Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-12-25
WITH. A !. BANC! B|||IA|l
10000 Pounds Of Powder
Explode at South Acton.
No One Hurt, But the Property
Loss Is About $4,000.
Third Explosion Of Same Nature At
The Same Plant.

| South Acton, Mass, Dec. 24.-The third
explosion within month at the plant
of the American Powder Co. mills here
occurred early today, when about leUO
hounds of powder were discharged from
an unknown cause. wfecking the glaze
mill" in which it was stored and dam
aging surrounding structures. NO loss OK
| life resulted. 1t is estimated that the
total damage, including the destruction
of the building and powder, will not eX-
ceed $4,000.
The effects of the shock were expert
| enced within q radius of three miles in
| the shape Of violent rumblngs. which
| caused the breaking of glass windows
and bric-a-brac, and in same cases cell
| ings caved in. Boston and other cities
and towns more than 20 miles distant re-
ported a shock of 10 seconds duration.
This was plainly noticed at the Harvard
College observatory in Cambridge, where
| it was recorded at 6.46 A. NJ.
The past month has been most disas-
| trous one at the American Powder NILS
plant, two lives being lost in an eNplo-
sion several weeks ago. which also de-
stroyed one of the company's mills, and
still another mill having been wrecked
shortly before that. The loss of life IN
| the second explosion was the first which
had been experienced in any of the eX-
plosions at the plant within the past 10
years, although the summer months are
usually marked by several lSnltions OF
| powder with accompanying destruction to
| the mills.
The shock was easily the most terrific
of any which has marked recent explo-
sions at the plant The powder which
was discharged was in the last stages OF
manufacture the "glaze mill'' being one
| of the last of the nearly a score Of build
| ings through which it is passed before
| being packed for the market. 1T was in
| such a mill that the second explosion oc-
CURED. although the quantity Of powder
discharged was much less.
! There was no person known to be i'll
or near the "glaze mill'' when the eNplo-
| sion occurred this morning, the night
| watchman having left there threc-qlar-
ters of an hour before he was warned Of
the accident by a deep rumblng and +er-
rife shaking of the earth. AS in most
| cases when explosions have occurred III
the powder mills, no cause for the dis
|
supposed, however, that overheated ma
chinery may have heated particles OF
| powder to such an extent that itliey ex-
| ploded.
Lowell, Mass, Dec 24.-The force of
the Acton explosion was felt here
shortly after 6 o'clock this morning,
houses and windows being shaken Sc
| l.
lar belief at the :ime was that this sec
ton of the state had been visited by an
earthquake No damage is reported,
except in the case of few small Win
Guws, which were shattered.
| Boston, Dec. 24.-The explosion of
10, 900 pounds Of powder at South Ac-
ton today was felt for a distance of at
least 10 miles and was the heaviest ex-
plosion of it's kind since that at Low
ell, Mass, on July "a, 1903, when
magazine of the American Cartridge
&C. went up ir the air and killed near
ly dozen people.
| The frozen ground undoubtedly was
a contributing factor in making the
explosion felt for such distance, and
it was a singular fact that the Jar was
| felt farther in southeasterly direc-
ton than in any other point of the
compass. The explosion was distinctly
felt in Scituate 40 miles southeast from
Acton, and in fact all over Norfolk and
part of Plymouth counties. 1t did not
seem to be as noticeable to the west
and north. although the jar was felt
in West Boylston and in southern
| New Hampshire.
| The explosion at Lowell in 1909 was
probably much heavier, for its effect
was felt more than 80 miles away t!e-
spite the soft nature of the surface OF
the earth at that time, it being mid
summer.
| 1t is probable that several million
Ieople heard the South Acton explo-
sion today and for few hours during
the forenoon, every newspaper office in
eastern Massachusetts was beseiged
with inquiries as to it's nature,