The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-08
POWDER WORKS BLOWN UP.
The Dupont Powder Mills Explode with
Frightful Results.

WILMINGTON, Del, Oct. 4 - Several
startling explosions in quick succession,
some counting five, others seven, at $3.50 p.
m, announced a disaster at the Dupont
Powder works on the Brandywlne. A
rush was made for telephones, but nothing
could be learned beyond vague reports OF
damage. An Associated Press representa-
tive fastened at once TO the scene, and has
lust wired that the whole section of the
| works known as the upper yard" Is a
comulete wreck. and that at least six
lives have been lost. One OF the maya
zines went off first, and the rolling and
drying mills near by, set of by the concus-
! sion, followed in rapid succession. There
| were at least seven distinct successive eX-
plosions. A messenger has just brought
| in the following dispatch which shows
| that the worst has not yet been learned Of
the powder mill explosion. ''Ten killed,
twenty wounded. Rockland. a complete
wreck, none of its houses left standing" "
Rockland is a village on the Brandywine,
fully a mile above the scene Of the eXplo-
sion. II has large paper mills owned by
| the .Tessup and Moor company, about 80
dwelling. in which chiefly reside the mill
employees. Its population is about POO.
! Evidence of destruction at that distance
! leads TO the belief here that the number Of
! killed and wounded is not yet fully asceT-
tanned.
! Following is partial list Of the killed:
MARTIN DoLAN.
JAMES DOLAN.
! WILLIAM 1iCGARvEY.
! JOHN MARTYGAN.
/ WILLIAM DENNISOE.
! JOHN DIETZ
THOMAS HURLTKE.
JOHN HURLIKE.
PATRICK DOUGHERTY.
JOHN NEwALL.
WILLIAM GREEN.
ROSE DAUGHEBTY.
Several others are missing. The most
seriously wounded so far as learned are:
DANIEL HARKINS.
WILLIAM LOGAN will probably die
ANDREW GODFREY, lacerated arm and
hip.
FRANK HOLLIS, head cut
JOHN MCCARTNEY, head cut.
CHARLES GODFREY. arm cut.
THOMAS DOUGHEITY, injured in the head
and supposed 10 be dying.
ANNIE and MARIE DOLAN, daughters of
James Dolan, who is among the killed.
JAMES WARD, leg droken and hurt in
tenally.
JOIN Mcdowell. head badly hurt
Mrs. WILLIAM Mcdowell, ear cut off
and head very badly cut. Her 2-year-Old
daughter is seriously injured.
LYDIA ANDERSON, arm broken and badly
bruised.
The office Of the Dupont company is a
complete wreck and six mills are in ruins.
Several members of the Dupont firm were
injured by falling walls and broken glass,
but none Of them seriously Among the
slightly injured are Eugene Dupont, the
head OF the firm; Francis &. Dupont and
Charles l. Dupont They and several
clerks in the Office were cut by shattered
glass, but none of them seriously.
The dead were all employees Of the COM
pany and were in and about the mills that
and are believed to have been blown into
fragments The wounded received their
injuries among the walls of the falling
houses and by broken glass and flying
debris. The first explosion occurred in
one of the packing mills where workman
named Grant was receiving a can of heXa-
gonal powder to be shipped for the use Of
the United States government. In some
way spark communicated to the can and
blew il up. Instantly 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
which the ingredients of gun powder are
pulyeriZed bv the action of vertical rollers
of stone turning slowly around n central
post. The whole machinery is driven by
water power. The odd one was a mixing
mill. Immediately after the explosion a
large building known as the refinery"
located near the center OF the village, took !
fire. IL was a matter of life and death
to the whole population that this
fire should be eNtinguished before it
communicated with the powder the build !
ing contained. The Dupont fire brigade !
valiantly fought the flames which had /
caught the roof and succeeded in extin- |
gushing them. Had the roof fallen in it |
Is doubtful If any man, woman or child /
in the vicinity would have escaped death /.
or serious injury. Fifty families are rem /
dered homeless by the disaster
SHOCK FELT AT PHILADELPHIA.
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. THE shock of |
the explosion at Wilmington this after /
noon was plainly felt in many sections Of |
this city. The shock was also felt at Mill /
Vile, y. j.. Chester Pa, and other points 4
thirty to Jhirty-tive miles distant.
II fails, money refunded; Preston's .
"Hed-Aken