St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-10-08
Terrific Explosion in the Du-
pont Powder Mills Near
Wilmington, Del.
Eleven Persons Blown to At
oms and Twice as Many
More Injured.
Buildings Situate Miles Dis
tant From the Mills I'm
rooted and Wrecked.
CarelessnesS of q Packer of
Explosives Caused the
Catastrophe.

WILMINGTON, Del, Oct. IA terrific
explosion resulting in the loss Of eleven
lives, the inJurlng of many people and
the destruction of much property oc-
Cured to-day in the upper yard of the
extensive powder works of E. L. Du-
pont, DE Nouns & Co. at Brandywine
Creek, three miles north of this city.
The shock was keenly felt here and
caused intense excitement. There were
six reports, resembling the b coming of
cannona and about second apart.
The first thought was that
there had been. an explosion at
the powder works, but the reports
seeming so near, ana not being char
racterized by the usual rumbling, and
there being no smoke visible in the
direction of the mills, it was imagined
that the explosion had occurred in the
city. The haZy atmosphere hid the
differently from those of preceding ex-
plosions. Physicians were summoned
by telephone, and were soon hurrying
toward the powder manufactory. This
was the first indication the public had
of the exact location of the catastrophe.
Immediately thereafter throngs of
people went to the scene of the disas-
ter. The instant the explosion was
heard the representative of the United
Press, rightly conjecturing the cause,
procured team and rapidly drove to
the powder works. When he reached
Mount Salem Methodist Episcopal
ntI1r
broken frames in the church windows,
he felt sure that his Surmises were cor
rect. More than one-half of the window
sashes Of the large building were out,
and of those that remained the glass
was broken. Soon thereafter cloud of
blush smoke was seen and the
Smell of Burning Powder
was observed. Following a curve in
the road the reporter beheld an appall-
ing spectacle. Women and children,
wives and sons and daughters of men
employed in the powder mandatory,
were madly rushing here and there
seeking information about the safety of
their loved ones. The yard in which
the mills stood was Uttered with debris
of fallen buildings. and at some places
where buildings had been the only trace
left was empty cellars and a
few foundation stones. The little
village Duponts Banks Immediately
outside the powder yard presented a
most pitiable appearance. A hundred
dwellings were either demolished OF
badly damaged. Buildings were un-
rooted and fronts of houses were blown
out and wrecked. Inside the dwellings
the devastation was complete. The
rooms on the ground floor were strewn
with broken crockery, crushed stoves
and remnants of tables, etc. The soda
mill, large stone building about 20C
yards from the magazine, is wrecked.
The roof of the charcoal mills fell,
ana the buildings themselves took
fire from the furnaces. Effective use
of the fire apparatus at the works soon
eXUinguiShed the fires. Where the corn.
ing and packing house stood there are
holesin the ground ten feet deep. The
large storage magazine, containing sew
eral tons of powder and built of CORFU
gated iron, is situated about quarter oi
a mile from the wrecked mills; it, with
another smaller mill, escaped; also the
glazing room and press room. Four O.
the DupontS and several clerks were il
the Office when the explosion took place
Every Window Was Blown In,
and much of the plastering fell from
the walls. but beyond scratches, cut
and bruises no one was hurt. 1--WE
horses being driven through the yar(
were killed, while their driver escaped
William r. Green was working in the
magazine that blew up first. He wa
packing powder for the government. l
is supposed that his soldering iron be
came too hot and ignited the powder
Ten men and one woman have beeI
killed, and the bodies of but two hay,
iOht
tions of the other bodies were being col
lected, limb here, an arm there,
piece of the trunk in another place
The list of dead SO far reported is as fol
lows:
WILLIAM R. GREEN, a soldier, age
forty leaves widow and four children. Hi
body was found whole but so badly black
ened as to be barely recognizable.
WILLIAM MCCARTNEY, laborer, age
forty, single head blown off.
MARTIN DOLAN, aged sixty-five. en-
ployed in the granting mill, leaves a family
JIM DOLAN, a laborer, aged sixty. single
JOHN H. HARRlGAN, laborer, married
aged thirty.
MICHAEL HARRIGAN, laborer.
PATRICK DOUGHERTY, aged thirty. sir
gle
JOHN NEWELL, aged fifty, leaves fan
lily.
JOHN HERLIHE, laborer.
MIKE HERLIHE, laborer.
MRS. ROSA DOUGHERTY, aged eighty
found crushed by the roof OF the house.
All the names given above were me-
employed in and about the mills tina
exploded, and with the exception q
Green and McGarvey. their bodies hav
not been found. The injured are as fo
lows: Daniel Harkins, aged seventy
fatally. Patrick Gilpen, badly hurt. Ii
was standing in the door of his house
200 yards from the mills. Thoma
Dougherty, aged five months, seriousl
injured by having stove fall on hin
William Logue, head badly Gu
Mrs. Lizzie f. Anderson, arm broke
and internally injured; Hugh Ferry
ribs crushed; James Ward, leg lace
ated; Winfield Thaters, eye torn ou
In the excitement and confusion it wa
impossible to obtain complete list {
the wounded. 1t is known that score
were cut by flying glass and bruised b
falling beams and timbeIs. 1t is est
mated that between seven and ten tor
of powder we're eXploded-some repor
say two OF three times that much. tt
total loss will be from 100000 to $500
600. The company is rich, and will b.
gin to rebuild at once.
There were at least seven successiy
explosions. Every dwelling in til
neighborhood is reported wrecked {
unroofed, and buildings within a radiI
of half mile are reported more or lie:
damaged. At midnight a messengt
brought in the following dispatch: TIE
killed and upwards of twenty wounde,
The little town of Rockland
Is Complete Wreck.
None of its houses are left standin