Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-10-08
Stories Of Wonderful Escapes From
the Great Explosion.
MARSHALL MYSTERY SOLVED.
Express Company Employees Can
not be Lottery Agents.
THE TsUToNlc WINS AN OCEAN RACE.
WONDERFUL ESCAPES.
Stories Told by the Survivors OF the
Great Powder Mill Explosion.

WILMINGTON, DEL. Oct s-A story o. son-
derfu! escape from death By the explosion al
the Dupont powde; works yester day afternoon
was told last nigh. by William Haley, q fore
man in one OF the coal houses Of the Dupont
mill. The coal house 10 about twenty yards
TO the east Of the scene Of the disaster HALEY
said: II was stending in the doorway OF the
coal house and MAS suddenly stricken with ter
ror by thunderous sound. Isaw a succession
OF bright flashes from the different buildings.
Inc coal building shook and fell about me.
stood amid the debris, paralyzed and unable TO
move. How | escaped being killed | don't
know. My clothing was torn and my face and
hands were scratched; otherwise | was no,
hurt. Wien rogained my senses rushed to
my home on the hillside. about 800 yards away.
1t was mass of ruins. found my daughter
in-law. Lizzie Anderson. with her arm broken. u
LIKE THOUSANDS OF CANNON.
Joseph A. Buck of Rockland was an eve wit.
ness of the explosion. while was looking a,
some men handling kegs Of powder, said he 81
felt the earth slipping from under me- beheld
sheets of fame and vast clouds of smoke. Re.
ports sounding like the firing of thousands OF
cannon followed in quick succession. High
masses-buildings and earth-were thrown
hundreds of feet in the air. Their fall was
accompanied by fearful crashes. From where
stood it was impossible to tell in what order
the big middle magazine that exploded first
II rushed to the nearest tree and hid myself
from the destruction. The tree shook as If in
hurricane. l heard the sound of some heavy
material failing TO the ground. looked twenty
yards ahead of me and saw a stone. no doub,
part OF the foundation OF one OF the mill build.
ings. 1t was about two feet long and a foo,
wide. The distance from where stood TO the
scene of destruction was about O mile. l was
half blinded and choked by the smoke"
NO CLEAR ACCOUNT POSSIBLE.
Charles Dupont, one Of the younger members
of the firm, said at late hour last night that IL
was impossible to give clear statement Of the
disaster. There had been seven explosions
and about half dozen Of the twenty buildings
in the upper yard had gone up. The only peo-
pie who could give any account of the affair
he said, were dead. "All the members Of our
family" he said, 'were cut more or less, but
none were seriously injured"
THE EXPLOSION HEARD IN NEW JERSEY.
The explosion Of the powder works was both
heard and felt in many towns throughout New
Jersey, and dispatches have been received
from many points stating that earthquake
shocks had been plainly felt by the inhabitants
At Glassboro' the people were panic stricken
and rushed from their houses in alarm. The
earth trembled and in several places glass ware
was thrown from shelves. At Pleasantville
11ammOntOu, MOuut molly ana even as lar At
Trenton, the shock was distinctly felt and
caused great alarm among the people. A,
Mount Holly the court house was crowded, and
when the mufTied round was heard. followed by
a trembling of the building, the crowd rushed
out into the open air in terror. 1t was some
time before business could be resumed
THE LIST OF THE INJURED.
Among the many injured the following
names have been obtained: William Dennison
engineer, fatally hurt. Fugene Dupont
Col II. A. Dupont and DR.. Alexis A. 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
a clerk in the Office, was obliged to escape
through register. and sustained serious in
juries. Winfield Waters, eye blown out. An
drew Godfrey, lacerated arm and hip by the
falling of his house. James Dennison, found
in engine room buried in debris, internally
hurt. Frank HALLS, scalp badly torn. Thos
Dougherty, five months old, son of George
Dougherty, will die. William Logue, head cut.
John Mcdowell. right hand and arm hurt
James McClafferty, head cut Charles God
frey, arm cut. Jos. Schofeld. injured about
the head. James Hunter. driver, wounds
of head and face caused by fy-
ing missiles. A. ID. LeCarpentier, clerk.
hands badly cut. Patrick Gilsen,
laborer, confused and incised wounds Of the
head and face. Henry Blidden, laborer, gen.
eral contusions of the body. Henry Hollis,
Annie Harkins, incised wounds of the face
head, hands and upper part of the body. due
to her home falling on her. Robert Hunter
workman, superficial wounds of the body
Mrs. Moses Moore left side confused and in-
cised wounds of the head and legs. Kate Ward
seven years old. badly cut and face bruised
and possibly internally injured. Minnie Ward
three years old, head and badly cut. internal
injuries and shock. The physicians have but
little hope of saving her life. James Bank
workman, leg broken and crushed head; con-
dItion critical. VIM. Casey, laborer, incised
wounds of the entire body. VIM. Mckinney.
laborer, left side of face cut and leg fractured.
Baby Mcdowell two years old, crushed by
falling walls; in dying condition
Following is corrected list Of the killed:
magazine; leaves a widow and four children;
body found entire. William McGarvey, la
borer, aged forty, single, head blown OFF; body
found; Martin Dolan, aged sixty-fve, en-
ployed in one Of the graining mills leaves a
family; James Dolan, aged thirty, single;
ried; Michael Harrigan; Patrick Dougherty,
aged thirty, married.; John Newell, aged fifty,
employed in the yard, leaves q family; John
Herleher, laborer; Michael Herleher, laborer;
Mrs. Rosie Dougherty, aged eighty, found in
the garret Of her house crushed by roof died
THE MEN WHO WERE KILLED
were all working In and about the magazines
and mills, aud except In the case of three
VIM. R Green, VIM. McGarvey and Patrick
Dougherty-were blown to pieces, SO that only
fragments of their remains have been found.
The body Of Patrick Dougherty was found this
morning in the water of the race along the
creek snore, where it had been thrown by the
explosion. The body OF Green was found lust
outside the ruins Of the magazine in which
the first explosion occurred, and. strange to
say, was not mangled or burned 1t is the
theory OF the workmen that the explosions
were started in some way BY soldering iron
which Green was using in soldering tin covers
on cans OF powder. This work is extremely
dangerous and Green was the only man trusted
to perform it. He was an old employe who
thoroughly understood his work, but il is sup
posed that his soldering iron became too hot
and that its heat fred the powder in spite of
his csrefulnesS Green and McGarvey we're
the only men in the magazine at the time.
Early reports Of the disaster placed Daniel
Harkins name In the list OF those killed By
the explosion, but Mr.. Hsrkins was not killed,
although he was severely injured. When the
explosion began he was standing on the porch
force Of the explosions blew him from the
porch into the race, distance OF about 20feet
afterward the press mill exploded
and had Harkins still been standing on the
porch he would have been blown to atoms. As
Il was he was severely bruised and shocked
but managed 10 crawl out on the race and reach
his home, whore he now lies under the care of
, physician He win probably recover.