The Portland daily press., 1890-10-08
Buildings Shattered and at Least
Twelve Persons Killed.
Firemen Fight the Flames Back From
Tons Of Explosive
And Save the Town and Scores Of
Human Lives.
The Dupont Powder Works Disappear
in Flash and Smoke.

WILMINGTON, Del, October THE Du-
pont powder works on the Brandywine about
three miles from here, blew up this after
noon, killing at least II persons and badly
in1uring number more. The whole section
Of the works known as the upper yard" is
complete wreck. One of the packing mills
went off first and the rolling and drying
mills near by set off by the conclusion, fol-
lowed In rapid succession. At least seven
distinct explosions occurred. Every dwelling
IN the neighborhood was wrecked or un-
rooted, and buildings within a radius of half
mile were more or less damaged. Eleven
men and one woman are known to be killed
and several others are missing. The more
seriously injured, so far as learned, number
five men, one of whom will probably die,
four women and girl two years old.
The Dupont powder mills extend along the
Brandywine chiefly ON the west bank close
to the water about two miles. At the upper
yard were the Office and business head
quarters of the company and some 30 houses,
inhabited by employees, all of which were
wrecked. The force of the concussion broke
windows 10 some parts of Wilmington, four
or five miles away. The mills are in ruins
Eugene Dupont, the head Of the firm, Francis
q. Dupont, Charles 1. Dupont and several
clerks in the offices were cut by fragments of
broken glass but none seriously. The dead,
all employees of the company, were in and
about the mills that exploded. Several work.
men who are missing are believed to have
been blown into fragments. The wounded
received their injuries among the walls Of
their falling houses and by broken glass and
flying debris. Had there not been a general
and instant exodus from the houses at the
first shock, the death list would have been
much heavier, as many would have been
crushed in the ruins Of their Hellings.
A workman named Gran was handling
can Of hexagon powder to be shipped for the
use Of the United States government. In
some way spark was communicated to the
can and 1t blew up. Instantly the packing
mill was exploded and the other mills in the
upper yard, seven or eight in number. fol-
lowed at intervals of less than second. All
these, except one, were trolling mills" in
which the ingredients Of gun powder are
pulverized by the action OF vertical rollers
Of stone turning slowly around central
post The whole machinery was driven by
water power. The odd one was the linking
mill" Immediately after the explosion a
large building known as the refinery"
located near the centre of the village, took
fire. 1t was matter Of life and death to the
whole population that this fire be extinguish-
ed before 1t communicated with the powder
the building contained. Taking their lives
in their hands the Dupont Fire Brigade
Bought the flames which had caught on the
roof 1t was touch and go between success
and destruction and the firemen won. Had
the roof fallen in, it is doubtful If any man,
woman or child in the vicinity would have
escaped death or serious injury. About fifty
families were rendered homeless by the
disaster. There is no more chance of getting
news from there tonight, and but little can
be done in the way of searching for the
missing or ascertaining the extent of damage
to property until daylight.