The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-01-02
AS DANGEROUS AS DYNAMITE.
The Highly Explosive Flour Dust
Which Frequently Wrecks Huge
Mills
From the st. Louis Post Dispatch.

UfOHt Ito DIs ISOuto 1OSt-DtSDUtCHs
Hugh T. Alderman, of Abilene, Kan, a
gentleman largely interested in -four mill
ing, said to reporter: "The recent fear
full mill explosion in Chicago, see by
the papers, has given rise to much comment
and several theories have been advanced as
to its cause. For my part, after an expert
ence of over twenty years in the business,
I cannot see any good reason for looking be-
yond -four dust. If a powder magazine
should blow up there would be every rea-
son to ascribe the explosion to the powder,
and the fine flour dust found in every mill
where great care is not taken to keep it down,
is almost as explosive as guDpowder. Few
people appreciate this, but it is fact we'll
known to all millers. Certainly barrel of
-four is as harmless an article as can well be
imagined, but in the process of manufacture
q high explosive, scarcely less powerful
than dynamite, is generated. This consists
Of nothing more than the fine dust which
comes from the stones. When in
mass it is perfectly harmless, but let it once
become disseminated through the air of
room in the form of an almost impalpable
powder, and it is likely to explode at any
moment with terrific violence. l am not
scientific man enough to give the reason for
this, but know that, like many other sub
when finely divided and confined, is one of
the most terrible agents Of destruction in
existence. While visiting Minneapolis to
attend a millers' convention in 1868, wit
messed casualty which shall never forget.
"A large party of members of the con-
vention were making a tour of the mills,
and great pains had been taken to put
everything in tie best order for their re-
ception. A number of the visitors had en-
tered the Washburn mill and were walking
around looking at the machinery. Just be-
fore their arrival a number of men had
been set TO work with brooms sweeping the
floors and carefully brushing the dust out
of the corners. AS q consequence the rooms
we're filed with minute particles Of the
fine dust which came from the stones, the
air being fairly laden with it. | CHANGED
to be with another party, and just as we
we're passing into the street we heard
sharp explosion, instantly followed by a
long, rumbling noise, ending in a peal like
a thousand claps OF thunder. / and those
with me were thrown TO the ground with
great violence and partially stunned. When
| recovered somewhat and staggered to my
feet saw in place of the great Washburn
mills heap of ruins, the walls being torn
in pieces and a huge irregular hole being
made in the ground. All the neighboring
buildings were more or less injured, some
having half their walls torn out, while
there was not whole pane Of glass with
in $50 yards. The noise of the explosion
summoned the fire department and the
conhagaraton which started up was at
once checked But the loss Of life had been
terrible. Eleven mill proprietors and over
forty workmen, who CHANGED to be in the
mill at the time, we're instantly killed in
some cases their bodies being torn to pieces
so as to render recognition impossible, while
over a dozen men were wounded by flying
fragments, some of them fatally. 1t was
one of the most DISASTROUS explosions ever
known.
At first it was ascribed to the boilers, but
on investigation it was found that these
were uninjured. Much testimony was taken
before the coroner's jury. and the respon-
sibility fixed uDon the -four dust. 1t ap-
peared that just before the sweeping com
menced all the windows in the mill had
been closed, so that the particles were closely
confined to the building. As one workman
said, the air was white with flour, in high
ly divided condition Both testimony and
experiment proved than an explosion may
occur at any instant when these conditic ns
prevail. Fire is not necessary; in fact il is
doubtful whether flame alone will cause the
dust TO explode, it going Off much more
readily by percussion. No one was left
alive in the room where the diaster com
menced, but probably workman dropped
an iron bar or a hammer, or it may even
have been occasioned by a violent stamp Of
q foot.