Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-10-25
EXPLOSION AT
INDIAN HEAD.
Government Proving Grounds a
Scene Of Flame.
DAMAGE WAS NOT GREAT.
Cause Of The Accident Not known
Heportcrs Higidiy Excluded
from tho Place

Washington. oct g5.-AdmIrli O.Ne,l
chief Of the ordnance department re-
ceived a telephone message. this morn-
ing from On. proving grounds 81, Indian
Head that about 10 o'clock last night "a
fire and several explosions occurred in
one of the filling houses and magazines.
The cause of the explosion is unknown
40 present. but an Investigation .s in
progress 80 other damage was done.
and no one was injured This message
was received from Lieut. Fu.luw.ler
who is second IN command a, Indian
Head AT the TIME Doe sen, 90 Lieut..
Strauss. commuuaaul al the proving
ground. was on his way TO Washington
ON the dispatch boat Santa Barbara.
20 make bis report on the occurrence
directly TO headquarters hsro.As soon as
il became known officially that DO one
had been injured great relief was exc
pressed
The building where the first explosion
occurred is technically known as Cart
ridges, being a place where the brass
shells. which are used iu the small
calluer ragld-dre guns are filled with
.1wder IL Us distant about half
mile from the wharf, where the boats
land and from the point where the ar
NOR plate test occurs. Within a hum
bred feet ON one side and about 500 feet
ON the other are two other buildings
one designated on the JiilCil. map
magazine and the other marked
dark" These buildings are used lOl
powder storage and IL ls not yet posl-
lively known whether they have an
been destroyed or not II they have.
the loss as FAR as buildings are cone
cerned. is slight They were cone
structed lightly with 70 view t0 avoiding
confinement of the powder contents in
case of fire Within the three buildings
were stored about fifteen tons of brown
opwder and ten tons of sWukeigs pow
lgr The latter when not closely con-
fined under pressure is not explosive,
but creates a vast flame and Admiral
ONeil saws 90 wa the fire blazing nom
the burning smokCless powder which
gave rise to The belief lhat great aCCi-
dent had occurred Near the powder
houses stand the residences OF half "a
dozen employees az The proving grounds
and their families. That no one was
injured Is accounted lOr by the pru-
dence which located the magazines IN
ravines anoriug the protection of the
eucOmpassng bills in the vicinity The
big powder factory representing q
large expenditure OF government
money. was never DO danger from the
fire and explosion Ii IS between two
and three miles distant I'M straight
line from the scene of the disaster with
hills lying between.
10 Is always difficult 60 iN the re-
sponsibillty Go such cases The admiral
thought that some W0rkmcu 100 the Vie
entity yesterday may have been care
lees and left o. burning cigarette or
match which started O hIe that
smouIdered until n.ghttdIl when lt came
iu contact with the powder On the oth-
en- hand. there Is always a possibility
which naval officers do not Ike 90 rec
ogHile. Of some chemical change hay
ing taken place .n the powder which
resulted I'm spontaneous combustion
The loss i'm money represented by the
powder Is comparatively small for II
am the powder contained in the build
ings was lost the cos. would not be
above $4,000 As soon ls the explosion
became known there Was a rush OF Zee