The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1907-10-16
OVER A: HUNDRED
DEAD OR INJURED |
Awful List Of Casualties Follows
Blowing Up Of p Powder ' Mills
Near Fontanet, Ind.
NOT A HOUSE LEFT STANDING
Inhabitants Warned by First
Explosion Escape Before
Buildings Collapse.
coNCussIoN FELT FOR MILES

---- 49, =
coNcussIoN FELT FOR MILES
Immense Magazine, Containing Many
Thousand Kegs Of Powder, Is lg.
nited by the Heat From the Burn.
ing Mills and Blows Up, Ninety Min.
utes After the First Explosion, In.
juring Physicians at Work Among
the Dead and Dying. ~
Brazil, Ind, Oct. 16.-Late in the
afternoon it was estimated that there
are 1000 homeless people In Fontanet
and that fully 900 people. have been
more or less injured, though the great.
er number have received. but slight
wounds. It is impossible to get a
close estimate of the list of the dead,
but it will number between twenty
and forty, while number of those in.
jured will die. 4
Brazil, Ind, Oct. 16.-From twenty
five to thirty people da9d and dying,
100 persons injured and every house
in Fontanet destroyed, rendering 700
people homeless, is the result of an
explosion Of the mills of the Dupont
Powder company near Fontanet.
The first explosion occurred in the
glazing mill of the plant at 9:15.
Quickly following the other mills blew
up, there being three distinct concus-
sions at intervals Of few minutes
In the mills at the time were from
seventy-f1ve to eighty mem at work.
When the glazing mill. went up the
men ran for their lives from the
other mills and many thus escaped
death, but received serious injuries.
At the first explosion the inhabitants
OF the town ran from the buildings
and thus saved themselves. No one
was killed in the town, although there
is not building left standing.
At 10:45, ninety minutes after the
first explosion, the heat from the burn
ing mills exploded the great powder
magazine situated in a hollow several
hundred yards from the mills. It con-
tanned many thousand kegs Of powder
and the concussion was even greater
than those from the explosions of the
mills. Among those injured from the
magazine explosion were several ply
sicians who were at work among the
dead and dying.
Freight Train Destroyed.
A freight train standing on the
switch leading to the powder mills
was partly destroyed by the concus-
sion and took fire.
The heat from the burning mills
and freight train was so great that it
was impossible to remove many of the
| bodies from the wreckage. Eighteen
mangled bodies were taken to the
ndorgue to await Identification. In
jured were found scattered everywhere
and were collected and relief given as
rapidly as possible. Not a house is
left standing in the town. Fronts,
|
many buildings were wrecked. Great
holes are torn in the ground, fences
have vanished and household goods
from the ruined homes are in con-
fused heaps of debris in all directions
The people of the town, who had
rushed from their homes at the first
explosion, were saved because of this.
The shock from the exploding maga-
zine wrecked the buildings in the
town.
A brick school building quarter of
a mile from the mills was wrecked
and many of the children inside were
injured, some seriously, but none ia.
tally. A farmhouse three-quarters of
mile away was totally destroyed.
Forty School Children Hurt.
The school at Fontanet had just
been called to order when the explo.
sion occurred. At least forty of the
children were injured.
The first view of the wreck was q
sickening one Although men knew
that another explosion might occur at
any moment they entered the wrecked
buildings to rescue comrades. Flames
soon attacked the buildings and drove
the rescuers away and the workmer
were Obliged to stand by and see
their fellow workers burn to death.
When the wounded men were placed
on board of the relief train to be
taken to @Terre Haute there was 8
frantic rush made by the wives, par
ents and children of the injured tc
establish the identity of those res
cued. One man died on the train be
fore it left. Another man expired az
the train pulled into the Big Four sta
tion at Terre Haute: Mayor Lyons O.
that city has called special meeting
Of the city council to afford such relie
for the sufferers as may be needed
He sent a special detail Of twelve po
lice officers to assist in the work o
relief and appealed to Governor Hanl,
to send Company B Of Terre Haute t,
the scene Of the accident at once will
tents for the homeless.