Dewey County advocate. [volume] (Timber Lake, S.D.) 1910-1913, 1911-03-17
POWDER BLOWUP
EXPLOSION At DUPONT.DE Me-
MoURs PLANT FELT 1909
MILES AWAY.
PLEASANT PRAIRIE. WIS.
Largest Granite Buildings In Chicago
Shaken-Panlc In Several Thea
ters-Hotel Guests Flee
In Terror.

In Terror.
Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. - Five
powder magazines of the Dupont.
de Nemours Powder Co. containing 100
tons of finished black powder and dy.
Mantle exploded at the plant of the
company. one mile northwest of here.
One man. E. s. Thompson, fore
man, is known to be dead, Miss Alice
Finch of Elgin, ILL.,, dropped dead OF
heart disease, caused by fright, $50
people were injured, several hundred
houses in this place we're blown COM
pletely down or we're SO badly dam
aged as to be uninhabitable and build.
lngs 10 miles away were badly wreck
ed.
The force of the explosion was felt
more than 100 miles from here, it's ef-
fects being evident in broken windows
as far away as Michigan City, Ind,
109 miles distant. In all the towns
along the shore of Michigan City,
buildings we're damaged and windows
smashed. The total damage done out
side of the plant itself cannot be esti-
mated for many days, but it probably
will be several hundred thousand dol
lars.
In this town almost every house was
ruined. All night long the country
roads leading to Kenosha from this
place and from the town of Bristol
were filled with carriages and farm
wagons carrying people whose homes
had been destroyed.
The plant fortunately had been late
ly closed down and only IS men were
at work. All of these escaped with
minor injuries except Engineer Joseph
Flynn who was blown through win
dow to the roof of powder magazine.
Clarence Brady, superintendent of the
plant, was also blown to the top of the
same magazine and an instant later
| it exploded. Both men were tossed
high in the air, Brady, escaping I'M
hurt, while Flynn sustained fatal In
1uries. How either man escaped from
instant death is unexplainable.
OF the 700 peaple living in Pleasant
Prairie it is believed that fully one.
half was injured by falling walls or by
particles of flying glass or stone.
The cause of the explosion is un.
known. The powder in the glaze
room, where the finishing work is put
on black blasted powder was the first
to go and the three black powder
magazines were next and dynamite
magazine containing fully three car
loads of the explosive came last. 1t
was the dynamite that did most OF
the damage and the effect of which was
felt more than 100 miles away.
One hundred deputy sherifls have
been sworn in and are now guarding
the plant. 1t is known that very
considerable quantity of powder is
still on the premises and nobody not
an employee of the company is al
lowed to approach within two miles of
the place.
1t is estimated that the damage to
the plant itself and in this town alone
will amount to fully 100000.
The property loss is estimated at
from $1,5O0,O00 to 100000. The Of
|
have no idea what caused the explo.
sion.
Chicago Feels the Shock.
Chicago, March 10.-The glare from
the explosion at Pleasant Prairie was
seen in all the northern and western
suburbs of Chicago. The vibration
was felt from end to end of the city
and the force of the concussion came
with a roar like that of heavy wind.
Windows we're broken by the thou.
Chicago and in the business section OF
the city.
The vibration rocked the heaviest
granite buildings in Chicago and threw
hundreds of guests in the leading no.
tells into panic.
Almost simultaneously, building oil
the John M. Smythe company, at West
Madison and Union streets, Chicago
was almost destroyed by an explosion.
The suburbs of Chicago, along the
lake shore, all felt the damage severely
and in Evanston, Winnietka, Glencoe,
Wilmette and Highland Park many
windows and store fronts were shat.
tered.
1t is known that the number of in
jured is very large and relief trains
were at once sent from Chicago and
Kenosha.
In the new city hall building, which
is an enormous granite structure, the
force of the vibration was so great
that plaster fell from the walls in nu
merous places and several of the win
dows were shattered. A number Of
scrubwomen who were working in the
building fed screaming into the street