The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1901-10-04

Monfett's Danger and
Daring" article in the
September St Nicholas. incidentally
he tells how n member Of the great
powder making firm of Duponts went
to a hero's death, when duty called
him:
Let me conclude with the mention
of n remarkable family Of explosive
makers. the Duponts OF Wilmington,
who for generations now have had
practical monopoly in this country OF
the powder-maklng business, includ-
ing dynamite and nltroglycerin. In
this enterprise great fortune has
accumulated. so that the Duponts OF
to-day are very rich men, far beyond
any need Of working In the mills them
selves. and have been for years. Yet
work in the mills they do-all of them
practically-and direct in detail all
the processes OF manufacture, and
face continually, day by day. In their
own persons the same terrible dangers
that the humblest mixer faces In his
tasks.
through the century n great pride of
courage, like that Of the officer who
leads his men into battle-a pride far
stronger than any longing for pleas
ure. And they cannot, If they would,
leave these slow, grinding mills, where
any day n spark may bring catas-
trophe to make the whole land shud-
der.
There came n day for instance-thls
was long time ago-when swift
flame swept through one of the mixing
rooms, nearly empty Of powder Mt the
time, yet so permeated with the stuff
in floors and walls that the building
was burning fiercely in n few seconds.
No man can say what started 1t, al
though 1t was believed that n heavy
box, slid along the wooden floor.
brought fash out Of the dry timbers.
At any rate. the fash came, and the
blaze followed on IL so swiftly that
the building was wrapped in fire be-
fore the men inside could reach the
door, and they presently burst out
blazing themselves. for their clothing
was sifted through with explosive
dust. Indeed, II is always true In fires
at powder-mills that the workmen are
serious menace to the buildings by
reason OF their own infammabllity.
SO the next thing was n plunge into
the placid Brandywine, which winds
across the yards between willow-hung
banks. In went the men; in went
young Alexis Dupont; and with little
hiss their flaming garments were cx-
tingushed Then, as they struck out
into the stream, they looked back and
saw that the wind was carrying n
shower OF sparks from the burning
building to the roof of n cutting mill
near by, where tons OF powder lay.
For one OF the sparks to reach the
tiniest powder-train would mean the
blowing up of this mill. and 1t might
be, the blowing up of another and
another by conclusion.
All this young Dupont realized In
n single glance. Here would be an
awful disaster presently, and many
lives imperlled, unless those falling
firebrands could somehow be kept of
that roof. To know this was to act.
Millionaire or not, peril or not. IL was
his plain duty as Dupont to fight
those sparks, and. without momepts
wavering, he turned back and scram-
bled up the bank.
"Come on, boysw he cried. start
the bucket line" And n moment later
he was climbing To the roof of the
threatened mill. And there he did all
that brave man can do; he stamped
out the falling embers; he dashed
water again and again upon the kind
ling fire as the men passed up full
buckets; and for time he seemed to
conquer. But presently the fire tlamed
hotter, the sparks came faster. and
the water came not fast enough. He
saw-he must have seen-that the
struggle was hopeless, that the mill
beneath him was doomed. that the
explosion must come soon. They called
on him to save himself. He shouted
back an order that they pass up more
water, and keep passing water.
The men below did their best. but
1t was a vain effort, for in those days
the roofs of powdermills were made
of pitch and cement-not OF iron. as
to-day-and by this time the fire hat
eaten its way nearly through. Alexis
Dupont, working desperately, stood
there with flames spreading all arount
him. 1t was plain to every one tina
the minutes of his life were numbered
Again they shouted, and
The explosion came like an execu
iion. and out OF the wreck Of It the!
bore away his crushed and broker
body. The last thing he knew wa
that he had played the game out fairl!
to the end-he died like Dupont, sal,
the men.
Uau uc Stonncd nrldIeIaas Horse