The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-03-22
Julian Bradham Is Badly Burned.
By Flying FirsbTands Which
Ignite Clothing
BIRMINGHAM IS STARTLED
BY TERRIFIC EXPLOSION
Mixing Mill Is Blown to Atoms and
Little Is Left of Pressing Mill.
One Man Is Hurled
$50 Feet. q

With a thunderous roar which re-
sounded for miles around twosmills of the
Jefferson Powder company. about five
miles north of Birmingham, blew up last
night at $50 o'clock, thpowing debris for
hundreds of yards. but miraculously in
jurng only one man.
After being thrown about twenty-five
feet up a hill Julian Bradham, a young
white man, was struck by u fire brand
from the exploded building, which, while
he was stunned by the fall, burned all
flesh.
The accident luckily occurred when
there was no one near the buildings. Sud-
denly the whole place was shaken and
with deafening noise the exploding pow
der sent all in its wake slSyward a spray
of the burning flakes went 200 feet in
the air, and made a beautiful display of
fireworks for a moment Even in Bir-
mingham FIVE miles distant the explo-
upon the horizon Numbers of people on
the street were alarmed when it appeared,
and ran to the telephone to inquire the
cause.
Rush to the Rescue.
When the conHagration in mid-air had
ceased the employees Of the company
rushed out from where they had been
hiding, and saw the result OF the pow
der's work by the light of the burning
debris, scattered all around the premises.
Mr.. Bradham was found $50 feet away
from the buildings, lying almost sense
less with his clothing on fire. His brother
and another man rushed to his assistance,
and with their bare hands quickly tore
off the flaming garments. The man then
rose up, and though bllstered bodily,
walked to the office of the works and
waited for an ambulance.
Foley & Mackey responded to the call
quickly and the injured man was hurried
to Birmingham to the hospital of Tally
& McAdory. His wounds were found to
be most serious on the face, hands and
legs, but they are not considered danger
Gus. 1t is believed that he will recover In
a few weeks.
Two Mills Blown Up.
When Manager Rogers had looked after
the comfort of the injured man he con-
tinued his investigation to find what is
known as the mixing mill was blown to
atoms and very little left of the pressing
mill. The trouble originated in the mix
ing mill, a frame building about IS by 40,
in which the different ingredients of the
formula are mixed by machinery.
There are so many possible causes for
the explosion that none has been decided
upon. A hot box may have ignited, or
one of a hundred contingencies arisen.
When this building had blown UP the
falling brands struck the pressing mill.
and within few second 1t, too was a
mass of ruins. This is used for pressing
the crude powder in order that it may
break up and glaze properly. The re-
mains took fire and 1t took some fighting
to keep the forty other small buildings
from igntlng.
200 Kegs Destroyed.
In all there were about 200 kegs of the
product destroyed, while the machinery
and other material was a dead loss. The
value of the property destroyed will prob
ably reach $1,000.
A peclliar fact was that while the shock
was felt for miles around the window
glasses in the near vicinity were not
broken, and nothing was harmed. That
more We're not injured was miraculous,
al had 1t been a moment sooner or later
eiX might haNa
corner of a building and received the
whole brunt.
Bradham was a man of about Is years
who lived at Sayreton, where he and his
brother boarded with a family. He has
only been In the district about three
weeks, coming here from his home In
Greelyville, Ala His family there has
notified