Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1917-12-12
contInued from - paee.

in the loading house the alarm was
given and the workmen ran 10 safety.
The alarm was spread through the
plant, and everyone sought places Of
safety, for il was not yet known at
what minute some OF the magazines
would 90 UP, and there were several
within a radius Of 100 yards of The
burning building.
Chief Jacobson was quickly on the
scene and evidently took In the situa-
ton at a glance. lie called TO some Of
the workmen 10 follow him and
help save as much OF the ammunition
as possible, and az the same time by
doing this prevent a more serious ex-
plosion than the one oil hands knew
was coming. Tie and John Berry and
some Of the other men rushed into the
three-inch mill and started to carry
out the loaded cases Of ammunition.
They had succeeded IN removing prob
ably 200 Of these when the fire got
30 hot that they could no longer eet
near the mill. The flames mad spread
with great rapidly and they We're
finally forced TO give up the task and
flee for their own safety.
Victims Head Torn OF.
They started to run in different di-
rections. Jacobson and Berry ran side
by side across the feld In the di-
rection OF New Castle. They had gone
probably 200 yards when Berry heard
a terrific explosion, and tle next in
staui he saw jacobson drop on the
ground. He looked, ard the sight that
met his eyes was CHASTITY. A shell
cap had struck jacobson on the back
Of the head and tore of the top or
the skull as a I'D would lift from a
teapot. The mans brains were scat
tered about on the frozen ground.
Jacobson had been killed instantly.
The boards were torn of the fence
and the body was placed IN the conf
pany's ambulance and removed 10 New
Castle. Berry was unnsrved by the
narrow escape he had had but he was
not even scratched.
The IRE continued 90 spread through
the three-inch mill because there was
nothing al hand with which 90 COM
bat the flames No one dared approach
within a half a mile OF The place, for
the flames had reached the loaded
shells and they were exploding one at
a time, two together and then in
punches that made a regular salyo. At
every burst Of flame shrapnel was
hurled m an directions. and would have
struck down everyone within a wide
radius had they had the tenn -ity 20
60 near the place
The lrc finally got into The store
room, and there burned itself out
Nothing was left Of the two buildings
except @ pile Of sm0uldering ruins.
When The fire FIRST started the Good
Will Fire COMPANY Of New Castle was
summoned The members started down
the river road with their apparatus.
but they had hardly passed pobblus-
Vile when the men began Go hear a
peculiar whistling sound IN the air fol-
lowing each and every explosion 100 The
plant This they soon learned was 90.
flying shrapncl and fragments OF The
bursted shells and they were compelled
60 stop 10 save their own lives. The,
halted about q mile from The yards
and they could not venture any close
for more than two hours after ih,
alarm or until n was reasonably sur.
all the ammunition had exploded.
No Traffic Near Plant.
This city was appealed To- FOR help
and the Fame Fire Company finally
/ sent its engine 60 the yards, but by
the time 10 had arrived the FIRE was
about out An trolley cars on the
Delaware City line We're stopped. the
south-bouud cars at Dohbinsyile and
the north-bound cars at the rifle range.
40 automobiles. teams or other traalc
were permitted 10 pass along the road
and no one could venture near the
mills
Until al danger was passed the Della
ware Railroad ran its trains between
Wilmington and Porters, by way OF
Newark.
Explosions Strike County.
The explosions We're followed one
after the other, In rapid succession and
the detOnatiOns We're 80 heavy that
they could be heard distinctly in this
city and for a great diaance in an di-
rcctiOns. There was heavy snow
storm in progress al the time and it
was bitter cold and the atmospheric
conditions tended TO make the reports
and the conclusion all the heavier. The
/ explosions came by ones and tNOs
and then In great bursts Of fire and
smoke, as the flames reached the sin
gle sheels or the cases which hold a
dozen each.
Hundreds Of people stood at uobbins-
vile and I'm the streets of New Castle
watching the fire. which could bee seen
/ plainly from these places, but they
/ hcsitated 10 venture too close 20 the
/ yards. a few venturesome men aud
/ boys ran down the river road toward
/ the plant, but they were warned back
| by the workmen who came scurrying
! from the mills, scaled the high fence,
/ tore on the boards to get through and
| in fact stopped at nothing 10 escape
/ the rain Of shells that was falling by
this time
The shells intact. three inch cylin-
| ders Of steel, about twelve inches long,
were hurled into the air. many of them
| red hot There some Of them burst
and their charge was scattered broad
cast as well 9s the Jagged fragments OF
metal, which would have killed any
human being they happened 90 hit. The
whole shells could be seen as they
described their are through the air, but
the shrapnel and the shell fragments
were invisible and therein was the
! danger TO those who were brave enough
10 venture within a radius of Two nun
dred yards OF the mills.
After a long series of explosions and
reports from the bursting shells, there
came lull about an hour after the fire
broke out. The ammunition iiot had
been exposed 10 the FIRST rush Of fire
had IN gone OF. But IN the debris OF
the loading house there were many
sheds uneXploded. As they became hot
the charge Of powder went or The