The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1890-10-17

( WILMINGTON, DEL, October THE
office and six mills of the Dupont Pow
der Works, near here are in ruins. |
Fifty or more houses of workmen at |
the upper yard" are wrecked. A dozen
perhaps more, workmen are dead, aud |
q score or more others are injured, rs II |
result of series OF powder explosions |
nc lS.30 this afternoon.
The Dupont works which are we'll |
kl1oHn thro oughout the country, are the |
5Sx3
States. The mills extended along the |
banks of the Brandywine, chiefly on the
west side, for about two miles. They
are divided into upper" "Hagley"
and "lewer" yards. The first named,
where the Office Of the company is To-
Ted, is about three miles, and the last
Named about five miles from Whining
ton.
A workman named Grau, in one of
the packing mills connected with the
supper" yards, was receiving can of
hexagonal powder to be shipped for the
use of the United States Government,
when In some way spark c0mmuni-
Gated to the can and it blew up. Instant
ly the packing mill exploded, and the
other mills in the upper yards, seven
OF eight in numbers followed at inter-
walls OF less than one second from the
conclusion. All these, except one, were
rolling mills in which the ingredients
OF gunpowder are pulverized by the ac-
-tion of vertical rollers of stone turning
slowly around central post. The
wh$ke machinery Is driven by water
power The odd one was mixing
mill.
The shock was simply terrific, and
five miles away, and In New Jersey and
elsewhere.
AT the "upper yards" where the ex-
plosion occurred, are some fifty houses
inhabited by employees of the powder
mills, and they are all wrecked. The
office of the Dupont Company Is a COM
piete wreck, aud six mills are in ruins.
All buildings within a radius of half q
mile are damaged, and the concussion.
+, even broke windows in some parts of
Wilmington, four or five miles away.
Immediately, after the explosions the
large building known as the "refinery."
located near the centre of the village.
took fire.
- 1t was q matter of life and death to
the whole population that this fire
should be extinguished before it CON-
smunicated with the powder the bnild-
ing. .coptainSd. TaiIiaSI .sG.z a;;;ess:a
!; ;sc5gS,t Shs sfis3 ss, which nsd tgss
sltse roof. 1t was toaeh and GO between.I
3 success and destruction, hut the pre-
, men won. Had tho roof fallen init is
J, doubtful If any man, woman OF cnlio
sssir the vicinity would have escaped
death or serious injury.
About fifty families are RENDERED
homeless by the disaster, ana many OIL
them were SO. .dazed by the terriole
events of those few SECONDS as 10 soen
hardly conscious Of where they arc or
what they are doing. The injured are
being gathered into the hospital builo-
ing entertaining to the works, and are
receiving such surgical and otner alc
as tney need. Owing to the rocky anC
waoded character of the locality, bu
little can be done in the way OF search
ing for the missing, or ascertaininR th
extent of damage done to properly un
I'll daylight. >,
killed Martin Dolan, James D0laI
Dennison. John Dietz, John Hurhk
.fynwat, ana a woman named 10
.s- no,Gherty. several Others are nissln
Tbe more seriously tnjnred, SO 1ar
learned. are: Daniel Harkins,, w.
logan. (will probably died) Annie n a
Marie DoIan, daughters or James i
Ian. who is among the -kiiieoi Jan
Ward, leg broken ana hu'. onsn;n inSo
Hugh Ferry, picked up un ;onscio
2Sr,es unknown; John McDow
SsaJ badly hurt; Mrs. VIM. McDow
aar cut off and head very badiy
%ar two-year.old daughter seriously
inred: lydia Anderson, arm "Fo'
and badly bruised.
Among tho slightly injured are
oene Dupont, the head or the II
M Francis Il. Dupont and Chas. }. Dup
They and several clerks In ;the Q
were cut by fragments OF proSen
but none seriously. The deao wel
S.employees Of the company ahu w,
and about the mills that expie
Saverai workmen are missing and
Seiieyed to have been blown to
= ments. II;
s,,nno the walls of their fallinBh'
and by broken glass and fying-d'
<ts,s@ Had there not been, a Renerai e.
from their houses at the hrsts 8
ihs death list would have Deen
heavier, as many swouid iavs
- crushed In the RUNS Vi shoit ~
Undertakers have gone out
Wilmington to give their servi
preparing the dead for burial.
Wilmington surgeons were pIoi
hurry to the spot and render aid.
Yesterdays Powder Expiosio'
WILMINGTON. Del.,. Octocer Q
yan narsons were killed and TIVE
inred in Yesterday afternoons
sions at the Dupont powder mil
Zen who were killed were all "
in and about the magazines and
and except In the case OF thrt
blown to pieces, 30 that only ira
Of their remains haye been four
The body of Patrick. Doughe
found this morning in the wate
race along the creek shore wneI
81 = bean thrown by the explo81o