The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-03-29

LITCHFIELD, H., March 2l-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 the injury of
a number OF people resulted from the
catastrophe. Practically every business
structure in Litchfield was wrecked, and
scores of dwellings rendered unInhsbit-
able. Panic reigned for hours. and de-
tails OF terrible affairs were obtained
with the utmost difficulty.
About 3:15 a. m. an alarm of fire was
turned in, and upon investigation it de-
veloped that the Litchfeld planet mil,
located in the southwest part of the city
and said to be one of the largest if not the
largest, single -four aking establishment
in the world. was in flames. Before the
firemen arrived upon the scene the fire
had gained such Roadway that for some
time nothing could be done to check it,
and it seemed ss if the entire south part
OF the town would be consumed. The fire
lie supposed to have originated oy spark
from a passing locomotive falling
in one OF the dust rooms. The
hose and hook and ladder companies had
hardly succeeded in getting their apDara-
tus in working order when an explosion
appalling in its violence was caused by
the flames sudden contact with pent-1p
mill dust. The explosion shook the earth
over a singularly wide area, while the at
mospheric conclusion was felt as far as
Decatur, a distance Of fifty miles. The
firemen battled with the flames for three
long hours, finally subduing them to euch
an extent that adjoining property was
saved. The explosion broke large plate
glass windows in a majority Of the stores
in the city, Frustrated almost every one
on the street, shook houses loose from
their foundations and Jared the machin-
cry in the Litchfield car and machine
works to such an extent that work had to
be suspended.
The head millwright. Mr.. John Carve
of Waterloo, in making an effort to secure
his tools from the burning building, was
stunned by the explosion, and endesvOr-
ing to escape, was pinned against the
smOkestack and burned to death. When
found about three hours aiterward his
legs were burned off at the hips, the right
arm and left hand were entirely consumed
and his body was burned to q perfect
crisp. The large elevator standing i'm
mediately across the Wabash track west
Of the mill and containing some 250,OO0
bushels of wheat. was quickly IN flames
and together with its valuable contents
burned to the ground. Ten or twelve
cars of wheat standing on the house
track were reduced to ashes. A large
pile of debris about ten or fifteen feet
high fell on the main tract, OF the Wa
bash railroad and as a consequence traffic
on that road is badly impaired. The
Western Union telegraph wires are also
down, which makes matters a great deal
worse.
A number of serious but not necessarily
fatal accidents are reported. Mrs. \. Holt
man had leg broken and Mrs. l.. Elchel'
roth. sr.. head mashed.
The mill was the property OF Kehlor
Bros. OF st. Louis. The capacity of the
Litchield mill was 1000 barrels OF flour
daily. Ii employed 100 men end was, it
is claimed, the largest Touring mill IN the
United States. General Manager A. l..
Smith stated that the amount OF insur-
ance carried on the mill, elevator and
contents was about $3.50 900 while the
loss will run up into almost Sl,OO0,OOO.
Although the proprietors OF the establish
ment are st. Louis people, in The loss Of
the Planet mil Litchfield loses tempOrar-
ily at least her best industrial institution.
Excursion trains from all the neighbor-
ing towns are bringing in hundreds of
visitors to see the remains of what was
yesterday the pride OF Litchfield.
In addition 10 those already named, the
following persons we're injured:
THOMAS DoNAHUE. head cut and bruised.
Mrs. HENRY STEIGLE, arm crushed.
Mrs. LEVI HUSsRY. arm cut.
d. b. GREENwALD, cut badly by flying
debris.
ANDREW DUNCAN head cut.
Among the property losses surrounding
the mills were the house, grocery and sa-
loon of A. Neuber, and the grocery of
John Krauss, also the house of Andrew
Duncan and Michael O'Neil, whose occu-
pants escaped with slight injuries. The
shock of the explosion was felt in the adj
joining villages of Clyde, Butler, Giles
pie and Hilisboro. In many of these
places the conclusion was so great that
glass windows were broken. When the
fire started tile citizens were awakened by
the ringing of fire bells, and before many
OF them could dress they were stunned by
the terrific shock OF the explosion and the
next moment found the walls of their
homes falling upon them The night
Waterman in the mill was hurled through
a window aud badly injured. Window
glass was broken and chimneys blown
down in towns ten miles distant. Nearly
every house within radius of two blocks
from thc mill was badly wrecked. All the
plate glass in the stores on Main and
State-sts. were blown out.
The theory that tha explosion was Oc-
casioued 10y flour dust finds no favor
among local millers.
II know nothing about the particulars"
said Alex Ii. Smith. but | am certain
that flour dust was not the cause. There
have been many DISASTROUS explosions OF
this character, but they are no longer
possible IL the old days the dust as
blown about the mill in a very finely dis
semiuated condition and the air was filed
with minute particles. The smallest
shock, such as striking match, was likely
to cause an explosion. just why the dust
should explode is unknown; probably to-
day II would be said that it was due to
electricity. But since the invention of
the dust machine by George /. Smith no
such explosions are possible as ali mills
are provided with them and there is no
dust in the air The explosion in all
! likelihood was a boiler explosion; il cer-
tainly wac not due to dust"
John w. Kaufman said: II do not
think it possible that the explosion was
caused by flour dust"
The mill was considered the largest red
winter wheat mill in tho country. IL had
an output of :, 500 barrels OF -four every
tweniy-four hours and last year produced
447 900 barrels.