Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 October 1907 — BLAST OF DEATH [ARTICLE]

BLAST OF DEATH

Wipes Out Fontanet, Ind., and Deals Most Frightful Havoc. TWENTY-FIVE TO FIFTY KILLED Six Hundred or More Are Wound* ed. Some of Them Fatally. THREE POWDER MILLS EXPLODE Followed by a Magazine Containing 40,000 Kega of Powder. f Concussion Is Felt Miles Away—Not a Building in Fontanet Is Left Standing or Uninjured. Fontanet, Ind., Oct. 17. Thirtyeight lives snuffed out, 600 injured, of which number fifty were seriously / hurt, and a property loss of approximately $760,000 Is the latest estimate of the destruction wrought by the explosion at the Dupont powder mills

Fontanet. Ind., Oct 16.—Fontanet has been practically destroyed by the explosion of the plant of the Dupont Powder company. The dead number from twenty to fifty. Over 600 persons were injured, and every building in the town was wholly or partly leveled with the ground. Where stood a thriving and busy town of 1,000 people there is ruin and scattered wreck age. The dead and more seriously in jured have been taken away. Five hundred Inhabitants, all more or less wounded, remain to gather their scattered household goods and sleep under tents and on cots, guarded by soldiers of the state under command of Gov ernor Hanly in person.

Blast 0f*40,000 Kegs of Powder. The powder mills, seven in number blew up at 9:15 a. a. They employed 200 men. and of these seventy-flye were at work when the first explosion occurred in the press mill. In quick succession the glazing mill, the two coning mills and the powder magazine blew up, followed by the cap mill. Tn the magazine, situated several hundred yards from the mills, were stored 40.000 kegs of powder. The concussion when It blew up was felt nearly 200 miles away. Every house in this town was destroyed. Farm hoqses two miles away and school houses equally distant were torn to pieces and their occupants Injured. A passenger train on the Rig Four railroad four miles away had every coach window broken, and several passengers were Injured by flying glass List ut tbc Idemifl-id Dead. Following is a list of the identfied dead: A. B. Monahan, general superintendent; Mrs A. B. Monahan, Mrs Monahan's sister, George Justice, Johz Bobo, George Bobo. William Sherrill. Henry Harrington. Sylvester Dial. Ad Webster, Sammy Nevins. Yates. Will Dalton, W. E. Griff. Ear) Wood. L. J. Carroll, George Hodge, John Grey, Don Dial, Frank Dial, James Biggs, Fred Cress, John Nevens. Edward Nevens, Samuel Ingalis, Frank Ing 1!«. Willie Hodge (aged 7 yearsi. T. t. Kflltip, Henry Chandler and three ’<’ct.* ! fied.

The la:e-: known number of known dead from tbe explosion is thirty-eight, all Identified but two bodies, the fragments of which are io a sack at the morgue here. Additions to the list of dead are: Mrs. Ethel Taylor, sister of Mrs. Monahan; Frank Cockerell, Mrs Anna Heins (aged 19), Fred Ousley. Ousley (child of Mrs. dusley). An unidentified body, supposed to be that of August Girard, employe, was taken from tbe ruins of the plant. From a workman empHoyed in tbe gazing mill It was learned that a “hot box." which was caused by too much friction on the shafting causing sparks to be transmitted to some loose powder, was In all probability the cause of the terrible catastrophe.

LIST OF INJURED INCOMPLETE \ . Some of Them Will Swell tbe Total of the Dead. Following Is an Incomplete list of those Injured: Albert Webster, leg broken; Miss Grace Brannon, eye put »flt and scalp Injured; Elmer Bright, limbs crushed: George Hodges, wheel wrlght in mi!l;General Walker, burned and Internally Injured; Mrs. Thomas Parr, scalp wounds; Mrs. Martha Webster, cut on bead: William Hodges, badly ’ burned; Brannon and Mary Brannon. Edwards, cut about head and body; Mrs. Rachael Montgomery, cut about head, cannot recover; W. P. McCoy, scalp wounds; W. M. ShearroWd.

hands, feet and body crashed; Charles Nash, cannot recover; Willard Cairo)!, ent about bead; Elmer Bright, cut about face and body; Professor J. R. Shoptaugh, of Fontanet school, serious bodily injuries; George Stewart, seriously hurt; Miss Susan ' Bishop, teacher at Coal Bluff; Mrs. Wastellet> fata’ly Injured; John Gray, employe powder mill; Alex. Biddle, Alvle Edwards, Fred Cross. Edward Cross, Harvey Kelso, L. J. Harris, Carl HatnerIck, Mr. Vulker. William Walker, Jas Thompson, H. M. Edwards, Mrs. Blras Brannon, Mary Brannon, Harvey Chandler. Governor Hanly at Indianapolis ordered the Terre Haute company of the Indiana National Guard here to patrol the ruined district and protect life aud property. The isovernor arrived in the evening about the time the soldier; reached here. He brought with him 700 tents and cots for the use of the homeless. ,

THERE WERE FOUR EXPLOSIONS Last One the Worst, Killing and Injuring Some Rescuers. The mills went up with three tinct explosions, followed ninety mluutes later by a fourth even more serious thaft-the others, when the magazine went up. Immediately following the explosions the wreckage took fire and the Inhabitants of the town, who rushed to the rescue of the mill employes. found themselves powerless to aid those burning In the ruins. They worked frantically. In constant danger from possible succeeding explosions, unmindful of their ruined homes. Dead and dying were picked up and carried away. Eighteen bodies horribly burned nnd mangled were carted to a protected spot to await Identification, while the badly injured, numbering upward of fifty, were put on a special train and taken to Terre Haute for hospital accommodations. The mills were located one mile south of the town. With the first explosion the employes ran for safety, but most of them were killed or wounded by the quick-following explosions In the other mills. When the heat from the building mills exploded the giant powder magazine, ninety minutes later, destroying the town by the concussion, many of those engaged In rescue work were badly injured and several killed. Superintendent Monahan, of the plant was killed while sit ting in his office, and bls wife nnd sis tcr-in-law were killed in their home some distance away. That the death list is not far greater Is due to the fact that the people of the town had left their bouses at the first explosion and were not In their, when the explosion of the 40,000 kegs of powder in the magazine broke their homes to pieces and scattered their household goods in heaps of debris. Among the buildings totally destroyed in the town were the Methodist and Christian churches, two school build Ings, the railway station, all business blocks. IncivdiDg a large biock just completed, a large warehouse and 500 homes. In many of them the fronts were blown" away, while in others the roofs were hurled into space. The sides, blown out or they were left a confused mass of collapsed wreckage A Big Four railroad freight train on the switch leading to the mills was partly destroyed by the explosion, and the wreckage caught fire. Engineer Chas Wells was badly burned and his right leg fractured

WRECK OF A SCHOOL HOUSE Teacher Is Killed and Nearly All the Pupil* Are Injured. Three school buildings were destroyed at Fontanet and Coal Blujf. two miles away. All were filled with school children, and every one of these was more or less injured by the collapse of the buildings The fore* of the explosion destroyed a!) telephone communication w.th euts'de towns, and It war with great difficulty that aid was summoned Terre Haute and Braaii sent physicians and nurses with supplies in cars and automobile? across country while special trains were made up and run on the Big Four railroad for the care of the injured The country school near Fontane* with an attendance of fifty country children had just been called to or der when the explosion occurrec The walls of the building and roof collapsed. but none of the children was seriously Injured The teacher. Miss Susan Bishop, of Terre Haute. Ind.. was struck by a fallen beam and is now in a hospital at her home town Conflicting stories are told by the pu plls Concerning the crash that followed the explosion. It is understood, however, that a class had just been called. One of the pupils is said to have raised her hand in response to a question propounded by the teacher, when the terrific explosion shook the earth. Faces of lit-' tie ones paled and almost instantly the four walls fell outward and the roof crashed down od the crowded room Two boys wriggled out of the debris Both went for help. Everybody in tye community w-ho had not been injured by the explosion rushed toward the powder mill. No one gave heed to the wild exclamations of the little fellows who sought In vain to attract attention to the wrecked school building. In the meantlmesevera) others strug gled out of the debris, covered by dust, and finally the public began to realize that possibly a greater tragedy than that at the mill had occurred. A few turned in theirmad flight and hastened’ to the wrecked building. The scene was awful. The cries of the little ones could scarcely be heard above the confusion caused by tbs explosion, but strong men were soon lifting timbers off the imprisoned bodies and carrying the injured away. It is believed, that not more than half a dozsn out of the fifty in school escaped injury.