The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-04-06
TERRIFIC EXPLOSION AT JER.
MYN POWDER MILL.

With rumbling report and jar
that was distinctly felt for miles
around, wheel mill No. | and the
press mill at Rushdale plant of the
Du Pont Powder Company, at Jer-
myn, near the Archibald and Jermyn
borough line, exploded at $3.50
O'Clock on Thursday morning last,
killing two men and badly injuring
another who died later. The press
mill was the first to go up.
Two minutes after the first ex-
plosion the wheel mill also blew up,
faming boards having pierced the
structure and started a fire. Elias
Cobb and Alfred Moon were at work
in the press mill, and William Ar
thurs was in the wheel mill, which
is about fifty feet distant. All three
men were blown up. Moon and
Cobb both landed in the Lackawanna
river, which runs alongside the press
mill, Moon landed on a large rock
In the middle of the stream, and was
rescued shortly afterwards. He was
burned from head to foot, and was
removed to the Emergency hospital
at Carbondale, where he died on Sat
urday. The body of Cobb sank in
the river and was not found until
Friday morning at 10 o'clock.
William Arthurs, who was at work
in the other mill, landed on an en-
bankment seventy-five feet from
where the accident occurred. Every
stitch of his clothes had been blown
from the body and he was also
burned about the head and body.
He died at his home a short distance
from the plant, several hours after
the accident.
The two buildings where the ex-
plosion occurred are isolated from
the rest of the plant owing to the
large amount of explosives they con-
tain. 1t could not be learned the ex-
act amount of powder in the mills,
but owing to the force of the explo-
sion it is thought there were several
tons. The buildings were consider
ed fireproof and had an outer cover
ing of sheet iron. This iron, as also
the machinery in the mills, weigh
ing thousands of pounds, was thrown
high in the air, A large piece of
machinery weighing in the neighbor-
hood OF five tons was thrown a dis
tance OF about two hundred feet on
the other side of the river. Trees
were torn up by the roots and scat
tered in all directions. An embank-
ment about thirty feet high was
torn out for a distance of about fifty
feet and hundreds of tons of dirt
and rock were carried away.
Small chips, none of which were
more than three inches in length,
were picked up two miles from the
scene. The river for about half
mile was Uttered with broken tim
bers and twisted iron and machin-
cry, and the stone and concrete
foundations of the buildings were
broken clean through, A heavy
timber was buried in the embank-
ment about FIVE feet.
Fire Immediately followed the ex-
plosion, but owing to the efficient
fire service at the plant. the fire was
confined.
Hundreds of windows in Jermyn
and Mayfield were shattered by the
force.
The cause of the explosion is un-
known and perhaps will never be
ascertained. Many theories are
being advanced. some claiming 1t
was caused by spontaneous combus-
tion while others believe that it was
due to jar. There is little left of
the building by which to Investigate
to any advantage. and the cause of
the sad occurrance will probably al
ways remain a mystery.