, 1890-10-09
Extensive Powder Mills
Blown Up.
ON THE BRANDYWINE
Twelve Bodies Recovered
and Others Missing.
FIFTY FAMILIES HOMELESS
Their Houses Demolished by the
Repeated Explcsions--A Large
Number Injured.

WILMINGTON, DEL, Oct. 7.-Several
startling explosions In quick succession
--some counted five and others seven
at 3 p. NJ. announced to Wilmington q
disaster to the Dupont powder works on
the Brandywine. A rush was made for
the telephones, but nothing could be
learned beyond vague reports of the
damage.
An Associated Press representative
FASTENED to the scene, and has wired that
the whole section OF this works known rs
the upper yard" Is complete wreck,
and that at least six lives were lost. Ono
of the magazines went off first, and the
rolling and drying.mills near by, set off
by the conclusion, followed In rapid sue
cession. There were at least seven dis
tinct successive explosions. Every
dwelling in the neighborhood Is reported
20 have been wrecked or unroofed, or
more or less damaged.
Telephone inquiries from West
Chester state that the explosions were
distinctly heard in that section.
A messenger has just brought in the
following dispatch, which shows that
the worst has not previously been
learned of the powder.mill explosion:
'Ten persons were killed and twenty
wouRded. Rockland is n complete wreck.
None Of It's houses are left standing"
Rockland is q village on the Brandy
wine, fully mile above the scene of the
explosion. 1t comprises largo paper
mill, owned by the Jessup & Monroe
Company, and about Hfty dwellings, in
which chiefly reside the mill employees.
It's population Is about 200. The evidence
Of destruction at that distance leads to
the belief here that the number Of the
killed and wounded has not yet been
fully ascertained.
Tho Dupont Powder Mills extend
along the Brandywine, chiefly on the
west bank and close to the water, for
about two miles. They are divided into
the "Upper," "Hagley," and Lower"
yards. The former is three miles and
the latter hvs miles from Wilmington.
The report OF the damage done at
Rockland proves to be incorrect as to
locality. the namo of Rockland being err
,oneouslyussd for the buildings clustered
Around what 10 .known locally as the
Upper yard" There arc some fifty
houses there, inhabited BY employees of
the powder mills, clustered here and
there. and all were wrecked. The DAM
age to property can not DO thoroughly
estimated tonight The force OF the
conclusion even broke windows in some
parts of Wilmington, four or five miles
away.
LIST OF THE KILLED.
Following is partial list of the killed
MARTIN DoLAN.
JAMES DoLAN.
WILLIAM McGARvEY.
JoHr MARrYeAN.
WILLIAM DENNIsoN.
JOHN DiErz.
THOMAS HURLiKE.
JOHN HURLIKE.
PATRICK DouGHERrY.
JOHN NEwALL.
WILLIAM GREEN.
ROSE DoUGHYRrY
Several others are missing.
THE INJURED.
The more seriously injured, as far as
learned, are:
DANIEL HAsKIss.
WILLIAM LOGAN.
ANNIE and MARIA DoLAN.
JAMES WARD.
HUGH FERRY.
JOHN McDouGALL.
N rs. WILLIAM McDoudALI.
The iattets two o-year-oId daughter.
LYDIA ANDERSON.
ANDREW GODFREY.
FRANK Hollis.
JOHN MCCARTNEY.
CHARLES GoDFRgY.
THOMAS II. DoUoHERrY.
THE MILLS IN RUINS.
The office of the Dupont Company is
complete wreck, and the mills are In
ruins. Several members of the Dupont
frm were injured by the falling walls
and broken glass, but none of them seri-
ously. 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
oeen blown to atoms.
THE FIRST EXPLOSION.
The first explosion occurred in one of
the packing-mills where a workman
named Grau was receiving can of
hexagonal powder to be shipped for the
use OF the United States government.
In some way spark was communi-
Gated to the can, and 1t blew up. In
staniy the packing-mill exploded, and
the other mills in the upper Yards.
seven or eight in number, followed at
intervals OF less than one second. All
these, except one, were rolling-mills, in
are pulverized by vertical rollers of
stone turning slowly around center
post.
MARROW ESCAPE.
Immediately after the explosion the
large building known as the refinery"
located near the center of the village
TOOK hre. II was a matter OF life and
death to the whole population that the
hre should be extinguished before IL
communicated with the powder build
ing. Iho Dupont fire brigade succeeded
IN extinguishing the flames. Had the
roof fallen In 1t is doubtful If any man.
woman or child In the vicinity would |
have escaped death or serious injury,
About fifty families are rendered
homeless by the disaster.
SCENES OF CONFUSION.
When tho Associated Press repre-
sentative arrived on the scene, he found
the women and children, the wives and
sons and daughters of the men en-
pioyed in the powder mauufactory
Inadly rushing here and there, seeking
Information as TO the safety of their
loved ones. The yard in which the
mills stood was Uttered with the debris |
OF the fallen buildings, aud. ut some
places where tie buildings had been,
tine only trace left was the empty
cellars snd few foundation stones. !
inside the dwellings the devastation
was complete. The rooms on the
ground floor were strcwn with
broken crockery. crushed stoves, rem