Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1890-07-17
a DEADLY powDr3 BLAsr.

Houses of she Operatives ARE ~h at
tered and RestrOyed-.Snnny of the
Wounded viii Die Powder Miii,
Cartridge Factory and Freight
Train Blown up.
LovELANp, o., July 15.-At O'Clock
tonight q Little Miami railroad south
boupt train arrived two hours late, bring
ing an explanation Of the terrible noise
that occurred few minutes before 4
O'Clock and which was supposed to be an
earthquake. At the hour named freight
train was on the siding at Kings Mills, .
hamlet ten milea north, where are located
Kings Giant powder mills. The last OF
1000 kegs Of powder had just been
placed in two large freight oars, and the
train was ready to move out when an
awful event happened. There was ter
rife roar, a clond of earth and rocks, lead
bodies mingled With all sorts Of debris,
and out Of cloud Of smoke came the
agonizing yells of wounded human be-
ings roasting in furnace heated fear
fully hot. The powder mill, cartridge
factory and nearly all the freight train
had been ennihilated.
Huge holes had been bored in the dis
turbed earth, aud the hillside that rose
from the railroad tracks had its entire
surface torn of. Great trees were shat
tered and q mass OF earth, nearly as large
as u mountain, hsd been hurled into the
bed OF the Miami river, damming that
stream until it flooded the adjacent bot
toms and tore great gullies through fields
of corn, cutting q new channel and ruin
ing hundreds OF acres. The force of the
explosion shook the earth for miles, and
many who felt it knew disaster had be-
fallen tue powder mills
In the late hamlet that surrounded the
depot, quarter OF mile from the mills,
not one escaped uuinjured. Houses were
demolished aud wreck and ruin were on
every haud. The depot caught fire, and
in the excitement and terror of the mo-
ment the flames had their own way, and
what the explosion left the fire con-
sumed, spreading from house to house
with dreadful rapidit7. A courier who
arrived at 8 o'clock says the fire Is still
raging, and not vestige of the place is
likely to be left.
At least 10 persons were killed and 80
seriously Injured. The disaster is ex-
planned in thia way: Two empty freight
ears were being rolled to side track,
whore car containing 500 kegs of gun
powder was standing. As tho oars struck
fhore WAS terrific explosion, aud imme-
diately afterward another car containing
500 kegs Of eurpowder exploded, making
300 kegs altogether. Williem FrautY,
a brakeman in the service OF the Little
Miami was standing on one OF the empty
cars when the explo ion occurred. His
body must have been blown to atoms, al
though no trace OF it has yet been found
Five other persons, supposed TO have
been employees Of the powder company,
were killed.
The KING Powder Company and the
Peters cartridge works have works GU
both sides Of tue river along The railroad.
The explosion occurred on the south
side, and the destruction was enormous.
There were number of cottages occu-
pied by workmen in the powder factory
and situated close 10 the track. These
wers shattered by the explosion and their
inmates injured. Twenty-Five or 80 girls
at work in ste cartridge factory were
crippled by the explosion.
The havoc wrought by the explosion of
the l6 tons Of powder il dreadful. The
track and ties Of the railroad are fairly
torn out OF the ground, and great hole
ploYad in their place. The Psters cart
ridge factory was burned to the ground.
Eothing but mass of blankened, smol-
dering ruins remain TO mark the spot
whore the building stood.
As soon aB the news reached Cincinnati,
% miles away, about O'Clock, q relief
train was dispatched to the scene of this
disaster with Superintendent Peters and 3
large party OF surgeons on board, and re-
lief was afforded as soon as possible. The
work Of searching for the missing and
caring for the woundedis nowprogressiDg.
As most OF the girls who were injured
live at Morrow and South Lebanon, II IL
most probable that they will be taken to
their homes in these places. The manner
OF none Of the killed or wounded are al
| yet obtainAble.
Peters cartridge factory was large
| building, and fully euppliei with a gres'
amount of costly machinery both for the
manufacture Of shells aud the loading o.
shotgun ammunition, and large forct
| OF employees was at work at the timestha
the explosion occurred.
As speedily as possible work ON TIT
ruins began. Two brakemen near thu
pow 1er-loaded cars had utterly disap.
peared. One thumb and part OF q
head were all that could be found o
them. BY 7 O'clock what were believed
to be the remains of 10 Of the bodies hat
been placed in a sickening row ON thu
bruised earth. None had been identified
A dozen people seriously wounded, sem,
unto death, had been taken out. Tn,
explosion tore down all tile telegraph
wires, and news mubt come TO this plac
/ overland on mules.