Robert DuRand was killed instantly when an explosion occurred at the Walker magazine of the Hercules Torpedo Company. He was from Lima. The villages of Walker and Cygnet sustained severe damage in broken window glass and twisted buildings. The shock threw down chimneys and created the most intense excitement in the vicinity. The magazine contained 330 quarts o the explosive (nitroglycerine). Not enough was left of the man, his team and wagon to positively identify anything.