The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-09-01
A STROKE OF LIGHTNING
EXPLODEs SIX HUNDRED KEGS OF
POWDER AT GAINESVILLE.
Fortunately Nobody Was Dangerously In
jured, But Damage to Property Will
Reach OOOO-The Magazines
Were Blown to Atoms.

Special to the Statesman.
GAINESVILLE, Tex, Aug. 25.-Over
900 kegs of powder exploded today
within mile of the center, of Gaines.
vile. 1t was contained in three
magazines belonging to the Dupont,
hazard and Rand Nally Powder COM
panies. A negro boy seems to have
been the only witness to the terrible
about three blocks off and
happened to be gazing ind
the direction of the magazines he saw
a streak of lightning dancing about
the dull, leadcolored sky and darling
down hit one of the magazines,
semicircular cloud of smoke shot up
and opened like parachute and
then followed report and
conclusion that felled him
to the ground, and cost the people of
this town not less than $4,000. Down
town the shock was terrific. There
was momentary lull after the explo-
sion, and then, amid heaps of glass,
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stricken people rushed to the street,
where maddened, frenzied horses Were
dashing in all directions. For
moment no one could summon his
senses to guess what the explosion
was, but the tremendous pillar of
white smoke ascending to the sky
caused the cry: "The powder maya
7ines.' BY this time the fire bells
were adding to the din and con-
fusion. The fire bells seemed to be the
| signal to start, for in moment every
street leading towards the magazines
was crowded with men, women and
children afcot and on horses. The
road down the field in which the
magazines were located was lined by
1000 people fighting their way through
the clouds of dust that had been
blown up and which descended like
fine mist and for fifty yards surround
ing the magazine the ground was pull
verified like flour. Weeds and trees
were lying flat to the ground and here
and there lay cows in every degree of
mutilation. The spot where one
of the magazines stood is sunk about
feet, while where the others stood
there is nothing to tell the tale save a
few broken bricks and powder cans.
From this fact the theory is arrived at
that the lightning struck only one of
the magazines and the two others
were swept away by the explosion.
The greatest damage was done to the
home of Mrs. Gibson, widow, living
within $50 yards of the magazines.
There is hole in the gables of her
house as though locomotive had run
through. In the kitchen one con-
glomerate mass of cooking utensils
the woman and her baby seriously.
About half mile away Mrs. Fagette
Leonard was sitting in her bedroom
with her baby. She was thrown to
the floor and her baby against an op-
posite wall with such violence that for
a moment it was thought to be dead.
The baby is not dangerously
hurt. There were many such
escapes as this. Sam Hall, a young
boy, was passing by the big three
story Scheff-Solmer building when
he was caught in a shower of heavy
plate glass and his hand was cut
very painfully, necessitating several
stitches. Six big plate show windows
in this building, besides innumerable
dishes, stove wood, and broken bits of
iron. The dining room which adjoins
the kitchen was hardly disturbed, a
remarkable feature that can not be
explained. Here Mrs. Gibson and her
family were eating dinner. None of
them were injured. This is the only
room in the house that was not wreck
en-, a popularity TO which alone the
inmates can attribute their escape.
Mrs. Gibson's loss will amount to
$4,000. About fifty yards from Mrs.
Gibson's lived negro woman, who
with her 3.year old baby was stand
ing on the porch. The shock knocked
the awning down, injuring both
small windows, entailing loss that
will probably exceed $1,000. The
court house, city hall, the Lindsay
House and many small buildings suf-
fered by breaking glass. The flues on
houses two miles away were shat
tered. Engineer Galaciar was in the
engine room at the pump house
when the explosion occurred. HE
was thrown violently against the
boilers sustaining injuries. His son
was in the yard and landed on a wood
pile on his head. The people of
Whitesboro, fifteen miles away were
badly shaken up, so a telegram to this
city states.
For lame back, side or chest use
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