St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1908-10-14
Seventeen People Killed
at RiChfOrd.
Dust Explosion Wrecked the c. P.
Grain Elevator and Causes Great
Loss of Life.

I'll ALI ElSNdlUl anu SduSSS vi Sdt
Loss of Life.
The greatest disaster since the railroad
wreck at Hartford twenty years ago oc-
Cured at Richtord Wednesday evening
when a dust explosion wrecked the ele
vator, killed seventeen or more persons,
and the flames burned the'elevator, one
section of the -four sheds used tor storing
feed, Edwin H. Grice's house and barn,
nearly new, and 6tty-one freight cars,
mostly loaded. Beside the loss of life the
property loss is probably a half million
dollars.
At about 4.45 O'Clock a dust explosion
occurred without warning AT the same
instant the whole elevator burst into
flames, roaring and seething as ordinary
fires do after the buildings are half burn
ed. The root was blown off, and the
pieces OF sheet iron roofing were carried
to the north, northeast, and northwest,
some pieces being found more than a
mile away. Pieces of the boarding and
tmbers OF the roof and roots of cars
were blown some distance. Nearly all
of the windows OF the nearest houses
were broken. Edwin II. Grce's barn inn
mediately caught fire, as did the flour
shed iu>t across the track. The first
end OF the shed was wrecked by the ex-
plosion, but the men therein were able to
get out from under the debris. All OF
the men in the elevator were caught like
rats IN a trap, and without doubt were
instantly killed by the explosion.
A sad case was that of two women,
Mrs Jerry Jellefour and Mrs Arthur
Guard They were walking along the
track opposite the elevator when the ex-
plosion occurred and their clothing
caught fire instantly. Mrs. Jeleour
| was probably stunned. as she was seen
to be thrown down, and her body has
not been found. 1t is probably IN the
ruins. 1t was impossible for anyone to
get to her on account of the intense heat.
| Mrs Guard, who died next morning,
ran into the fields tearing her burning
clothing from her body. A man nearby
gave her such aid as he could She ran
home nude save for her shoes Before
/ she reached home a coat was thrown
/ about her She lived more than one
fourth of a mile away Her hair was
/ burned off, and her whole body more or
/ less burned. OF the victims fifteen were
/ employed in the elevator. The death
/ roll is as follows: William Barney, engin-
/ Ger, aged so, married; Robert Mandigo,
weigher, aged %. married; Louis La
porte, g., home in Bolton, Que; James
| Tuttle, 20 married recently, came from
: II,,.arh,lI / Avtpht
/ aged 50, recently married. Heman La
/ hue, married; Amer {. Draper foreman,
aged 80, married; Clarence Shuielt, aged
%; Hadley Holcomb, aged %; Charles
! Nareau aged 40; Louis Papneau, aged
40, married; Ralph Hare, aged 10; Alfred
4 Forgue Osa Jacques; Joseph Jacques;
! Mrs. Jerry Iellefour; Mrs. Arthur Guard,
aged 40
The elevator was built by the Canadian
| Pacific Railway company in the fall and
! winter of 1890 81 at cost OF Sl0S, 600.
/ Its capacity was COO, 600 bushels. Some
( four weeks ago storage sheds were built
at West Derby and the elevator and
/ sheds were leased to the American Cereal
company and later to the Quaker Oats
/ company. The latter company had es-
/ tablshed a gristmill in the elevator and
there ground and mixed iced The -four
sheds were built in 1900 and 1903, a
brick fire wall separating the halves
The sheds were 700 ieet long and 50 ieet
wide at a cost of about Sl2 900 each.
The first section, or halt, alone was des-
troyed. The elevator was 100 feet high
and it's dimensions were 1870 by 80 feet
/ The chat was an accumulation Of II
years.