The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1907-01-10
Terrific Explosion Wrecks Corn
ing Mill at LafIin-Rand Powder
Plant on Saturday
ALL MEN IN MILL ARE KILLED
Cause of the Disaster not Discovered at
Coroners Inquest Held Sunday
Loss of Property is Esti-
mated at $4,000

The village of Pleasant Prairie
is quiet. The wheels of its one
industry-the Lahin-Rand Powder
Mills-are not turning. It's people are
not employed, while pail has been
cast over the village and the entire
surrounding community by the awful
accident of Saturday, which caused
the loss Of nine lives.
The fog and rain this week found
the great plant silent, but the build
ings are spattered with the blackened
ashes of the burned powder just as
if the angel of death had hung bow
of black crepe on each Of them in
token of the visit of Saturday.
The accident occurred ten minutes
before twelve O'Clock and the corning
mill is the only one that was injured
by the explosion. On account Of the
recent litigation against the plant the
superintendent had started to move
the poweder as rapidly as possible and
almost the entire force employed by
the company had been sent to the
corning mill to break up the powder
and get it ready for shipment. Ralph
A1erson, one of the most careful me a
in the employ of the company, had
been placed in charge of the mill at
this time in order to rush the work
and get the powder on board the cars.
The other men had been taken from
the other buildings of the plant and
put to work in the corning mill.
The cause of the accident is COM
plete mystery and the first that was
known OF the trouble was when the
big buildingwas seen to reel and go
into the air. 1t broke into thousand
peices and all was over in the
twinkling of an eye. There was a
large amount of powder in the mill
at the time the explosion took place
but it is impossible to tell the amount.
1t is supposed that some pieces OF the
powder got caught in one Of the grind
ing machines and was ignited by some
friction.
There was no noise attending the
explosion, and in fact the trembling
of the earth was so slight that it could
not have been felt few hundred feet
from the destroyed building. The
first indication of an accident was
brought to Pleasant Prairie, when
some of the men of the village noticed
a g
tion of the corning mill and when they
looked a second later they noticed that
the big building had been completely
wiped out.
In few minutes the grounds about
the plant we're crowded with people,
and the extent of the tragedy became
known. Rescuing parties were at
once formed and risking their lives
the men in charge of the plant and
people from Pleasant Prairie went to
the scene of the explosion. They
found that the building had been COM
pletely wiped out, and in its place
there was mass of debris. In the
pile of burning powder and soda were
to be seen the forms of men dying an
awful death. There was at once an
effort made to rescue the men, and
the men who seemed to be alive We're
removed first.
The corning mill at the plant was
destroyed once before, but at that
time there was but a small amount of
powder in the mill and only one man
was at work and he escaped unin-
iured. When the mill was rebuilt it
was built of light material. 1t was
not thought that there was any great
danger of loss of life by an explosion
in this mill.
All the Russians dead and injured
had been in this country but short
time. They had been employed at
the plant at from one to three months.
These men we're all of the better
class of Russian people, and they had
come TO America to make home for
their families and had accepted the
hazardous work of powder making
that they might accomplish their pur.
pose in a shorter time.
There was great sorrows in the
homes of the Russians about the
Powder plant on Sunday, and many
Of them we're busy writing letters
home telling wives and children and
widowed mot hers of the havoc that
death had wrought. Many Of these
people will not hear of the awful fate
of their loved ones for several weeks,
as they live in the interior of Poland
and it will take a long time for the
mails to reach them.
The official list of the dead and in.
jured as given out by the managers OF
the plant and the Russians at the vii.
lage is as follows: