Out with the old in Danville, what used to be factory in our area is nothing more than rubble. After a warning siren sounds, the loud blast rang through Danville. Cell phones and cameras captured the historic moment for people gathered to see it for themselves. “I wanted to see this thing, because it's kind of a historic event and I thought it was going to be entertaining, but it was kind of sad when it hit the ground,” said Sonny Miller, a bystander. Miller watched from a parking lot with many others, including his grandson. ”I think [my grandson] enjoyed it,” Miller said. It took several seconds for the building to hit the ground and then the cloud of dust covered the blue sky. “There she’s goes, all gone,” said James Snead, pointing to the pictures of the implosion on his camera. Many of the people who came out to watch the building crumble worked in the mill for years, but for some it wasn't such a sad sight to see their former employer come crashing down. “I hate to see them kill all the big rats, they had rats over there about 2 foot long,” said Jim Chattin, who used to work at Long Mill. We didn't see any rats, but shortly after the mill hit the ground, clean-up started. Heavy equipment dug through the rubble on the ground. Not everything went according to plans though. The elevator shaft is still standing, after one smoke stack decided to fall in the opposite direction. Regardless, many couldn't believe what was before their eyes. It was right interesting, I never had seen a thing like that locally, I’ve seen it on TV. Before,” Chattin said. The mill owners haven't released any information about what the newly cleared site will be used for.
