Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-12-15

press room, about 100 yards away, and
was thrown down. Ho rushed from the |
building and states that he walked |
over tho bodies of several men as he
did so. He received q wound in the
left shoulder
y Samuel Stewart, who is brother of |
John Stewart, foreman of the yard,
was about 50 yards away when he was
struck and thrown into the race. After
receiving temporary attention in the
yard he was removed 10 the Delaware
Hospital.
z Foreman Stewart was near the raoe
,at the time, saw the upsetting of the
car, and although he felt tho force OF
the shock, was unhurt. Another man
who was in the vicinity and escaped
unhurt was John Murphy, who was on
his way up the road, toward tho press
room,
Maxwell Mahoney, one of tho injured
men, Is an employe of the Water De
partmont Of this city, andswas on his
tour of inspection of the Brandywine
to guard it from pollution. lie was
slightly cut in the head by flying
object.
A portion of the clothing of the man,
Wright, who was blown over tho creek,
where the body was found. Several OF
Tho branches Of the tree wero broken
off and q boy was sent to tho top Of
the tree uud picked the pieces of
clothing to which were attached frag-
nients Of flesh, which proved TO be
from tho lower limbs of tho man.
Forty or more men were employed in
| tho yard. A number of these had for
ncrly worked in The lower yard, but
| tho work was slaclSened there and thoy
we're given employment in the Hagley
yard, thereby increasing the force there.
Among those who went up from the
lower yard were Moore and McCann.
The effect Of the explosion was as IL
| n cyclone had struck the side of tho
hill. .Sbout one ton of powder had
exploded. The concussion stopped tho
clock in the main Office of the du Pont
powder works at 1905 o'clock. Glass
was broken in the lower powder yard
below Rising Sun bridge.
The home Of Judge T.. G.. Bradford
WIS very severely shaken and not a
whole glass was left in the building. The
| glass in the front Of Frizzel's drug
store was broken.
1 A blacksmith shop at the entrance
to the yard, about 50 yards away, had
all its windows blown to atoms.
Squirrel Run, Hagley, Walker $
Banks, du Points Banks, Henry Clay,
and in fact all nearby territory, felt
the force of tho explosion, resulting in
the breaking of windows. Many trees
| were cut through the trunk or denuded
of their branches in the path of the
flying fragments.
4 INTENSE EXCITEMENT.
The explosions were followed by in
tense excitement in the villages sur
rounding the mills and their residents
hastened to the gates of tho powder
yards TO get what information they
could concerning members Of their
families who were employed there.
Many Of the early comers obtained ad-
mission to the yards and wero able to
q observe the dire results Of the ex,
we're cleared of all except those con.
neoted with the works or physicians
and clergymen. Among the physicians
early on the scene wero Drs, Joseph
III. Chandler, John Palmer, Jr.,
Swithin Chandler, j. L. France, r.. r.
Greenlcaf and James III. Morgan.
Eugene and Francis G. du Pont wert
early on the scene of disaster, doing
all they could to relieve the men who
were injured.
Mcllhenny, one of the victims of thu
explosion, was member of Green Hill
Presbyterian Church. The Rev. T.. w
Long, pastor of that church, minis
! tered 10 his bereaved family. Moore
, was u member of Emmanuel protestan
Episcopal Church, and Wright was ;
Roman Catholic.
+ Among the narrow escapes was tha
of Alfred I. du Pont, member of th'
firm. He had started towards the pres
, mill few minutes before tho ex
, plosion. When he suddenly recalled
something he wished TO attend to else
!, where, and turned back. That prob
! ably saved his life. Had he been il
, the mill he would have been kille'
! with McIlhenny and Wright. .
Harry Miller, foreman Of tho mill
i Nrights, was most fortunate. He ha'
/ been in the press room less than thre
a minutes before the explosion and ha'
a gone across the yard with q small piec
4 Of timber in his hand on which wa
a made some notations. He was throw
i downward on his face and stomach
= and. when he was able to rise he wa
: unable to find the memorandum whic
/, he had carried with him.
] Joseph O'Hanley, employed as
n miliwright in the mills was in tn
n mills about 80 feet from the pres
i room, in company with George Mathew
N son. He saw his companion fall dow
: on the first explosion, which Wa
"a rather severe. This was followed b
tho explosion of the press room
+, O'Hnniey was thrown down with gre;
~ violence and severely hurt about h
4 side and back. O'Ilanley stated this
Il he thought his time had come. II
Z, had fallen to the floor IN
:. caught onto one OF the machines an
"a with it had been moved several feet g
=, the floor. He felt the several shocl
8 SO severely that he heard himself utt'
,a an exclamation with each explosion
;. ~ as he was lifted from the floor. Gla'
II was thrown all about him and Il
;s yellow pine posts and sills looked Ill
ir stalactites glittering as they stuck
Iv the rafters, posts and sills.
n Fred G. Mammele, who was doir
: some glazing work at Christ Episcop
~ Churoh, which overlooks the powd
~ yard, -had his hand cut and hea
n bruised by the falling of sash and Il
ly breaking of glass.
.a PEOPLE ALARMED.
an Immediately after the reports hui
no dreds OF people ran into the stree
ut and a glance in the direction OF Il
id du Pont yards convinced them tn
on there had been q powder mill g
ed plosion. Immense volumes of viii
ed smoke, resulting from burning powde
assembled, and soon spread over the SIX
lis Buildings trembled all over the cit