Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-10-08
BLOWN TO ATOMS.
A Frightfully Destructive Ex-
plosion of Powder.
DUP0NT's FACTORY ANNIHlLATED.
A Dozen Persons Killed and Twenty
Wounded-The Dead Nearly
All Torn to Fragments.

Two NIiages wrecked Fearful Peril
of the People of Rockland Fire
Threatens to Ignite Powder and Wipe
the Town and People on the Earth
A Struggle with Death Staring the
Fire-Fighters In the Fsce-Eieven Vic
tins of n Land Siide-Three of Them
Crushed to Death.
WILMINGTON, Del, Oct S.-A terri fic
explosion, resulting in the loss of twelve
lives, the injuring Of many people and
the destruction of much property oc-
CURED yesterday afternoon at 3:25 O'Clock
in the upper yard of the extensive pow
der works of +. |. Dupont de Nemours &
Co, on Brandywine creek, three miles
north of this city The shock was plain
ly felt here, and caused intense excite
ment. Buildings trembled and windows
were demolished, and everybody almost
rushed to the doors to ascertain the cause
of the disturbance There were six re-
ports resembling the booming OF cannon,
and about one second apart.
In Doubt About the Locality.
been an explosion at the powder works,
but the reports seeming so near, and not
being characterized by the usual rum bling,
and there being no smoke visible in the
direction OF the mills, it was imagined
Shat the explosion had occurred in the
city. The hazy atmosphere hid the smoke,
and caused the reports to sound differ
emily from those of preceding explosions
Physicians summoned by telephone hur-
rying towards the powder mandatory
was the first indication the public had OF
the exact location of the catastrophe I'm
mediately thereafter throngs of people
went TO the scene of the disaster.
The Scene of the Catastrophe.
A reporter for the United Press pro-
cured team and drove rapidly to the
scene When he reached Mount Salem
NJ F. church, mile from the city, he
found that more than half of the window
sashes of the large building were out, and
of those that remained the glass WAS
broken. Soon thereafter a cloud of blush
smoke was seen and the smell of burning
powder was noted. Following a curve
in the road the reporter beheld an appall-
ing spectacle Women and children,
wives and sons and daughters of men en-
ployed in the powder mandatory, were
madly rushing here and there seeking in
formation about the safety of their 10 we'd
ones. The yard in which the mills stood
was Uttered with debris of fallen build
ings and at some places where buildings
had been the only trace left was empty
cellars and "A few foundation stones.
The Wreck of n village.
The little village, Dupont's Banks. i'm
mediately outside the powder yard, pre-
ssnted most pitisble appearance. A
hundred dwellings were either demolished
or badly damaged. Buildings were I'M
rooted, fronts of houses were blown out
and wrecked. Inside the dwellings the
devastation was complete The rooms on
the ground floor were strewn with broken
crockery, crushed stoves and remnants Of
tables, etc The soda mills, a large stone
building about two hundred yards from
the magazines, is wrecked, the roof of the
charcoal mills fell, and the buildings
themselves took fire from the furnaces.
Effective use of the fire apparatus at the
works soon extinguished the fire.
Nothing Left But Holes in the Ground.
Where the corning and packing house
stood there are holes in the ground ten
feet deep. The large storage magazine
containing several tons of powder and
built of corrugated iron is situated about
a quarter of mile from the wrecked
mills. 1t, with another smaller mill, es-
capped; also the glazing-room and press
room. Four of the Duponts and several
clerks were in the Office when the ex-
plosion took place. Every window was
blown in and much of the plasteriHg fell
from the walls, but beyond scratches,
cuts and bruises no one was hurt The
horses being driven through the yard
were killed. while their drivers escaped
William--R. Green was working in the
magazine that blew up first He was
packing powder for the government. Its
supposed that his soldering iron became
too hot and ignited the powder.