Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1911-03-14
POWDER EXPLOSION.
WRECKS Town Of
PLEASANT PLA|R|E
EXPLOSION At DuPoNT-DE Ne.
MouRs PLANT FELT 100
MILES AWAY.
FORCE OF EXPLOSION
IS FELT MANY MILES
Largest Granite Buildings In Chicago
shaken-Panie In, several Thea.
ters-Hotel Guests Flee
! In Terror.


ters-Hotel Guests Flee
In Terror.
Pleasant Prairie, Wis, March TO-
Five powder magazines Of the Dupont
de Nemours Powder Co. containing $50
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. IL known to be dead, Miss Alice
Finch Of Elgin, ILL.,, dropped dead OF
heart disease. caused by fright. 800
people were injured, several hundred
houses in this place were blown com
pletely down or were SO badly dam
aged as to be uninhabitable and build.
mrs 10 miles away were badly wreck
cd.
The force of the explosion was felt
more than 100 miles from here, it, o.
eects being evident in broken windows
~ far away as Michigan City, Ind,
100 miles distant. In all the towns
along the shore .of Michigan City,
buildings were damaged and windows
smashed. The total damage done out
aide Of the plant itself cannot be esti-
mated for many days. but it probably
viii 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 Allied with carriages and farm
wagons carrying people whose homes
had been destroyed.
The plant fortunately had been late
" closed down and only Is men were
at work. All Of these escaped with
minor injuries except Engineer Joseph
Flynn who was blown through a win
dow to the roof of a 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 un.
hurt, while Flynn sustained fatal IN
juries. How either man escaped from
instant death 10 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 csuse Of the explosion is un.
known. The powder in the glaze
room, where the finishing work is put
on black blasted powder was the hrst
to 20 and the three black powder
magazines were next and q 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 10
still on the premises and nobody not
an employee of the company 10 al.
lowed to approach within two miles Of
the place.
1t is estimated that the damage 20
the plant itself and in this town alone
will amount to fully 100000.
The property loss is estimated q
from 1880, 900 to $2,000,0oo. The Of
ficials of the plant declare that they
have no idea what caused the e1plo
sion.
Chicago Feels the sheek. 4
Chicago, March 1O.-The glare from
the explosion at Pleasant Prairie wal
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 conclusion came
with a roar Hike that Of heavy wind
Windows were broken by the thou
sand all through the suburbs north OF
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 Of
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.
Tn thn nj no h,,i1 uyfp{ nh
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 oil
scrubwomen who were working in the
building fed screaming into the street
In the Logan Square vaudeville the
ater 200 people sprang from their seats
and made rush for the doors, severa!
being knocked down and slightly
bruised. The panic was Quieted by the
ushers. but the audience could not be
induced to remain.
Excitement prevailed at all of thu
prominent hotels along the lake front
s ests running from their rooms and
filing the Hobbies. many of them car.
rying suitcases and valuables.
At the Auditorium hotel Windows
were blown in, the front doors were
dashed open and the loud rafting Of
the immense iron DOORS which act al
a fire protection between the Auditors
UNI hotel and the Auditorium theater,
added to the excitement. and for
some tine it was found difficult to
convince the guests that heavy