The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-10-17
TERRIFIC EXPLOSION.
Destruction of the Dupont Powder
Works at Wilmington, Del
A Fearful Loss Of Life Reported-Tvo VII
lagos Blown to Atoms Many Families
Made MISUNDERSTANDING

WILMINGTON, Del, Oct a-Several
startling explosions In quick succession
some counted Eve, others seven-at
$3.50 O'Clock yesterday afternoon an
nounced to Wilmington disaster at
the Dupont powder works on the
Brandywine.. A rush was made for tel.
ephones but nothing could be learned
beyond vague reports Of damage. Nt
As soon IS horsemen from here could
reach the works it was found that the
whole section OF the works known as
''upper yard" was complete wreck.
and at least twelve persons were killed
and twenty wounded, while Rockland
was complete wreck, none Of its
houses being left standing.
Rockland is village on the Brandy
wine fully mile above the scene of the
explosion. 1t has a large paper mill
owned by the Jessup & Moore Company,
about Fifty dwellings, in which chiefly
reside the mill employees. Its popula-
ton is about zoo aFEs5 ~
There were several reports resembling
the booming of cannon and about sec
ond apart. The first thought was that
there had been an explosion at the pow
der works, but the reports seeming so
near and not being characterized by the
usual rumbling and there being no
smoke visible in the direction of the
mills, it was imagined that the explo-
sion had occurred in the city. The hazy
atmosphere hid the smoke and caused
Al, 60
those of preceding explosions
Physic ans summoned by telephone
and hurrying toward the powder manu-
factory was the first indication the pub
lie had OF the exact location of the
catastrophe. Immediately thereafter
thousands of people went to the scene
of the disaster
The Office OF the Dupont Company is
q 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 serious
ly Among the slightly injured are:
Eugene Dupont the head Of the firm;
Francis G. Dupont and Charles L Du-
pont They and several clerks in the
Office were cut by fragments Of broken
glass but none of them seriously.
The dead were all employees of the
company and were in and about the
mills that exploded
Several workmen are missing and ere
believed to have been blown into frag-
ments The wounded received their in
juries among the walls Of their falling
houses and by broken glass and flying
debris. 'a
The first explosion occurred in one Of
the packing mills, where workman
named Grau was soldering a can Of
hexagonal powder to be shipped for the
use of the United States Government
In some way spark communicated to
the can and blew it 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 in
gradients OF gunpowder are pulverized
by the action of vertical rollers of stone
turning slowly around central post
The whole machinery is driven by water
power.
-
large building known as the refinery"
located near the center Of the village,
took fire. 1t was matter Of life and
death to the whole population that this
fire should be extinguished before it
communicated with the powder the
building contained The Dupont fire
brigade valiantly fought the flames,
which had caught the roof and succeed
ed in extinguishing them Had the
roof fallen in it is doubtful il any man,
woman or child in the vicinity would
have escaped death or serious injury.
About fifty families are rendered home
less by the disaster.
At Mount Salem Methodist Church
more than one-half of the window sashes
Of the large building wero blown out
and of those that remained the glass
was broken.
At the scene of the disaster women
and children, wives and sons and dsugh-
tiers of men employed in the powder
mandatory. were madly rushing here
and there seeking information about the
safety of their loved ones The yard in
which the mills stood was Uttered with
debris of fallen buildings and at some
places where buildings had been the
only trace left was empty cellars and
few foundation stones.
The little village of Dupont's Banks,
Immediately outside the powder yard,
presented most pitiable appearance.
A hundred dwellings were either de-
molished or badly damaged. Buildings
were unroofed and fronts of houses
were blown out and wrecked Inside
the dwellings the devastation was COM
plete. The rooms on the ground floor
were strewn with broken crockery,
crushed stoves and remnants of tables,
etc
1t is estimated that the loss can not
be less than 100000.
Fifty families are rendered homeless
by the disaster and many were so dazed
by the terrible events of those few sec
onds as to seem hardly conscious of
where they were or what they were
doing. The injured are being gathered
into the hospital building appertaining
to the works and are receiving such aid
as they need.
Conference of Irish Nationalist
DUBLIN, Oct S-Tbe conference Of
the Irish Nationalist, called by Mr..
Parnell, was held in this city yesterday.