The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-10-16
AWFUL HAVOC
BY EXPLOSION
OF POWDER
Probably Fifty Persons
Killed, Hundreds Injur-
ed and Town Wrecked.
FORTY THOUSAND
KEGS EXPLODED
Superintendent Killed i'll His Of.
flee, Many Crushed by Collapse
Of Buildings, and Others
Slain While Fleeing From
Scene Of Recurring
Destruction.

f'oNTANET. IND. October 15.-Fon-
tanet was practically destroyed to-day
by the explosion OF the plant OF the
Dupont Powder Company. The dead
number from twenty five to nfty. More
than 500 persons were injured, and
every building In the town was Who'll
ly or partially leveled to the ground.
Where stood thriving and busy town
OF 1000 people this morning, tonight
there Is ruin and scattered wreckage.
The dead and more seriously injured
have been taken away. Five hundred
iniiau.lants. all more or less wounded,
remain to gather their scattered house
hold goods and sleep under tents and
on cots. guarded By soldiers OF the
State.
Without warning the powder mills,
seven in number. blew up at 9:l5 this
morning. They employed zoo men. and
of these seventyhve were at, work
wnen the first explosion occurred in
the press mill. In quick succession
the glazing mill. the two coming mills
and the powder magazine blew UP, fol-
lowed by the cap mill.
In the magazine. situated several
hundred yards from the mills. were
stored 10000 kegs of powder. When 1T
blew UP the concussion was felt nearly
200 miles away. Farm houses two
miles away and school houses equally
distant were torn to pieces and their
occupants injured. A passenger train
on the Big Four Railroad. four miles
away. had every ear window BROKEN.
and seyerai passengers were Injured
by flying glass,
Many Burn in WrcckaEe.
The mills went upe.wit, threa dis
tnct explosions. followed ninety min
utes later By a fourth and even more
serious one than the others. when the
ma agaz!ne went up. Immediately fol-
lowing the explosions the wreckage
caught fire. and the inhabitants of the
town who rushed to the rescue OF the
mill employees found themselves power
less to aid those burning In the ruins.
rhey worked frantIcally in constant
Sanger from possibly succeeding ex-
plosions and unmindful OF their ruined
homes. Dead and dying We're pickei
up and collected.
Eighteen bodies, burned and nanSled,
Gere carted to a protected spot to await
Identification. while the badly injured,
numbering upward of fifty. We're put
on n special train and taken to Terrc
Eaate for hospital accommodations.
Eeorly every one of the 1000 inhabi-
tants carried blood on hands and face
from his or her own wounds or those
of people WHO had required aid.
The mills were located one mile
south OF the town. With the first eX-
plosion the employees ran for safety,
but most of them Were killed or
wounded by the quickly following ex-
plosions In the other mills. When the
heat from the burning mills exploded
the giant powder magazine later. prac-
tically destroying the town by the con-
cussion. many of these engaged in res
cue work were badly injured and sew
eral were killed
Ladies' Killed in Their Home.
Superintendent Ionahan, of the
plant, was killed while sitting in his
office, and his wife and slster-in-law
were killed in their home, some dis
tance away.
That the death list is not far greater
is due to the fact that the people of
the town had left their houses at the
first explosion. and We're not In them
when the explosion of the 10000 kegs
OF powder in tile magazine hurled their
hc1nes to pieces and scattered their
household goods in heaps of debris.
Among the buildings totally destroyed
in the town We're the Methodist and
Christian churches. the depot, all busi-
ness blocks, including a large block
Jus! completed. large warehouse and
500 homes. Three school buildings
Were destroyed, two at Fontanet and
one at Coal Bluff. two miles away.
All were filled with school children,
and every one of these was more or
less injured by the collapse Of the
buildings. A four-room school build
Ing was torn to pieces, and not one
of the zoo children escaped unhurt
None was fatally hurt.
School Building Turns Over.
The school building at Coal BLUFF
was turned over and collapsed. The
teacher and ninety pupils were more
or less injured.
Terre Haute and Brazil sent physi-
clans and nurses with supplies in car
riages and automobiles across country.
while special trains We're made up and
run over tho Big Four Railroad for the
care ofSthe injured.
Governor Hanly. at Indianapolis, or
dered the Terre Haute company of
the Indiana National Guard here, to
patrol the ruined district and protect
life and property. Tho Governor ar
rived this evening about the time the
soldiers reached here, He brought with
him 700 tents and cots for the use
OF the homeless.
Two Die Aboard Train,
When the wounded men were placed
on board of tho relief train to be taken
to Terre Haute.ga a frantic rush was
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