Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1903-07-31
Twenty KILLED
BY EXPLOSION
frightfuI Loss of Life and
Property By Blowing Up
ofPoWder Magazine.
MANY HOMES ARE WRECKED
Houses Near Scene of Disaster Go
Down a. IF Built of Cards-Work-
men Poured Nitric Acid on Floor,
Thinking II Water.

Lowell, Mass, July 30.-Iwo shall
gun.powder magazines, situated in the
very midst of the humble residences
Of fifty mill operatives, exploded yes
terday with frightful conclusion, and
the resultant wave of death cut on the
lives of more than a score of human
beings and injured nearly fifty others.
Half a dozen men who were loading
kegs of powder from one of the maya.
zines were blown to pieces: four boys
200 yards away were killed by the
force of the explosion, and fourteen
frame houses within a radius Of 400
yards went down as if they had been
built Of cards. Seven Of these houses
Immediately caught fire, probably
from the kitchen stoves, and were
completely consumed. At least three
persons were caught In the ruins and
burned to death, while seven or eight
others, who were rescued, died subse-
quently of their injuries.
1t is estimated that seventy sepa-
cate pieces of property, including
those already mentioned, were des-
troyed, while the force of the explo-
sion wrecked windows for five or six
miles around, and it's thunder could be
heard more than fifty miles away.
The magazines were the property OF
the United States Cartridge company
of this city, but fortunately were sit
uated more than mile away from the
factory itself They were built of
brick about 10 feet high, with round
ed roof of corrugated iron. They were
constructed some thirty years ago, in
what was then broad open field on
the banks of the Concord river. Dur
ing the last decade small wooden
dwellings have gradually sprung up in
the vicinity, crowding nearer and
nearer until they almost completely
surrounded them, except on the river
side, the nearest house being scarcely
fifty feet away.
One of the magazines was just with
in the roadside fence while the other
was about 100 feet behind it near the
banks OF the river. Both magazines
ordinarily contained two or three tons
of gun powder in tin kegs, each key
being about eighteen inches high and
E foot in diameter. The company has
for some time been DESTROYS Of
strengthening the floor of the maya.
zine nearest the street and this morn
ing eight men, three of them employees
of the company, three expressmen and
two carpenters were sent there with
three large express teams to take out
the powder and mend the floor. Two
Of the wagons had been loaded and
the other was almost full when at six
minutes past o'clock the explosion
occurred. r~M
1t was long time before the actual
cause of the explosion could be ascer-
tanned. 1t was thought Ct first that
everyone With raGsos OF fifty feet
Of TIC magazines had been killed, but
later 1t was found that Clarendon
Goodwin, the foreman of the men who
we're loading the powder on the
wagons, had survived together with
one of his assistants, Amadee Boul-
anger, and this afternoon the latter
was seen in the hospital. e. T.
He said that the men went down to
he magazine nearest the street to fix
The floor and after the wagons had
Jeen loaded with the powder which
was in the magazine, it was discover
ed that can of nitroglycerine, which
was stored in the magazine, was leak
ing. Mr.. Goodwin picked up what he
thought was jug of water and began
pouring 1t on to the nitroglycerine
with the idea of diluting it and wash
Ing it up. AS soon as the fluid from
the jug struck the floor, he found that
1t was nitric acid. The floor at once
began to smoke and when the men saw
1t they rushed from the building, but
had not gone ten feet when the ex-
plosion occurred. o.. ~ -E
This magazine was the first to 20
up, followed Immediately by the gun
powder in the three wagons, and sew
eral seconds later by the second maya.
zine. .+4sa
The entire catastrophe, however &C.
Cured in the space Of scarcely five
seconds, but in that time the surround
ing property was swept as if small
Volcano had broken forth in its midst.
Every house within two hundred yards
collapsed. Trees were blown down,
The grass within a hundred yards was
moved as if by a lawn mower, while
bricks from the two magazines were
hurled far across the river and all
over the neighborhood:
Lowell, Mass, July 31...-A long line
Of hearses, moving slowly through the
streets yesterday, was pathetic re-
hinder of Wednesdays terrible catas.
trophe at Wigginsville, when an ex.
plosion Of tons Of nitro.glycerine, dy-
Mantle and gun powder snuffed out
nearly score of lives, painfully in.
jured more than double that number
of persons, and scattered half hun.
dred buildings over a space of several
acres. The number Of dead stands at
10, but 1t may be increased to q at
any moment by the death of two of the
ten victims now at St. Johns hospital
INDEPENDENCE OF HAWAII.