New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-22

FLAMES QUICKLY FOLLOWED BY AN En-
PLOSION.
MUCH OTHER PROPERTY At LITCHF1ELD, ILL.,.
DAMAGED AND MANY PERsoNS INJURED
THE LOSS on THE MILL PROPERTY
MAY REACH 81, I,oooooo-TIIEoRIES

THE LOSS on THE MILL PROPERTY
MAY REACH 81 900 ooo-TIIEoRIES
AS TO THE CAUSE OF
THE EXPLOSION.
Litchfcld H., March 2l.-Fire, followed by
an explosion early this mornins wrecked the
Zig Planet Gorr mill at this place. owned bY
Kehlor Brothers. OF 81. Louis. and damaged much
other property ore man lost his life and several
lcrsons were injured The damage to the mill Is
estimated at 81 100000. and to other property at
II 900 The shocl, Of the explosion was telt
twenty-five miles away, and window glass was
broken and chimncys were shaken down many
miles from this place.
The fire was discovered by the night watchman
in the bran room of the -four mill at 3 80
o'clock. He ran 10 hydrant. bat the water
pipes did not work properly. and in an instant
tho flames spread to adjoining rooms. In less
than two miautes the flames reached the Hour
rolling room, and an explosion, believed to havc
lecn caused by -four dust followed. The night
watchman was hurled through window ana
badly injured he head milwright. John
Cowic. of Waterloo n T.. while trying TO save
his tools from the blazing tuilding. was stunned
by the shock Of the explosion. AMI. being unable
to escape, was burned 10 death.
The immcns" building tottcrcd for second
and fell in a heap of blazing timbers 1he
Hames leapcd small passageway ana
ignted two large grain elevators. in which were
stored 2oO00 barrels OF flour and 2OO.00O Duslcls
OF wheat The fremcn. who were promptly on
the scene. were driven back by the intense
heat. and in less than half an hour the elevators
and their contents were total loss. Several
small buildings adjacent to the elevators were
burned
al l,,-aiti ina
the cxplo.is, and many Others were slightly dam
aacd All the pla.c-glass windows in the stores in
Main and State sts were blown out. II is esti-
mated that glass to the value of $1,000 was
DESTROYED in tho town The machinery in the
Iitchfcld Car and Machinery Company's works
was so badly Jared that work had to be su'-
pended Western l'nlon Telegraph wires were also
prostratcd The Wabash Railway tracks run De-
tween the -four mill and elevators. ana are
crowded with wrcckagc for a distance OF "oo
feet. The company will only suffer slight IN
convenience as II will use the tracks OF otncr
road, at this point.
The following is n corrected list oi 'he IN
iurcd: Mrs II. V. Hoffman, leg broken: MIS- T.
INnch. face and head cut; thomas Dohosh"o'
had on, and bruised: Mrs. Henry Stcigle arm
crushed: Mrs Levi l.uSsy. arm cut' ~
Gr..onwad face ard head cut; Andrew Duncan
head cut. JOnU NutN'i' h'"' N''
John kavency. head and face cut Many per
sons received minor INJURIES foni '"''"7
and other wreclkage.
Tho mill had a capacity OF 1000 DarrciS VI
eorr daily I, employed | 50 men, and WAS IL ID
id ,be laroe.t Touring mill Ill the United STATES
General MANAGER L. l.. Smith says that the amount
NJ insurance carried Oh the mill, elevator ana con
| ,cnts WIS about S35o,o00, while the 1875 WI"
reach almost 81 l,000,o0o
r~c,.rsl,n trains from all the neiehborlns
,o,,r. hnye broaaht in hundreds of p'op'e 'o-d'y
10 the rum,
:, Iouis. March Il The great force oil the eS-
,roa,on of the litchhcld mil is shown ny ,"c
| f.c, that the Inhabitants oil towns ihahS nm
| f,or, ,h. scene of the calamity were arouse" ny
,h vibrations. and attributed the rocking s,l'N'-
| ,ion 20 an earthquake. II was disuhc"S ~" ''
va.oon,,b Uiqhland. Grccnyillc. Pana and other
| a,r, When the first news OF the disas'er
,oaorod st Iouis it was reported that the wreck
| -, ,ho mill Ind been caused by "a tornado. us
na,cnos were at once sent 70 points on the lines
| of railroad having te!egraphic connection VIII"
,chncI asking for information as 10 Tue IN
,or, of thr destruction. and answers came
| from the towns named ana "o~''' VI
| portinq an earthquake.
| rho tbcorv that the explosion was occasiohe"
hv eour dust finds no favor among local inil'e's
I Il know nothing about the particulars sal"
4 H. Smith but | ON certain that ho"r aust
was not the cause. There have been diSaS'rouS
explosions of this character, but they are no
lonser possible In the old days the aust was
uEmn n,,, norticles The smallest shock. such aS
,irna 1ns match, was likely to cause ,n an ss
p.on Just why the dust should eNpIIhe * ,h das %as
"a cbm" Nnc" by George r. Smith, such explosions
are possible a mills are ARE pJpvdTGah Thc w,sp cSpo.on o
ana W; i;io,ihond was n boiler explosion
The refsysa by the as Ncl@r o hrSa" th"m Of
mpaiSS n nnSS aImost covered by 300 policies in 100
compa" represented by W. IL Ma.khnm .ta,.mcSt
sons. who 'iu~' to give de}a''Go Kshop s'hie'f of
n ,h fra" q" awning the Planet Mills, tcegraphs that
the mills eytGTs and eGn%t H al" ac aran ai1a or "s
'a u"' acstroycd The burned elevator had Il
capacity 900 bushels, % G hg rorsaS rniG Isscn Ess no
hnsia