Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1911-03-10
Black Powder and Dynamite
Let Go With Flash and Roar
Resembling Earthquake and
Volcanic Eruption,
FEARED MANY LIVES ARE
LOST; ONE KNOWN DEAD
Panlcs Started and Windows
Broken in Chicago Seventy
Miles From Scene Of CataS-
trophe in Wisconsin Village,
NY Morning journal Special Ieassd wirsI


lBy Morning journal Special Lenssd wire1
Pleasant Prairie, Wis, March a.
Five powder magazines of the Du
Pont Nemours Powder company. con-
talning 1S0 tons Of finished black
powder and dynamite, exploded at
the plant of the company one mile
northwest OF here tonight.
One man, r. $. 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 were blown down
and We're so damaged as 10 be unin-
away We're wrecked,
The force OF the explosion was felt
more than 100 miles from here, It's
effects being evident In broken win
dows as far away as Michigan City.
Ind, 1870 miles distant. In all the
towns along the shore Of Lake Michi-
gan from Milwaukee to Michigan
city buildings were damaged and
windows smashed.
The total damage done outside the
plant itself cannot be estimated for
many days. but Il probably viii be
several hundred thousand dollars.
In this town almost every house
was ruined. An night long the coun-
try roads leading TO kenosha from
this place and from the town OF Bris-
tol were filled with carriages and
farm, ,unenna onrrviuo pannIa nhnua
homes had been destroyed.
The plant fortunately had been
lately closed down and only eighteen
men were at work. All of these
escaped with minor injuries except
Engineer Joseph Flynn, who was
blown through a window 10 the roof
OF powder magazine adjoining.
Clarence Brady. superintendent of the
plant, was also blown to the top OF
the same magazine and an instant
later II exploded, Both men were
tossed high In the air, Brady escaping
unhurt while Flynn sustained fatal
injuries. How either man escaped
from instant death is unexplained
II Is feared that the list OF dead
will be made much larger when a
toll Is taken Of the farm houses with
which there Is telephone communica-
lion. In many Of these the walls
collapsed and members OF the fam
lies may be buried In the wreckage.
OF the 200 people living in Pleasant
Prairie, Il is believed that fully one
half were injured by falling walls or
particles OF flying glass or stone.
The cause OF the explosion IL un-
known The powder In the glaze
Dom, where the finishing work Is put
N black blasting powder, was the
irst to go, the three black powder
magazines were next and a dynamite
magazine containing fully three car
Dads OF the explosive came last. IL
vas the dynamite that did most OF the
lamage and the effect of which was
elt more than 100 miles away.
The magazines contained 5000 kegs
II giant powder finished, 10000 kegs
# giant powder unfinished, 1b0 tons
Inshed dynamite and 1870 tons of
ynamlte Ia process OF manufacture.
vi this went up in the explosion.
one hundred deputy sheriffs have
een sworn in and are now guarding
he plant, II Is known that con-
lderabe quantity of powder IL still
n the premises and nobody not an
mploye of the company Is allowed
, approach within two miles OF the
lace.
The cause OF the explosion II not
nown and II Will no some time he