Lynchburg Daily Virginian

From the Hartford Evening Press, Sept. 4.

Powder Mill Explosion at Enfield—Four Men Killed.

On Monday afternoon, at 3 o'clock, another of those constantly-expected calamities occurred at the extensive mills of the Hazard Powder Company in Enfield. The company has been introducing a new machine for completing the mixture, an imitation of one in use at Dupont's mills in Maryland. In the latter, large cylinders of wood receive the ingredients and a bushel or two of small brass balls are introduced, which by the revolving of the cylinder complete the work. Mr. Garasche, superintendent, made the cylinders for the Hazard Company of raw hide, thinking the danger decreased by the change. The new mill was a building perhaps 30 feet square, with a gentle hill on two sides, and a brook on the west. The water-wheel divided the building: the cylinder mill being on the east, and the glazing mill on the west. The latter had not been used at all. On Saturday the cylinder mill, (two cylinders perhaps eight feet long by three feet in diameter,) was put in operation pulverizing saltpetre. On Monday charcoal and sulphur were added in quantity sufficient to make 1,500 pounds of powder. After dinner Mr. Garasche, Mr. Colvin (assistant superintendent) and two men—Ball and Stephen Pays—went to the work. Nothing more is known of them until the explosion occurred at 3½ o'clock. The meaning of the terrible sound is too well understood in the vicinity, and numbers started for the scene from the surrounding country, quite a number going down from Thompsonyille—four miles.

The building was blown to fragments, but the water-wheel remained comparatively uninjured. Some of the timbers remained on the site; a large portion were thrown in a heap against the hill, and the remainder were scattered in every direction. The first care of those coming to the ground, was to extinguish the fire which had caught among the fragments. Mr. Ball was lying near the sluiceway, four or five rods off; Mr. Pays, near the hill, two rods distant; Mr. Garasche was blown about five rods to the northeast, and Mr. Colvin across the stream, perhaps eight rods. They were all dead, bloody and black, and must have died instantly, but they were not badly mangled, excepting Colvin; the upper portion of his skull was taken off. It was found and replaced.

The bodies were taken to a room near the office, washed, and cloths sewed about them. All the mills stopped.