The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-03-22

Explosion Felt for Fifty Miles.
LTcmpIRLD, luis, March 9i.-An ex'
plosion resembling an earthquake and
destroying nearly a million dollars
worth Of property occurred here this
morning The loss OF several lives and
tho injury OF number OF people result
nd from the catastrophe. Practically
every business structure in Eitchheld
was wrecked and scores Of dwellings
rendered uninhabitabIe, Panic reigned
for hours and details OF the terrible III
fair woro obtained with tho utmost dit'
aeulty About 3:l5 a. M, an alarm OF
fire was turned iu, and upon inyestiga-
ton it developed that the Lltchaeld
"planet mills" located in the south
west part of the city, aad said to be one
OF the largest, il not the largest single
flour making establishments IN the
world, was in flames, Before the fire.
men arrived upon the scene the tire
had gained such Roadway that Tor some
time nothing could be done to check II,
ond il seemed o. II the entire south part
of The town would be consumed.
The llre is supposed to have origlna-
tod by spark from a passing
locomotive failing in one of the dust
rooms, The hose aud hook and ladder
companies had hardly succeeded in get
ting their apparatus In working order
when an explosion appalling in its yio-
lenco was caused by the flames sudden
contact with pent-np mill dust. The
explosion shook the earth over a singu-
larly wide area while the atmospheric
conclusion was felt IS far as Decatur, q
distance OF fifty miles.
Tho tiromen battled with the flames
for three long hours finally subdning
them to such an extent that adjoining
property was saved. The explosion
broke large plate glass windows In a
majority Of the stores in the city, pros
trated almost every one OH tho streets;
shook houses loose from their tounda-
tons and Jared the machinery in the
Jitchheld Car and Machine Company's
works to such an extent that work has
to be suspended. Tho head mill wright,
Mr.. John Carve, Of Waterloo, was burn
cd 10 death.
LOTS oF WHEAT DESTROYED.
The largo elevator standing itnmedl-
ately across the Wabash track west OF
the mill and containing some 100000
bushels Of wheat was quickly in flames,
and, together with its valuable con-
tents, burned to the ground. Ten or
twelve cars standing on the house track
were reduced To ashes. A large pile OF
debris, ten or fifteen feet high, tell on
tho main track OF the Wabash railroad,
and as q consequence traffic on that
road is badly impaired. The Western
Union telegraph wires are also down,
which makes matters n great deal
worse. A number of serious but not
necessarily fatal accidents are reported.
]. v. Hoffman had leg broken and,
Mrs. Eyeholtz head mashed. Tho mill
was tho property Of Keller Brothers, OF
st. Louis. The capacity OF tho Itch
fold mill was 1000 barrels OF flour
daily. 1t employed ono hundred and
fifty men and was 1t is claimed the lar
gest Touring mill In the United States.
General Manager a. L. Smith stated
that tho amount Of insurance carried
on tho mill elevator and contents was
about S350,000 while the loss will run
UP into almost million dollars. Al
though the proprietors OF the establish
ment are st. Louis people, in the loss
OF tho planet mill, Litchfeld loses tenn
porarily at least her best industrial in
stitution. Excursion trains from all
neighboring towns are bringing In hun.
dreds Of visitors to SOC the remains OF
what was yesterday tho pride OF Litch-
field. ar
In addition to those already named
the following persons were injured:
Thomas Donahue, head cut aud
bruised.
Mrs. Henry steigle, arm crushed.
Mrs. Ievi Hussey, arm cut.
D. b. Greenwald, badly cut by flying
debris.
Andrew Duncan, head cut.
The shock OF the explosion was felt
for mles and in many adjoining towns
heavy plnte glass windows were broken.
When the Ere started The cltizRas were
awakened by tho ringing OF fire bells
and before they could dress they wore
stunned by tho terrific shock OF the ex-
plosion, and before they realized the
disnSter they found tho walls OF their
homes falling in upon thom. Tho night
Waterman was hurled through win
dow and badly injured. Every house
within two blocks oil the mill was
wrecked.
Tho theory that tho explosion was oc-
casionOd by flour dust finds no favor
among local milIers.
II know nothing about the parti-
culars," said Alex. S. Smith, "but | am
certain that flour dust was not the
cause. There have been very disastrous
explosions OF this character. In the old
days the dust was blown about tho mill
in very finely disseminated condition,
and tho air was Allied with minute parti.
cles. The smallest shock, such as strik-
ing o match, was likely to cause an OK
plosion. Just why the dust should
explode is not known. Probably to-day
IL would DO said that II was due 10
electricity, but aincO the invention OF
tho dust machine by George 4. Smith,
no such explosions are possible, as all
mills aro provided with them and there
is no dust In tho mir. Tho explosion in
all likelihood was boiler explosion; 1t
certainly was not duo to dust.
John W. Kaufman said: II do not
think IL OogAihlO that thn nxnloRion was