Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1893-03-25

IrrcuFIELp. m. March 21 Fully
3ne-half of this town was wrecked this
morning by the explosion of one of the
big boilers i'm the hehlor douring
mills Many persons were killed.
The ent.re milling plant, which was
one of the biggest in the United states,
was entirely destroyed. The walls and
machinery were scattered for blocks in
every direction hundreds of houses
and business blocks were completely
shattered and crushed any many of
those who were inside instantly killed.
Tin. nose ana hook and ladder com
parties Immediately repaired to the
scene. They had hardly succeeded in
getting their apparatus in working or
der when an explosion, terrific in It's
violence. cauScd by the flames burning
the mill shook the earth for miles
around. the shoc. being felt even as
far as Decatur, distance of fifty
miles.
The hremeu battled with the flames
for three long hours, finally subdulng
them to such an extent that adjoining
property was saved. The explosion
broke large Jlate glass windows in a
y
trated almost every one on the street,
shook houses loose from their founda-
tious. and Jared the machinery in the
Litchfcld Car 81 Machinery Company
to such an extent that work has been
suspended until necessary repairs can
be made.
The head millwrght, John Carve of
" tcrloo, in making an effort to Sc
cure his tools from the burning build
ing. was stunned by the explosion, and,
cndcavoring to escape, was pinned
against the smOkestacll and burned TO
death. When found about three hours
afterward his legs we're burned of at
tac hips, the right arm and left hand
were entirely consumed, and his body
was burned to perfect crisp. As yet
il is not known whether any one else
persisted or not
The large elevator standing immedi-
ately across the Wabash track west of
the mill, and containing 100000 bush
els of wheat was quickly in flames and
together with its valuable contents
burned TO the ground.
Ten or twelve cars of wheat stand
ing on the house track were reduced
to ashes.
A large pile Of debris, about ten or
fifteen lttI liE H. ltAl Oh iilt lid III
track of the Wabash Railroad and as
consequence traffic on that road is
badly impaired.
The Western Union telegraph wires
are also down, which makes matters
great deal worse
number of serious but not neces-
sarilv fatal accidents are reported,
Mrs v Hoffman has a leg broken,aHd
Mrs +. Eiehelroth Sr., her head
mashed.
The mill was the property of Kehlor
Bros of st. Louis The capacity of
the Int hfield mill was 1000 barrels of
-four daily II employed $50 men and
was the largest Touring mill in the
United States
General Manager A. /. Smith of this
city when interviewed by your cores
pOudcut this morning stated that the
amount of insurance carried on the
mill, elevator and contents is about
100000, while the loss win run up into
almost a million dollars.
Although the proprietors of this
mammoth institution are st. Louis
people, in the loss of the Planet Mill,
Litchfcld loses one of her best indus
trial institutions, and it is hoped that
it win be rebuilt at no distant day.
Excursion trains from the neigh
boring towns are now bringing in
hundreds of visitors to see the remains
of what was yesterday the pride of
Illinois
Though Litchfeld is in Illinois and
forty-hve miles from St Louis, it is in
reality "a suburb of the Missouri me-
tropoiis 1t is "a wealthy town and
though IL contains but 800 inhabi-
tauts, it has factories of all kinds and
descriptions First of these is the
kehlor mill, a branch of the Laclede
mills of St Louis, of which the kehlor
Bros. are proprietors, and members Of
This firm are quoted as millionaircs.
Then there are the Litchfeld Car and
Machine Company, number of cigar
factories. an electric light and heating
power company, marble and granite
works, paint and oil works. coal mines
and general business stores. The city
also contains public library of 400
volumes. three graded schools a high
school and two public parks. 1t is
situated on tine line of three railroads,
and being the distributing point for
large farming district, il ships live
eek poultry. eggs, butter and other
farm products Il addition to large
quantities of coal, -four and other
".a. products.
l.ea other losses from the explosion
a. Neubers grocery-saloon and resi-
4ea.n completely wrecked, $4,000
.e ". Hoffman estate, 60 POO
aeob krans, grocery and residence,
E.#H0
G.Hdort brolners, machinists, ST, 600
tehheid Hotel Sl2oo