Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-10-08
LIKE AN EARTHQUAKE.

/
ttudinous apology-than tho man who sacri-
fees his curiosity to his conscience.
LIKE AN EARTHQUAKE.
Terrific Explosion at the Dupont Pow
der bills.
| Six Of the Dupont gunpowder mills, about
four miles from Wilmington, Del, exploded
yesterday afternoon. Twelve bodies were found
and many were wounded Fifty houses were
| blown down. The shock felt in Philadel-
phia, about thirty miles distant
| The first explosion occurred in one Of the
packing mills, where Q workman named Green
was receiving q can Of hexagenal powder to be
shipped for the use of the United States gov
| ernment In some way a spark communicated
to the can and it blew up. Instantly the pack
ing mill exploded and the other mills in the
upper yards. seven or eight in number, followed
at intervals OF less than one second.
| THE REFINERY IN FLAMES
| Immediately after the explosions large
building known as the refinery" located near
the center of the village, took fire. 1t WAS a
matter Of life and death to the whole popula-
ton that this fire should be extinguished be-
| fore 1t communicated with the powder the
building contained. Taking their lives in their
hands, the Dupont fire brigade fought the
| flames, which had caught the roof. 1t was
| touch and go between success and destruction,
| but the firemen won. Had the roof fallen in it
| Is doubtful II any man, woman or child in the
vicinity would have escaped death or serious
| injury.
The dead were all all employees of the COM
pany. and were in and about the milSth ex-
| ploded Several workmen are missing and 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.
FEARS FOR THE FUTURE.
The explosion is by far the worst that has
ever occurred in the history of the Dupont
powder firm and has created the greatest ap-
prehension among the people of Wilmington as
to their future safety from this terrible agency
| of destruction. The havoc wrought by the
terrific charge is beyond description. Great
barns were lifted from their foundations, i'm
| mense trees were uprooted bodily and carried
across fields and the earth was blown up and
sent flying like shower of yellow mud over
everything for miles about. There is scarcely
an object left standing within radius of 500
yards of the center of the explosion, while there
IS scarcely pane of unbroken glass in any
| house within three miles.
Chickens. dogs and small domestic animals
were killed instantly by the conclusion, which
shook to pieces the homes of the workmen in
+ the powder mills. Everything in these cozy
| little homes has been ruthlessy destroyed,
| every particle Of furniture and clothing being
ground up in the wreck The people are dazed
| For the first six hours after the explosion they
wandered aimlessly about the wrecks OF their
| homes, without an apparent comprehension of
| the awful calamity that has befallen them, only
| knowing that their lives have been mraculously
| spared.
SOME OF THE MEN MISSING.
| Some of the men who went into the fatal
mills are We. unaccounted for. 1t is feared
fheyh ayO hlOwp M fra 70 bod; l,y
carried away. report was current that
| woman i'll passing through woods about a
quarter of mile distant had seen a body in
the limbs Of a tall tree. She was so appalled,
at her horrible discovery that she fled in terror.
She related the story to some one soon after,
but in her fright she had failed to note the
location Of the tree and before the search
| could be finished night had settled down and
the party abandoned the hunt until morning.
MELANCHOLY SCENE.
The scene of the Upper Banks" as the DESC
late little hamlet is locally designated. is most
melancholy. The houses stood on a deep hill
side and we're built in regular rows of stone
two stories high. with pOrches in front and
flower gardens at the door. There were in all
about fifty of these little dwellings, occupied
by the men working in the mills and their
families. Ali were tastefully and omtortaby
furnished with the pride of proprietorship,
evidenced in the care and snugness apparent.
setting about preparations for an early supper
The first report and terrific shocks brought
them in hurried alarm to their doors. This
step doubtless saved scores of lives. The third
any of the others. responsible for the great
destruction. 1t literally leveled the houses.
but by good luck the inmates were nearly all
out doors seeking their husbands, sons and
brothers. 80 the fatal explosion could do little
more than wreck the homes and demolish the
hOngehOld stOrpS haa yapt tup lioO
| with a crash. Roofs swayed. rocked and broke
in pieces; the plastering fell in clouds and the
myriads of fragments Of window glass jingled
| an accompaniment as the work of destruction
went on.
HOMES IN RUINS.
In a moment the onslaught was over. and
the Transformation Of a bright, happy little
village to utter desolation, despair and grief,
was complete. Many who had escaped death
| in the shock at the mills, rushed in terror to
their homes to find only broken, gaunt walls
with fragments of their worldly stores and
| their families homeless and crouching in dread
lest more disaster was to follow.
KILLED AND INJURED.
The names of the ten known last night to
have been killed follows: Rose Doughorty
aged eighty; killed in her house by the fall of
the ceiling. William Il. Green, aged forty,
| head OF shipping department. married and
! leaves several children. Martin Dolan, aged
| sixty-fve, powder maker, married. leaves wife
| and several children; blown to pieces. Patrick
| Dongherty, powder maker, aged thirty five,
| single; killed in the mill. James Dolan. pow
| der maker. aged sixty; killed by me explosion
| William McGarvey, helper Of William Green,
| aged forty. single; head blown off. John Har.
| rigan, aged thirty, leaves widow and children
John Hurlehe, aged thirty-tive. Thomas
| Hurlehe, aged thirty-seven. John Newell,
married and leaves widow and four children;
! killed by force of explosion.
| Among the many injured the following
| names were obtained last night: William Logan,
scalp torn off, will probably die Annie Dolan,
daughter Of Martin Dolan, injured by falling
walls. Mary Dolan. daughter OF Martin Dolan,
| injured by falling walls. James Ward, leg
broken and scalp torn Off Mrs. William Nc
DOwell, ear cut of and scalp badly torn.
- Mcdowell, twO-year-Old daughter OF Mrs
William Mcdowell, seriously injured. Lizzie
| Anderson. arm broke and seriously hurt inter-
nally. William Dennison, engineer fatally
hurt Eugene Dupont, Col II. A. Dupont and
DR.. Alexis l. Dupont were in the Office
wrecked by the explosion, but were only
slightly cut by falling plaster and broken glass
Edward Collision, head clerk, severely cut about
the head. w. J. Macklem, u clerk in the office.
was obliged to escape through register and
eye blown out. Andrew Godfrey, decorated arm
and hip by the falling of his house. Hugh
| Terry, ribs crushed by fall of Mrs Dougherty' g
house. James Dennison, found in engine room
buried in debris internally hurt Frank Halls
scalp badly torn. Thomas Dougherty, five
\ months old. son of George Doughcrty, will die
L han nttt IAlar. Nall. ALL