The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-07-30
BLOWN TO ATOMS.
An Awful Calamity in a Little
Ohio Village.
Fatal Explosion Of Sixteen Hum
dred Kegs Of Giant Powder.

A terrible explosion occurred late in the
afternoon at Kings powder works on the
Little Miami Railroad, twenty miles north
east of Cincinnati, Ohio. Ten persons
were killed Two empty freight cars
were being rolled on to a sida
track where car containing 800
kegs of gunpowder was standing.
As the cars struck there was terrific ex.
plosion and Immediately afterward another
car containing 800 kegs Of gunpowder ex-
ploded, making 1900 kegs altogether. VIII
liam Frauley, brakeman in the service Of
the Little Miami, was standing on one OF the
empty cars when the explosion occurred.
His body must have been blown to atoms.
No trace Of it could be found. At least nine
other persons were killed.
The King Powder Company and the
Peters Cartridge Works have shops on both
sides Of the river along the railroad. The
explosion occurred on the south side, and the
destruction was enormous. There are num-
ber of cottages occupied by workmen in the
powder factory and situated close to the
track. These were shattered by the explo-
sion and their inmates injured. Twelve or
fifteen girls at work in the cartridge factory
were crippled by the explosion. The railway
station and the freight-house belonging to
the Little Miami Railroad, together with all
the adjacent buildings, were set on fire and
totally consumed. The track and ties Of the
railroad were fairly torn out of the ground
and a great hole ploughed in the ground.
The Peters Cartridge Factory was burned
to the ground, nothing but mass OF black
ened smouldering ruins remain to mark the
spot where the building stood. As soon
as the news reached Cincinnati about 5
o'clock, relief train was despatched to the {
scene of the disaster with Superintendent
Peters and a large party Of surgeons on
board and relief was afforded the sufferers
as soon as possible. As most of the girls who.
were injured live at Morrow and South Leba.
non, it was most probable that they will be
taken to their homes in those places.
Peters's cartridge factory was large build
ing and fully supplied with great amount
of costly machinery, both for the manufac-
ture of Shells and the loading Of shotgun
ammunition. A large force of employees was
at work at the time the explosion oc-
Cured.
News from Kings Mills at nine o'clock
that night was that ten dead bodies had been
taken from the ruins and thirty were known
to be wounded.
A messenger Of the Adams Express Com
pany on the local train of the Pan Handle
road SAYS that when he passed Kings Mill
station at haf-past eleven everything COM
bustible was burning, and people every where
for q great distance around were lighting
the fire. The roadmaster Of the Littlet
Miami road, who got on at that station, said
there were three families living in little cot
tages near the place Of the explosion, and six
honrs' diligent search had failed to find any
trace of them An incident related
by him was that eight or ten girls in the car
fridge factory saved themselves from the
flames by catching hold OF rope, that hap.
pened to hang from the house to the ground
and sliding down.