down for many blocks away. The explosion blew
the warehouses to pieces and scattered fire,
and missiles of iron and wood for hundreds of
yards around. Nearby buildings were ignited
simultaneously.
A writer in the People’s Protest described the
scene:
The fire soon advanced to some neighboring
buildings among which was a magazine of powder
and dynamite, the explosion of which loosed the very
hinges of hades, sowing the heavens with fire and
waste, and hurling missiles of death and fire brands
in every direction. The windows for blocks away
had their glass broken into bits and everybody was
shocked as with an earthquake.—People’s Protest, 9
Mar 1894
Leonard Callaham was the night operator at
Holmes Gap, five miles up the railroad line from
Cullman. Callaham reported he felt the shock of
the explosion. Dr. G.W. McLarty of Joppa, 20 miles
northeast of the blast, was awakened by the noise.
He and several of his neighbors believed it was an
W h e n t h e fl a m e s r e a c h e d a n d
ig n ite d t h e e x p lo s iv e s , t h e
r e s u lt in g b la s t w a v e q u ite
lite r a lly b r o k e o u t m o s t o f t h e
w in d o w s in a ll o f C u llm a n .
earthquake.
The two blocks north of 3rd Street suffered
the most. The home and business of George W.
Johnson was destroyed. Kinney Brothers store,
Josephine Rudder’s store and livery stable, Arndt’s
Saloon and home, and T.M. Wilhite’s residence,
were all burned to the ground. Additionally, the
Methodist Church and the city jail was consumed.
The blast killed at least three people: Cleburne
T. Mitchell, a clerk for Koopman & Gerdes, was
killed instantly. Georg O. Dinckelberg, volunteer
firefighter and president of the Cullman Building
& Loan Company died two days later from injuries
44 | FALL 2020
CULLMAN COUNTY SENIOR MAGAZINE