This Day In History: DuPont Powder Mill Explosion
By Owen Bennett, MCHS Curator
On October 15, 1907, the DuPont Powder Mill, a smokeless gunpowder manufacturing facility in Fontanet, Vigo County, Indiana, suffered a catastrophic explosion that devastated the surrounding community. The disaster claimed approximately 50 lives, injured hundreds, and displaced more than 1,000 residents.
Six explosions occurred during the disaster, destroying structures throughout the facility and damaging nearby mines. One explosion involved a gunpowder storage magazine containing approximately 40,000-60,000 kegs of gunpowder. The resulting shock waves were felt across Indiana, into parts of Illinois and Kentucky, and as far away as Cincinnati, Ohio.
Located approximately thirty-five miles from Fontanet, Crawfordsville also experienced the effects of the disaster. Newspaper accounts reported that approximately twenty-five buildings sustained damage, with total property losses estimated at $12,000. Among the most severely affected structures was the Ramsey-Somerville Block, a commercial building at the corner of Main and Green Streets that was described as “wrecked.”
According to the Princeton Daily Review, Crawfordsville residents “thought there was an earthquake and rushed into the streets” for safety. Buildings throughout the city sustained cracked walls and damaged masonry, while the floor of the electric light office reportedly sank “nearly an inch.”
The Fontanet explosion demonstrated that the consequences of industrial disasters extended far beyond the communities where they originated. Although Fontanet suffered the greatest loss of life, the damage in Crawfordsville revealed how industrial accidents could threaten public safety, damage commercial infrastructure, and disrupt communities across county lines. More than thirty miles away, Crawfordsville experienced firsthand the destructive force of one of Indiana’s most devastating industrial disasters.
Sources
“45 Killed 600 Injured in Explosion: Indiana Town Almost Entirely Wiped Off the Map,” The Owensboro Messenger, Vol. XVIII, No. 241, October 16, 1907, p.1, Newspapers.com
“DuPont Powder Mills Gone,” The Morning Astorian, Vol. LXIII, No. 241, October 16, 1907, p.1, Newspapers.com
“Fontanet Powder Mill Explodes and Casualties are Frightful,” The Princeton Daily Clarion-News, Vol. XV, No. 180, October 15, 1907, p.1, Newspapers.com
“Indiana,” The Mining World, Vol. XXVII, No. 18, November 2, 1907, Hathi Trust
“Not Only Indiana, but Three Other States Felt Shock,” The Indianapolis Star, Vol. 5, No. 133, October 16, 1907, p.3, Newspapers.com
“Town Destroyed; Hundred Killed,” The Hastings Daily Tribune, Vol. III, No. 12, October 15, 1907, p.1, Newspapers.com
“Whole Town Destroyed,” The Evening Telegram, Vol. XXXI, No. 152, October 16, 1907, p. 18, Newspapers.com
Jason Jacobs, “The Explosion is Still Being Felt 100 Years Later, The Brazil Times, October 15, 2007, The Brazil Times
Sandborn Fire Insurance Map from Crawfordsville, Montgomery County, Indiana, Sandborn Map Company, August, 1907, p.3, Library of Congress.
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