[2] The sound of the explosion was heard as far away as Saint Paul, a distance of 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the mill,[1] while some people in Minneapolis who had felt the blast thought that it had been an earthquake.

Not one stone was left upon another, and every person engaged in the mill instantly lost his life."

[1][note 1] Shortly after the explosion, Washburn, who had traveled to Minneapolis upon hearing of the incident, announced his intention to rebuild the mill, with technological improvements that would make it safer and increase its productive capacity.

[1] Washburn hired Austrian engineer William de la Barre to design the new building, which he based on a mill in Budapest.

[5] De la Barre also installed dust collectors and improved ventilation systems.

[1] The reopening coincided with an economic boom for the city, and flour production steadily increased until it peaked during World War I, after which there was a steady industry decline.

[1] According to General Mills (the eventual successor company of the mill), the disaster prompted Washburn to take an interest in the welfare of the children of the millworkers who had been affected, leading to the creation of the Washburn Memorial Orphan Asylum.

[4] In the city's Lakewood Cemetery, a memorial dedicated to the 18 people who died in the disaster was erected in 1885.