Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1893-03-31
MILL DUST DID 1T.
An Explosion of Mill Dust Does
Great Damage to Property
In Illinois.
The Shock Felt a Distance of
Fifteen Milestone Fatal.
ity Results.

Fifteen Miles-..One FATAL
ity Results.
The most frightful calamity in the
history Of Litchtleld, ILL.,, occurred
last week. 1t resulted in a loss of
81, 100000 worth of property and the
loss ola number of lives, probably
wrecking half the. town and damap-
ing property for miles around. Short
ly after 3 O'Clock in the morning fire
was discovered in Kehler's plant of
steam Touring mills, the largest of
the kind in the world, located in the
southwest part of the city. The fire
department was scarcely aroused and
arrived on the scene when an cx-
plosion of terrific violence shook the
earth for miles around. the shock be-
ing felt even as far as Decatur, fifty
miles distant. 1t broke plate glass
windows in majority of the Stores
in the city, Frustrated almost every
one on the street, shook houses loose
from their foundations, and Jared
the machinery in the Litchflc,d car
and machine shops to such an extent
that work had to be suspended till
the necessary repairs can be made.
1t is supposed the fire originated
from a spark from passing locomo-
tive, and the subsequent explosion
was caused by It's coming in contact
with the accumulation of mill dust.
1t looked al one time as though the
entire south end of town would be
consumed: but the fire department.
after hard fight of three hours, man.
aged to prevent the flames from
spreading.
The head millwright, John Carve
of Waterloo, N. Y, attempted to
save his. tools from the burning build
ing, but was stunned by the explosion.
thrown against the smoke stack and
pinned there until burned to death,
his limbs being burned off. 1t is not
yet known that there were any other
fatalities, though a numbero serious
injuries are reported.
A grain elevator adjoining the mill,
containing a quarter of a million
bushels of wheat, burned to the
ground with its contents. together
with a doz.n Wabash freight cars
standing along the side tack, which
was blockaded and telegraph wires
disabled.
The mill was owned by Keller
Brothers Of st. Louis. had capacity
of 2,0c0 barrels of -four day and cnl-
ployed $50 hands. The insurance ON
the nal! and elevator was $3.50, 900.
The following persons were injured:
Thomas Donahuc, head cut: Mrs.
Henry Steigel, arm crushed: Mrs.
Levi lIussey, arm cut: ID. d. Green
wald, badl, cut: Andrew Duncan,
head cut: Mrs. V. II. Hoffman, leg
broken; Mrs. i. Eichelruth, Sr., head
cut.
MIR. l.. A. Smith, genera, manager
of the mills, placed the loss at $780,
600, while the insurance was about
's23O,O0O. Other losses are: Adolph
Newber, store and residence and
barns partially demolished, $4,000:
insured in part. Mrs. V. Hoffman.
three tenement houses: Charles Baker,
Peter Ollcr and Mrs. O'Neill, left
practically homeless; John Grass
store, Immediately cast of the mills,
almost entirely demolished. Upon
State, Riders and Kisham streets, the
principal business thoroughfares of
the city, nearly every plate glass
front was destroyed by the concussion.
ThcLitchtield new hotel was damaged
not far from $4,000, while the New
York store sustained heavy loss.
More than 100 residences were dam
aged to a greater or less extent and it
is impossible to arrive at anything
like an accurate estimate of the sum
total of the damages. Residences
several miles away in the country also
suffered slightly.
Carlisle w. Harris, sentenced to
be clcctrocuted for poisoning his
BRIDE. has been placed in the
murGcrer's cell at Sing Sing. He
\ was quiet, but looked pale and worn.
j. j. Frey, general manager of the
Shreveport and Southern railway,
has been appointed general manager
'of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa
Fe to take effect April 3.
The empire of Russia has e,ooo men