Wilmington, DE Jessup & Moore Paper Co Explosion - 9 Workmen Dead

NINE WORKMEN KILLED

Frightful Explosion of Steel I Footers in a Delaware Pulp Mill

Nine workmen are known to have been killed five are missing and four others were badly injured by the explosion of the steel digesters in the Delaware pulp mills of the Jessup & Moore Paper company, on the Christinana river, near Wilmington, Del.

The digesters were located in a two story building. There were ten of them in the building, each one resembiling a vat and about six feet in diameter. They were used for reducing wood pulp. Eighteen men were at work in the building.

There were two terrific reports and the next instant the building and mills about the structure were completely wrecked. One digester was blown into the air and fell to the ground 250 feet [next line is unreadable] for a time prevented the outside workmen from going to the rescue of those who were caught in the ruins of the falling building. Several men made their escape without injury.

An alarm of fire was sounded and the entire fire department of the city and a large force of police were soon on the ground, and the work of rescue was immediately begun. Several of the workmen were taken out unconscious, only to die after being removed to hospitals. The wreckage was piled up for more than thirty feet, and the escaping steam made the work of rescue difficult.

American Eagle Murray Utah 1902-08-23