The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1890-10-17

III csumatca that between se>eu ana
ten tons Of powder were exploded. soAs
reports say two or three timesthat much.
The loss will be from 500. 900 70 $780,
ooo Tho company l. rich and will b.
Gin 20 rebuild a. once
There were ~ least seven successive
explosions Every dwelling in tho
ne.xhborhood IL reported wrecked or
unroofed. and buildings within q radius
Of half mile are reported more or lcss
damaged.
At midnight . messenger brought In
the following dispatch: Ten killed
and upwards OF twenty wounded. Tho
little town OF Rockland Is = complete
wreck. None Of IT'S houses ara left
standing"
Rockland il village on the Brandy
vino creek about q mile above tho
scene Of tho explosion. IL comprised
: large paper mill owned BY the Jessup
l&-Moore Company and about fifty dwell
ings. in which chiefly rcside cd the mill
employees Its population is about two
hundred.
Immediately after the explosion .
large building known IS the refinery"
located near the center OF the village
took fire. Ii was matter OF life and
death TO the whole population that this
fre should be extinguished before it
communicated with the powder the
building contained. Taking their lives in
their hands the Dupont Fire Brigade
f~.~L. - u..~.o. -. J. ~ l. "a ..a,.~l< tho
roof II was touch and 70 between sue
cess and destruction. but the fremen
won. Hal the roof fallen in IL il doubt
full II any man. woman or child in the
vicinity would have escaped death or
serious injury.
About fifty families are rendered
homeless by the disaster. and many
are so dazed by the terrible events OF
those few seconds rs to seem hardly
conscious OF where they are or what
they are doing The injured are being
gathered into the hospital building APP
pertaining to the works, and are recciv-
ing such aid as they need
The Dupont Powder Works were cs-
tablishcd in ls0s BY Elenthere Irene
Dupont de Nemours, distinguished
Frcnchman. who came to this country
in l1s9 to escape Jacobin persecution
Thomas jefferson was anxious that the
works should be located in Virginia.
but the Frenchman finally SCI
lected the scene OF yesterdays ex-
plosion. De Nemours continued to
conduct the works uatil his death. in
1854. when his sons. Alfred Victor and
General Henry Dupont succeeded him.
the latter becoming the chief director
OF the business in 1850 The works fur
nished the sole supply Of powder for the
American army in the war ~ 1872. hay-
ing then capacity Of 1000 pounds q
day. At the present time the capacity
is over so. 900 pounds day. In addi-
ton 70 the three sets Of mills which
are run night and day. on the Brandy
wine. nine smaller mills have been
started in Pennsylvania and New Jcf-
sey within the last forty years Tho
prod need - the Brandywino
mills has been n important factor IN
every American war since the revolu-
tion. and also in several European con-
6icis- The Dupont Powder Com pany
OWNS about ewo thousand acres Of land
about its works. and tho estate Of the
late General Henry Dupont csmprises
- mueh more
In 1854 three wagon loads Of pOWd or
belonging to the Duponts which Was
Icing conveyed through the streets Of
exploded blowing the
driver ard horses to atoms and killing
several rasser Shy On August : 1867.
IN explosion occurred st tho Brs3dy-
vine works by which several worknen
we're killed. Alexis Dupont. . member
Of the firm. mounted the roof Of build
ing. filed With powder and was sweep
Ing burning brands from IL whsn the
powder within became ignitcd ard
Alexis was blown W. with the building.
not = trace of his body being found
The manufacture Of smokB1ess powder
had but recently begun at the BrandJ-
wine works
Later reports show that in addition 70
the list OF killed already sent W.
Dennison and John Dietz lost Sheir
lives. making twelve known TO hoye
been killed Among the slightly In
jured are Eugene Dupont, Tancis G
Dupont and Cha rles 4 DuponA