A BRAVE MAN.
The history ’ of the Du Ponts of Delaware, founders of the powder business in America, lives and breathes in the very air of high, firm courage. Alexis I. du Pont was killed in the big explosion in 1837 at the Brandywine works, and La Motte du Pont was blown to death at the Repauno works in 1884. Following a comparatively recent explosion at the ITagley Mills on the Brandywine, Victor du Pont 3rd is credited with carrying a flaming gunnv-sack out of the danger zone.
This is the most recent instance of the Du Pont family characteristic. Fifty years ago Alexis I. du Pont, son of Eleuthere Irenee du Pont de Nemours, whose natural inclinations for scientific pursuits were responsible for the foundation of the parent plant on the Brandywine, was in one of the mixing-houses, trying to shift a heavy wooden box. In sliding across the floor the box generated a spark, and in an instant the room was ablaze.
As it was Saturday, only a few pounds of powder remained in the house, but the walls and floor were sufficiently sprinkled with it to cause a sudden puff, and the men were in flames.
Calling them to follow him, Mr. Du Pont ran out of the building and plunged into the creek, the others following. Thus for a moment they were safe, but .their employer glanced shoreward and saw that sparks from the mixing house were raining on the press and grinding mills, containing several tons of powder. Ignoring appeal and warning, he hurried ashore, sealed the. roof of the press mills, now burning fiercely, and began flooding the building with water handed him in buckets., A moment later the fire reached the stored powder, and as it exploded he rvas hurled to death.
“No Du Pont,” & mill-hand once said, “would ask a workman tu go wKere he dare not lead.”
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WAIPO19140901.2.40
Bibliographic details
Waipa Post, Volume VIII, Issue 345, 1 September 1914, Page 7
Word Count
316A BRAVE MAN. Waipa Post, Volume VIII, Issue 345, 1 September 1914, Page 7
Using This Item
NZME is the copyright owner for the Waipa Post. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of NZME. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.