The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-10-16
A TERRIFIC EXPLOSION.
DESTRUCTION OF THE DUPONT
MILLS IN DELAWARE.

WILMINGTON, DEL, october 1.-The
Office and six mills Of the Dupont Pow
der Works, near here are in ruins.
Fifty or more houses of workmen at
the upper yard" are wrecked. A dozen
perhaps more, workmen are dead, and
score or more others are injured, as a
result of series Of powder explosions 8
at $3.50 this afternoon.
The Dupont works which are we'll
known throughout the country are the
largest powder mills in the United
States. The mills extended along the
banks OF the Brandywine, chiefly on the
west side, for about two miles. They
are divided into "upper," "Hagley"
and "lower" yards. The first named,
s. where the office of the company is To-
Gated, is about three miles, and the last
named about five miles from Whining
ton.
A workman named Grau, in one of
the packing mills connected with the
upper" yards, was receiving can of
hexagonal powder to be shipped for the
use of the United States Government,
Wheh In some way spark communi-
Gated to the can and it blew I'D. Instant
ly the packing mill exploded, and the
other mills in the upper yards, seven
or eight III number, followed at inter-
YalS OF less than one second from the
concusSlon. All these, except one, were
rolling mills in which thejngredients
OF gunpOWder are pulveriZed Dy the ac-
tlon Of vertical rollers of stone turning
slowly around a central post. The
whole machinery Is driven Ly water
power. The odd one was a mixing
mill.
The shock was simply terrific. and
was felt even in Philadelphia, thirty
five miles away, and in New jersey and
elsewhere. - -, g. ~
At the upper yards" where the ex
plOSlon occurred, are some fifty houses
inhabited by employees of the powder
mills, aud they are all wrecked. The
office of the Dupont Company is COM
plete wreck, aud six mills are in ruins.
All buildings within radius of half
mile are damaged, and the conclusion
even broke windows in some parts of
Wilmington, four or five miles away.
Immediately after the explosions the
large building known as the refinery"
located near the centre Of the village.
took fire.
1t was a matter of life and death to
the whole population that this fire
should be eXtinguished before it COM
municated with the powder the bnild-
ing 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 fire
men won. Had the roof fallen in it is
doubtful IL 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 of
them were SO dazed by the terrible
events or those few seconds as to seem
hardly conscious Of where they are or
what they are doing. The injured are
being gathered into the hospital build
ing appertaining to the works, and are
receiving such surgical and other aid
as they need. Owing to the rocky and
wooded character Of the locality. but
little can be done in the way of search
ing for the missing, or ascertaining the
extent Of damage done to property un-
til daylight.
The following is partial list Of the
Killed Martin DOlan, James Dolan,
VIM. McGarvey, John uartipan, VIM
Dennison, John Dietz, john Tinrlike
Patrick Dougherty, VIM. Green, John
NeWaL, and woman named Rose
Dougherty. Several others are missing.
The more seriously injured, so far as
learned, are: Daniel lIarkins, VIM.
Logan, (will probablydied, Annie and
Marie Dolan, daughters OF James Do
Ian, who is among the Killed; James
s. ward, leg broken and hurt internally;
Hugh Ferry, picked UP un conscious,
injuries unknown; John Mcdowell,
head badly hurt; Mrs. aWm. Mcdowell,
hnn 4. ~ ..
her tWo-yearOld daughter seriously in
jured; Lydia Anderson, arm broken
and badly bruised.
Among the slightly injured are Eu-
gene Dupont, the head 0! the firm:
EranclS q. Dupont and Chas. J. Dupont.
They and several clerks in the Office
We're cut by fragments Of broken glass,
but none seriously. The dead were ali
employees of the company and were in
and about, tba III Is that exploded
several Workmen are missing and are
belieyed to. have been blown to frag
y. .The wounded received their Injuries
y among the,walls OF their falling houses
and by broken glass and flying debris
Had there not been a general exodus
from their houses at the IirSt shock
the death list would have been much
heavier, as many would have been
crushed in the ruins Of their dwellings
Undertakers have gone out from
Wilmington to give their services In
preparing the dead for burial, while
Wilmington surgeons were prompt to
hurry to the spot and render aid. : y
&sE Yestordny's Powder Explosion.
.W1LMINGToN, Del, October 8.-Ele
ven persons were killed and'twenty in.
jnred in yesterday afternoons eXplo.
stons at the Dupont powder mills. The
men who were killed ere all working
IN and about the magazines and mills
and except in the case Of three were
blown to pieces. so that only fragments
of heir remains haYe been found.
The body of Patrick Dougherty was
found this morning in the water Of the
race along the creek shore where it had
2een thrown by the explosion. The
5of Green was found just outside
ne ruins of the magazine in which
so explosion occurred and STANCE
xasnot mangled or bruised.
theory of the workmen that
sionS were started in some