1878 — May 2, Flour Dust Explosion & Fire, Washburn Flour Mills, Minneapolis, MN– 18

— 18 Minnesota Historical Society. Library, History Topics, “Washburn ‘A’ Mill Explosion.”
— 18 Minnesota State University. EMuseum. “Minnesota History: A Chronology.”
— 18 NFPA. Report of Important Dust Explosions. 1957, p. 43.
— 18 Price, David James. Dust Explosions: Causes and Methods of Prevention. 1922, p. 61.
— 18 Watts. “The Technology that Launched a City.” The North Star State, 2002, p. 192.
— 17 Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine 1888. “Events of the Day, May.” 1889m p. 769.

Narrative Information

Lippincott’s: “A destructive fire broke out in the Washburne Flour Mills, at Minneapolis, originating in an explosion, probably due to the ignition of flour-dust in the air. Seventeen lives were lost, and one and a half million dollars’ worth of property was destroyed.” (Lippincott’s Monthly 1888.)

Minnesota Historical Society: “On May 2, 1878, the Washburn ‘A’ Mill — the largest flour mill in the United States at that time — exploded. The mill exploded when flour dust in the air inside it ignited. The explosion claimed 18 lives, decimated the surrounding area, and brought instant notoriety to Minneapolis. The tragic explosion led to reforms in the milling industry. Ventilation systems and other precautionary devices were devised in order to prevent further tragedy.” (MN Historical Society)

Price: “The Washburn-Crosby ‘A’ Mill at Minneapolis after the dust explosion of May 2, 1878 [reference to photograph]. This explosion of flour dust, causing the loss of 18 lives and extensive destruction of milling property, is commonly referred to as the first disastrous one in the Unites States. It brought about the elimination of the old dust of ‘stive’ room in four milling and the introduction of improved types of dust-collecting equipment.” (Price 1922, 61.)

Watts: The Washburn “A” Mill “was thought to symbolize the dominance of flour in Minneapolis and the city’s drive toward milling supremacy. But it only stood for four years before one of the city’s most devastating tragedies took place. On the morning of May 2, 1878, the Washburn A mill exploded, killing 18 workers, destroying six other nearby mills, a railhouse, and several other stores – and stunning the entire city. There was a question whether Minneapolis would recover from the blow and continue on its path of milling dominance or ‘whether the explosion would mark the point at which the industry so important to the city lost its impetus for growth.’ This situation ‘brought scientists from all parts of these United States, as well as Europe, for the purpose of investigating and ascertaining, if possible, the causes which should produce such a terrible calamity.’ The cause was air combined with very fine flour dust, which could explode if ignited by a stray spark from a pair of millstones, for example. ‘Ironically,’ one source said, ‘the explosion and subsequent rebuilding allowed Washburn and others the opportunity to install the latest technology in their new buildings, thus propelling Minneapolis into nationwide dominance of the industry’.” (Watts. “The Technology that Launched a City.” North Star State, 2002, 192.)

Sources

Lippincott’s Monthly Magazine 1888. “Every Day’s Record,” Vol. XLIII, January to June 1888, 1889. Accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=nLURAAAAYAAJ

Minnesota Historical Society. Library, History Topics, “Washburn ‘A’ Mill Explosion.” Accessed 4-3-2009 at: http://www.mnhs.org/library/tips/history_topics/73washburn.html

Minnesota State University. EMuseum. “Minnesota History: A Chronology.” Accessed at: http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/history/mnstatehistory/timeline.html#1700

National Fire Protection Association. Report of Important Dust Explosions: A Record of Dust Explosions in the United States and Canada Since 1860. Boston: NFPA, 1957.

Price, David James. Dust Explosions: Causes and Methods of Prevention. Boston, MA: National Fire Protection Association, with permission of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1922.

Watts, Alison. “The Technology that Launched a City.” Pp. 188-212 in The North Star State, Anne J. Aby and Paul Gruchow (Eds.) 2002. Partially digitized by Google. Accessed at: http://books.google.com/books?id=usiQ7Bf-P9oC