Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1903-08-08
EXPLOSION CAUSES
DEATH OF MANY
Powder Factory Blown Up In
Massachusetts, With Most
Fearful Results.
ONE STREET is RUINED
~fhorougfare In East Lowell Is a Mass
of Debris-Militia Called Out
to Preserve Order at the
Scene.

mag uoS 49,
very midst OF the humble residences or
fifty mill operatives. exploded yester-
day with a frightful concussion, and the
resultant wave Of death cut on the
lives OF more than a score OF human
beings and injured nearly nifty others.
Half a dozen men Who were loading
kegs OF powder from one of the maya
zines we're 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 II they had been built or
cards. Seven Of these houses immedl-
ately caught fire, probably from the
kitchen stoves, and were completely
consumed. At least three persons were
caught In the ruins and burned 10
death. While seven or eight others who
were rescued died subsequently or their
injuries.
1t Is estimated that seventy separ-
ate pieces Of property, including those
already mentioned, were destroyed,
while the force of the explosion
wrecked windows for Ave or six miles
| around, and It's thunder could be heard
distinctly more han fifty miles away
It was q long time before the actual
CAUSE OF tho explosion could be ascer-
tanned. 1t was thought at first that
! every one within a radius Of fifty feet
of the magazines had been killed, but
later IL was found that Clarendon
Goodwin, the foreman Of the men who
were loading the powder on the wag-
ons, had survived, together with one
Of his assistants, Amadee Boulanger,
and this afternoon the latter vas seen
In the hospital.
Thought Nitric Acid Water.
He said that the men went down to
the magazine nearest the street TO NIX
the floor. and after the wagons had
been loaded with the powder which
was I'm the magazine 1t was discovered
that Il can Of nitroglycerin, which was
stored in the magazine, was leaking.
MT. Goodwin picked up what he
thought was water and began pouring
Il on the nitroglycerin with the IDEA
of dilutinS 1t and washing IL up. AS
noon as the fluid from the jug struck
the floor he found that IT 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 explosion oc-
Cured. -,
Theis magazine was, therefore, the
first to go up, followed immediately by
the second magazine. >.
TO those who heard the crash II
seemed as If there were w distinct
explosions, with a continuous roar be-
tween them. There are, however, hVe
holes I'm the ground, which seem to
clearly indicate five explosions.
The entire catastrophe, however,
accounted the space Of scarcely five
seconds. but In that time the surround
ing property vas swept as II a small
volcano had broken forth in It's midst.
every house within 200 yards col
lapsed. Trees were blown down, the
grass within 100 yards was moved as
4 by q lawn mower, while bricks from
the two magazines were hurled lar
across the river and all over the neigh
horhood. The work Of rescue at once
began, btrt in many cases the flames
had already gained full sway over the
crurnbled ruins, and several persons
we're burned to death before the debris
which covered them could be removed.
Wreck Was Fearful.
The building In which h explosion
occurred was a stone structure about
one and one-half miles distant from
the works of the cartridge company.
Within O distance of fifty yards were
located half O dozen houses. Within
100 wards there were twenty houses
more m beyond that the buildings
were very close together. Every struc-
ture within q quarter mile was torn
within and without
Men, women and children who were
inside the houses sustained cuts ard
bruises and hsoaSeh bones, IL they es-
caped with their lives. The men who
were fortunate enough to escape seri-
GUS injuries Immediately gave them
selves over to the work of removing
the women and children to places OF
safety, for almost simultaneously with
the explosion came flashes from sew
eral buildings
. - --a l-l. -
Of men were soon plunging in efforts
to say life and property. The wreck
was so complete, however, that the
work Was harrowingly slow. Patrol
wagons, police and teams OF all de-
scriptions were brought into use tc
supplement the hospital ambulances
It was nearly noon before anything like
an accurate estimate of the number
killed could be obtained. A canvass OF
the hospitals and inquiry at the police
station resulted in @ conservative esti-
mate of % killed and SO injured.
The sixteen victims most seriously
hurt were taken to St John's hospital
where at noon It was said four would
die and many more were desperately
hurt. The crowds increased momen.
tarUy and 1t seemed as If all Lowell
had suspended business and was a.
the scene.
The following is a list of those known
to have been killed in the explosion:
GEORGE FINN.
JOHN MONSTERS.
LOUIS L. RICHARDS.
JAMES L. GRADY, employed by thu
United States Cartridge company.
JAMES SULLIVAN.
CHARLES MOORE.
J. N. ROULEA, employed by TIT
Stanley Forward company.
GILBERT McDERMOTT, 10 years.
MICHAEL McDERMOTT, IL years.
THOMAS HOULIGAN. 10 years.
JOSEPH HOULIGAN, 10 a
WILLIAM GALLOWAY.
; ROBERT GALLOWAY.
| ROBERT GALLOWAY, JR-
ALFRED LEBRUN.
| MRS. CATHERINE RIGGS.
J EDDIE ROGERS.
y GEORGE A. McDERMOTT, 4 year
old.
JOSEPHINE PERUSSE. II year
: old.
> MRS. VICTORIA PERUsSE.
y ZEPHRIAM PERUSSE.
The nine last named were killed b,
, the fall of their houses or burned t
: death.
: UNKNOWN MAN.
-Four persons ore missing; two car
penters. names unknown; John Rigg
and Patrick Spencer.
Those fatally injured follow: