The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-07-31
HOUSES WITHIN A. RADIUS OF
FOUR HUNDRED YARDS TO.
TALLY WRECKED.
CAUSE OF THE CALAMITY
WORKMAN POURED NITRIC ACID
INTO NITRoGLYcERiN UP.
ON THE FLOOR.

Lowell, Mass, July 30.-Two small
gunpowder magazines, situated in the
very midst of the humble residences
Of fifty mill operatives, exploded
Wednesday with a frightful concus-
sion and the resultant wave OF death
cut of the lives of more than a score
of human beings and injured nearly
fifty others. Half a dozen men who
we're loading kegs of powder from n
OF the magazines 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, prob
ably 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 subsequently of their injuries.
1t is estimated that seventy separate
pieces of property, including those al
ready mentioned, were destroyed,
while the force of the explosion
wrecked windows for five or six miles
around, and its thunder could be heard
distinctly more than fifty miles away.
The following is the list of those
known to have been killed in the ex-
plosior:
List Of Known Dead.
George Finn, John McMasters, Louis
e. Richards, James l.. Grady, all en-
ployed by the United States Cart
ridge company; James B.. Sullivan,
ployed by the Stanley Forwarding
company; Gilbert McDermott. ten
years; Michael McDermott, twelve
years; Thomas Houligan, eleven
years; Joseph Houligan, ten years;
William Galloway, Robert Galloway
and his son Robert, Alfred LIE Brun,
Mrs. Catherine Riggs, Eddie Rogers,
George A. McDermott, four years old;
Josephine Perusse, eleven years old:
Mrs. Victoria Perusse, Zephraim Pc
russo.
The nine last named were killed by
the fall Of their homes or burned to
death.
The body of an unknown man was
also found.
-Four persons are missing, two car.
penters, names unknown, John Riggs
and Patrick Spencer.
Those fatally injured are: Amadee
Boulanger. eighteen years; Clarendon
Goodwin, sixty years; Mrs. Howard
Burkett, Miss McDermott, Eliza Gallo.
way, Clara Superna. :
Almost Surrounded by Dwellings.
The magazines were the property OF
the United States Cartridge company
of this city, but fortunately were sit
uated more than a mile away from the
factory itself. They were built Of
brick about ten feet high, with 8
rounded roof of corrugated iron. They
were constructed some thirty years
ago in what was then a broad Oper
field on the banks of the Concord river
During the past decade small wooder
dwelling houses have gradually sprung
up in the vicinity, crowding nearer
and nearer with fancied security tt
the two innocent looking little build
ings until they almost completely SUI
rounded them, except on the rive,
side. the nearest house being scarcely
fifty feet away.
One Of the magazines was jus
within the roadside fence, while tn,
other was about 100 feet behind /
near the bank of the river. Boil
magazines ordinarily contained two o
three tons of gunpowder in tin kegs
each key being about eighteen niche
high and a foot in diameter.
Sent to Remove the Powder.
The company had for some time bee
DESTROYS of Strengthening the floor d
the magazine nearest the street and Il
the morning eight men, three of Their
employees of the company, three e3
pressmen and two carpenters, wer
sent there with three large expires
teams to take out the powder an
mend the floor. Two of the teams ha
been loaded and the other was almos
full when at 9:O6 o'clock the expl,
sion occurred.
It was a long time before the actus
cause of the explosion could be asce
tanned. 1t was thought at first ths
everyone within a radius of fifty fee
of the magazine had been killed. br
later it was found that Clarendo
Goodwin, the foreman of the men VIII
were loading the powder on the team
had survived, together with n of h:
assistants. Amadee Boulanger, and
the afternoon the latter was seen
the hospital.
He said that the men went down
the magazine nearest the street to f
the floor and after the teams had bee
loaded with the powder which was
the magazine. it was discovered TIL
a can of nitroglycerin, which W.
stored in the magazine, was leakin
Mr.. Goodwin picked up what he
Thought Mas a jug of Water
and began pouring it onto the Mir
glycerin. with the idea of diluting