The Red Cloud chief., 1890-10-17

Destruction Of the Dupont Powder
Works at Wilmington, Del
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WILMINGTON, Del. Oct a-Several
startling explosions in quick succession
some counted I'VE, others seven-at
$50 o'clock yesterday afternoon an
nounoed 70 Wilmington . disaster st
the Dupont powder wofks on tho
Brandywine. A rush was made for tel
ephones. but nothing could Be learned
beyond vague reports Of damage.
As soon IS horsemen from hero could
reach the works IL was found that the
whole section OF the works known -
upper yard" was . complete wreck.
and At least twelve persons were killed
and twenty wounded, while Rockland
IA . complete wreck, none Of il
houses being left standing.
ROckland Is o village on the Brandy
wine fully . mile above the scene OF the
explosion. 1t has q large paper mill
owned by the Jessup & Moore Company.
about nfty dwellings in which chiefly
reside the mill employees It's popula-
ton il about 200
There were several reports resembling
the booming Of cannon and about . sec-
Ond apart. The 6rst thought was that
there had been an explosion at the pow
der works, but the reports seeming 80
ncar and moi being characterized by tho
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
the reports to sound differently from
those of preceding explosions
Physic ans summoned by telephone
and hurrying toward the powder manu-
factory "a the FIRST indication the pub
lie had Of the exact location Of the
catastrophe. Immediately thereafter
thousands Of people vent TO the scene
Of the disaster.
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 serious
~. Among the slightly injured are:
Eugene Dupont the head Of the firm;
Francis q. 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 wcre in and about the
mills that exploded.
Several wOrkmen are missing and arc
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
The first explosion occurred in one OF
the packing m Ills, whore q workman
named Grau was soldering a a Of
hcxagonal powder to be shipped for the
use Of the United States Government
In sOmC way a spark communicated to
the a and blew it up Instantly the
packing mill exploded. and the other
mills in the upper yards v or eight
In number. followed at intervals Of less
than one second. All these. except one,
werc rolling mills" in which the in
gradients OF gunpOwder are ~pulverized
by the action Of vertical rollers Of stone
turning slowly around a central post
The whole machinery Is driven by water
power.
Immediately after the explosion .
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 extinguishcd before 1t
communicated with the powder the
building contained. The Dupont fire
brigade valiantly fought the flames.
which had caught the roof and succeed
cd in ext.nguishing them. Had the
roof fallen in it is doubtful il any man.
woman or child in tho 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 sashcs
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 daugh-
tiers of men employed in the powder
mandatory. were madly rushing here
and there seeking information about the
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 lit g village Of Dupont's BankA
Immediately outside the powder yard,
presented a most pitiable appearance
A hundred dwellings we're e.ther de-
mOlished or baily damaged. Buildings
were unroOfcd 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 IL estimated that the loss can not
be less than $500. 600
Fifty families are rendered homeless
by the disaster and many were 20 daxed
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 theh hospital building ap~pertaining
to the works and are receiving such aid
~ they need.
ConGereace n Irish Na~tsoaalista.
DUBLIN, Oct S-The conference Of
the Irish Nationalists, called BY Mr..
papuon zoe holN IN THE ~;N~ vo.Ao>A>.