Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-10-16
TERRIFIC EXPLOSION.
Destruction Of the Dupont Powder
Works at Wilmington, Del
A Fearful Loss Of Life Reported-TWo VII
lagos Blown to Atoms Many Families
Made Notwithstanding

WILMINGTON, Del, Oct 6-Several
startling explosions in quick succession
some counted five, others seven-at
$50 o'clock yesterday afternoon an
nounced to Wilmington disaster at
the Dupont powder works on the
Brandywine. A rush was made for tel
ephones. but nothing could be learned
beyond vague reports of damage
As soon as hofsemen from here could
reach the works it was found that the
whole section OF the works known as
upper yard" was a complete wreck.
and twenty wounded, while Rockland
was complete wreck, none OF its
houses being left standing:
Rockland is village on the Brandy
wine fully mile above the scene of the
explosion. It has a large paper mill
owned by the Jessup & Moore Company.
about fifty dwellings, in which chiefly
reside the mill employees. Its popula-
ton is about 200.
There were several reports resem bling
the booming of cannon and about a Sec
ond apart. The first thought was that
there had been an explosion at the pow
| der works, but the reports seeming so
near and not being characterized by the
usual rumb1ing and there being no
smoke visible in the direction OF the
mills, 1t was imagined that the explo-
sion had occurred in the city. The hazy
atmosphere hid the smoke and caused
the reports to sound differently from
| those Of preceding explosions
Physic ans summoned by telephone
and hurrying toward the powder manu-
factory was the first indication the pub
| lie had Of the exact location of the
catastrophe. Immediately thereafter
thousands of people went to the scene
of the disaster.
The office OF the Dupont Company is
a complete wreck and six mills are in
ruins Several mem bers of the Dupont
firm were injured by falling walls and
broken glass, but none of them serious
~. Among the slightly injured are:
Eugene Dupont the head of the firm;
Francis g. Dupont and Charles L Du-
pont They and several clerks in the
office were cut by fragments OF broken
glass but none OF them seriously.
The dead were all employees of the
company and were in and about the
mills that exploded
Several workmen are missing and are
believed to have been blown into frag-
ments. The wounded received their in.
juries among the walls Of their falling
houses and by broken glass and flying
debris.
The first explosion occurred in one OF
the packing mills, where a workman
named Grau was soldering a can Of
hexagonal powder to be shipped for the
| 0f I-;k IN <oC M
In some way a spark communicated tc
the can and blew it up. Instantly the
packing mill exploded, and the othe,
mills in the upper yards, seven or eigh1
in numb Der, followed at intervals of les!
than one second. ALI these, except one
were rolling mills" in which the in
gradients of gunpowder are pulverizei
by the action of vertical rollers of ston,
turning slowly around a central post
The whole machinery is driven by waite
power.
Immediately after the explosion
large building known as the refinery,
located near the center of the village
took fire. It was matter of life ant
death to the whole population that thi
fire should be extinguished before i
communicated with the powder tn
building contained The Dupont fir
brigade valiantly fought the flames
which had caught the roof and succeed
!, ed in extinguishing them Had tn
roof fallen in it is doubtful if any man
J woman Or child in the vicinity would
} have escaped death or serious injury
t About fifty families are rendered home
less by the disaster.
At Mount Salem Methodist Churc
more than one-half of the window sashe
: of the large building were blown GU
and of those that remained the glas
: | was broken.
At the scene of the disaster wome
3 | and children, wives and sons and daugl
. ters of men employed in the powde
mandatory. were madly rushing her
: and there seeking information about tn
9 safety OF their loved ones The yard i
r which the mills stood was Uttered wit
q debris of fallen buildings and at som
8 places where buildings had been tn
: only trace left was empty cellars and
: few foundation stones
: The little village of Dupont's Banks
a Immediately outside the powder yard
s presented a most pitiable appearance
. hundred dwellings were either Dc
o molished or badly damaged. Building
g were unroofed and fronts of house
@ | W0rc DiOWu OUT anu WreCkSue 1uS1O
the dwellings the devastation was con
|. plete. The rooms on the ground foe
= were strewn with broken CROKER,
n crushed stoves and remnants of table!
n etc.
d It is estimated that the loss can nc
l. be less than $500, 0O0
# Fifty families are rendered homeless
by the disaster and many were SO daze
by the terrible events of those few Sc.
onds as to seem hardly conscious {
e where they were or what they wer
It doing. The injured are being gathere
J. into the hospital building appertainin
9 to the works and are receiving such al
e as they need.
Conference of Irish NationAlists.
DUBLIN, Oct 8.-The conference
the irish Nationalist, called by NJ
~ Parnell, was held in this CITY yesterd a,