Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-10-16
SEVEN POWDER MILLS BLOW UP,
Forty Thousand Kegs OF Powder Explode,
Causing Enormous Loss of Life and Prop
erty==COnCussiOn Felt 200 Miles Away.

ness bloci:s, including a large block Just
completed, large warehouse and 800 res
| licences
| The fronts and sides of many were
| blown away, the roofs of others were
| hurled into space, while some We're reduc-
ed to 4 mass of collapsed wreckage.
A Big -Four Railroad freight train on
the switch leading to the mills was par
tally destroyed by the explosion, and the
| wreckaGe caught fire. Engineer Charles
| Wells was badly burned and received a
fracture OF the right leg.
| Three school buildings We're DESTROYED.
two at Frontanet and one at Coal Bluff
Two miles away. All were filled with
school children and every one Of these
We're more or less injured by the collapse
of the buildings
A four-room schoolhouse was torn to
pieces and not one of the 200 children es-
capped unhurt None was fatally injured.
The school building at Coal Bluff was
turned over and collapsed The teacher
and sc pupils We're more or less injured.
The force of the explosion destroyed all
telephone communications with outside
towns and it was with great difficulty
that aid was summoned
Terra Haute ard Brazil sent physicians
and nurses with supplies in carriages and
automobiles across country Willie snec;a1
trains were made up and run over the
Big Four railroad for the care of the in
jured
Governor Hanly at Indianapolis ordered
the Terra 1faute company of the Indiana
National Guard here To patrol the rlne,.
district and protect life and property.
the governor arrived this evening aLout
the time the soldiers reached here Ia
brought with him 100 tents and cots for
the use OF the homeless.
y freight train standing on the
switch leading to the powder mills was
partly destroyed by the conclusion
ana caught fire
The heat from the burning mills and
freight train was so great that if was
impossible to remove many of tho
bodies from the wreckage. Eighteen
mang,ed bodies were taken to the
morgue to await Identification.
Injured were found everywhere and
We're collected and relief given as ran
idlv as possible
ii'ii'S. IoOlS, SlueS and even fOunda-
tons Of many buildings were blown
to atoms. Great holes were torn in the
ground and household goods from the
ruined homes We're in heaps in all Ill
rcct:OnS
Tho people who had rushed from
then homes at the first explosion were
savel because of this. 1t was the shock
from the exploding magazine that
that wrecked the buildings in the town.
The first victim taken from the
wrecked mills was doc" Carroll. an
empl"ye. He lived but few minutes.
Two other employees were found near
Carroll. They were Yes Dial and his
son, Both We're dead. Will Dalton was
found unconscious. his body badly
mangled. He cannot live Charles Wells
engineer on the freight train. was bad
~ burned and his leg is fractured
a brick school building q quarter Of
mile from the mills, was wrecked
ana many of tn" children inside wcrc
injured. some seriously but none ia
tally. a farm house three quarters of
mile away was totally destroyed.
Co. Is, Indiana National Guard, i'm
Continued on Page Two)