pa ents, and Glover (Mo.) was
made chairman.