, 1890-07-17
A TERRIBLE SCENE.
Joseph Proctor Gives a Vivid
Description
Of the Blowing Up Of Kings
Powder Mill.
The Rescuers in Danger Of Los.
ing Their Lives.
The Powder Mill Horror.

C~INCINNATI, July I6.-The following
is the list of killed at the explosion yester
day at Kings mills: Mrs. James Deacon,
Henry Reynolds, Samuel Stephens. Mrs.
James Moss and child, Mrs. Fred Kelley
and child, William Franey, brakeman,
Ralph Williams. Baby Elstine, Nick Sny-
der AMI an unknown man. A dozen
were injured. some of whom will die.
Joseph Proctor, a well known resident of
Columbus. was an eye witness to the ter
nble affair aud gave a very vivid account
of the explosion. The gentleman is still
suffering from the effects Of his terrible
experience and trembled yisibly when
talking.
Il hardly know how / can describe the
awful occurrence. l am still dazed from
the effects of the shock. / was visiting a
friend near Kings mills and during the
afternoon sauntered up the road to the
cartridge factory. When a freight train
came along l started toward my friends
house.
"On reaching the top OF a hill l turned
around Just as the freight train was max
ing a running switch to a sidetrack. 1
saw a brakeman on one Of the cars as
they shot onto the sidetrack. He was
waving his hands to some one on the train.
As | looked l saw two detached cars
bump against what l supposed was an
empty car on the sidetrack. An instant
later there was a rumbling noise, and
then the very ground beneath me seemed
to open. | saw a puff of smoke, followed
a second later by another, and the cars
disappeared. The station aud powder
house and dwellings seemed to FOLLOW and
the work of destruction had only Just
commenced. | stood rooted to the ground.
| had an idea, OF course, of what had oc-
cured, but | could not realize it. / knew
that many lives were going out, but | was
powerless to lend assistance. Then a
dense volume OF flame and smoke came
pouring from the doors and windows of the
and children tearing at each other in q
frantic endeavor to escape. The explo-
sion and fire at the cartridge house
seemed to be simultaneous,
The building did not catch on FIRE In
the ordinary way, but the fame seemed
to penetrate the doors and windows from
all sides. | saw a number of women
come out, but some certainly persisted in
the flames. A dwelling house below the
cartridge house was blown from its foun-
dalton and dashed to the ground. In
this building a mother and child lost their
lives. How long | stood l don't know.
but | managed to make my way to the
scene and others in the neighborhood
we're also gathering. The scene was one
of the awfulest l ever witnessed. Rail
road tracks were twisted and torn like so
much paper and telegraph poles and
wires burned as so much finder. We got
to work as soon as possible and l know we
got fully a dozen women and men from
the powder house. There was not one
but was injured o bruised. They seemed
to be obiyious of their surroundings and
l don't think they realized what had oc
Cured. Some were burned and others
cut and bruised by the force of the explo-
sion. To add to the terrible scene there
was a constant swapping of cartridges and
the rescuers were in danger of being killed
at any time. | don't know how many
were killed but | am of the opinion that
ten at least lost their lives. The number
of wounded will be double that number. "