The Penn's Grove record., 1901-04-26
A FATAL EXPLOSION
One Man Killed an{i Three Injured

A FATAL EN- PLOSION
One Man Killed andi Three Injured.
An explosion took place at the Dupont
Powder Mills on CARNEY Point at 1870 p.
m. on Monday The e xplosion was heard
for some miles and shook buildings in
Penn's Grove At once the Powder
Mills We're thought If, while some
thought it might ne Blasting rock on the
opposite side OF the river
AT first it was reported that Two men
had been killed, but the feelings of the
tOwnspeope was allaTed when the re-
port came that no one was killed, but
one died Afterwards.
THE DEAD Is
CHARLES MrKEsEiI, of Wilmington,
aged II. Both feet were blown off below
the knees The flesh was torn abo' 0he
knees so that the bones stuck out like
sticks and the flesh was torn loose from
the back side Those who saw it said it
was piteable sight and heart rending
when he embraced his father. He died
in Delaware Hospital that evening.
THE INJURED ARE
JAMES PoNsELL a plumber OF Whining
ton, aged q years and married. His
head, face and arms were badly lacerat-
ed, thigh broken and a piece OF bone torn
from his ankle SO that he had to have
one foot taken off
JOHNSON LYNCH, a steam filter, OF
Penn's Grove, aged 50, single, d leg
broken, nose broken, face brurSl and a
splinter through his windpipe so he
could not talk. The above three were
taken to the Delaware Hospital, as soon
as possible on the tug boat and by am
bulance after being dressed by Drs. d.
Garrison and n. II. Barnart, of Penn's
Grove They have both recovered from
the shock and are resting and doing as
well as can be expected.
ROBERT ENGLISH, JR., of Penn's Grove,
was badly bruised on the left leg above
the knee, but not injured so badly but
what he has been about the house, and
will be able to return to work in a few
days.
Ponsell was in the workshop soldering
larger pipe into an alcohol and ether
tank, and Mikesell, who was learning the
| plumbing trade under him, was sitting
on one side OF the tank holding the pipe,
while Ponsel was on the other side do
ing the work with a gasoline torch and
iron. Lynch, with English his helper,
were in the tool house about ten feet
from the tank and about the same dis
tance from each other when the explosion
occurred. The sides of the building were
blown off by the explosion and all the
men were blown outside from ten to twen-
| ty feet, The sides of the building was
completely wrecked, but the frame was
left standing. How English escaped
with such little injury seems miraculous.
The tank was OF sheet iron about five
feet long and four or five feet long and
| four or five feet in circumference. When
| the alcohol and ether are pressed out of
the gun cotton, in a liquid form and
milkey color, it flows through pipe in
| to one end OF the tank and is drawn out
| through pipe in the bottom where they
were soldering This tank had been out
doors unused for some months. 1t is
| presumed that some of the gun cotton
sediment had baked in the bottom of the
tank and when the hot vapor from the
| gasoline torch struck it vapor was
formed in the tank and exploded. They
had put pipes in similar tank previous
| and some workmen had seen one tank
washed out, but there was no certainty
about the explosed one having been
washed out, 1t is not probable that it
had for the wet gun cotton, it is said, will
not explode
The works shut down on Thursday
while the head men and about 100 work
men attended the funeral of Mikesell.
Mr.. English says; was about ten or
twelve feet from the tank when it ex-
| ploded, standing one side to it. knew
nothing until came to, lying on the
ground with my face turned in an oppo
site direction from what | was standing
and saw lumber on Lynch, l arose to
get it off OF him. Some say l made five
attempts before | got up. / got the
boards off of Lynch and helped him up,
but my leg hurt so badly could do moth
ing and Mr. Roche brought me home.
My leg sweled up as large as two"