OCR Text |
Show Thirty -one Are Kil and Seven Others '. tally Injured by H rible Explosion in Pont Mill Near V mington, Delaware. CAUSE MAY EVER REMAIN MYSTE1 Hole in the Ground All That Is Left Mark Spot Where V tims Were Engaged Making Munitions i Europe. WILMINGTON, Del., Nov. .,0. 1 ty-one workmen were killed ami , fatally injured todav in a terrific e- 'sion of about four tons of black , der at the Upper Haglcy yard of Du Pont Powder company. It was! worst accident that has occurred in of the company's plants iu a quart, a century. The cause of the blast is not kn. According to a statement issued by company, the origin "will prohahb ways remain a mystery." Nevortho a most severe investigation has bcci stituted by the officials of tile c pany and every employee who was the .building that was blown to pi will bo put through a thorough cx.-i:u t-ion, in the hope that some clue ai the cause may be learned. , Have No Evidence. There was the usual rumor afloat some outside agency mny liavo ca, the explosion, but Du Pont officials tonight there was not. a shred of I deuce upon which to hang any the Nearly all the victims of tho I were young men between 16 and years old. The greater number of t' lived in and about Wilmington. The explosion occurred iu a pari house, where black powder pellets prepared for shipment. These pel are used for riflei and other purp(. much of the powder, if not all, hi shipped to the warring nations. packing house was situated in a va along the historic Brandywii creek l was one of a largo group of small bu ings which make up the Lpper lis; plant of the Du Pont company, al, three miles northwest of the city. It was 1 :.'!() o'clock when a sli explosion was heard in the neigh' hood, followed by another one a tt! heavier, which was ctiickiy suceen by a terrific blast that not, only roe' the whole valley, but shook and slar Wilmington. Workmen ran from ov building and shack iu Ihe wide a; which the company's plant covers. ' great column of smoke rose from ' spot where 1 lie packing house stood ;' when the cloud disappeared there ' only ;i big hole in the ground. Scene of Horror. Workmen wlio survived I hi- Iren dons blast said the scene was one of I ror. Prom every tree left, standing tho neighborhood (here were ban;' either pieces of flesh or parts of eh ing worn by the unfortunate men. Twenlv-six men were in lite pfo l; house when the powder went off, not enough of any of them was lor identil ical ion, Willi tiie exception Allan A. Thaxle,-, Ihe foreman, wh J home is given as Portland, Aie. lie ' torn to pieces and a part of ins b. was found hanging on a 1 rre across cieol;. It was idenlificf In- ,r,.. elol liitjg I hat still chine, lo it. iiui'd'njrs Dis;ippcir. The pellet packing house o.'ts a o story frame building, cilitcei, by t 1v feet, and -.'.as , livid'-,! iulo -ix no Not a single part of it was l o be I , Near by luiildiiius were badlv damal A fence was blown tiv.iiv a,,,; l,,!o-r;i f ic and telephone wires v. 'ach v, silting near the scene of Do exnlo- 0 were ripped from Hour Inxteiiings. ' , panv official- said tlo-ie veto ai '" I minds of powder in the pad, , (Continued on Page Two.) f - j THIRTY KILLED ID jra expldsioh; (Continued from Page One.) hotiFP at the time. The prof-erty lo-', l)u 'out officials naidt was small. j The men injured were outbid (y the plant. They were struck bv bit?- "f marliinerv, flying boards, ro'k an'l other debris. One or two had eyes blown out j and several lost an arm or leu. i'hy- i sicijins stated they were so badly ii:- iure.l that not one of them is expe:t0'J j to live. ' j One tUeorv advanced w workmen at! the vard that the explosion may have originated from a horse's hoe or from; a spark ranged by a small ear running j over some spilled powder. A workman said that just before the explosion oe- curred a ear in whkh there were sev-J eral thousand pounds of blaek powder j had been drawn bv two horses along a ; narrow gauge tra.-k to the entrance of the parking house to be prepared for ; diipment. The powder is packed into boxe holding about fifty pounds each. ; Terrifying Blast. Some uf the powder, it was said, i'ay j hae pillid from the '-ar. Kit her ilie; hur-r'i dinvH or a wheel of the car; could rwive ignitpd the -Tuff and caue-1 the f!ah to reach powder in the ear. I exploding it aud the powder in I he , h.'U-e. ! The awful ho--': nf the bla-t sir wk ; ! t.-rrnr to the .,-:. ,-t of the r-ideut- of, 1 1 ;t :.' . Henrv lav r.nd otb.fr ; nienM. ftcrtitome! :i tnev are to der explo-ion. Tin' I hi Pout w u- n 1 o prorating in three shift- and pmtv homo in the neighborh"d i- repre-.-i.t .! am. nig the err (dovec nl the pi.mT. Th'-re v;i a r.'.-)i to aU t'ne aic. ly re'ali a:.d other ro i-itrii il anyone wie killed. K'Tv entrance. ulie').. r at the gate or at the romparv's Hagk-y off ice, i was barred bv uniformed and, armed gmirdv No one tas a.'initted exept "orne of t ho- wh r .i-hed out from WiiniiriL'tt-n in a .i t -uii.h : i e . thev learned the s"nni-no- of the accident. acci-dent. L-i'i-rrott li iv.nt. dif. !:..' the h,n k pow.Jrr nt-':iMr.s dp.r!tnnt. hm! K. II. Y-,-. f.-n.-r.il p-!T r.-i!-,n'!.-:'l of t' . am .'-:'vi-!m fur . wr at t!. ;ir.l f.o;.n nf;r' th- .l,.-!ti'i o ,-urre.l ,inl hT on e niMl- , l;:t .-.1 it i ' i'jV i - i o-i - ! :.n , ..uii'e t.c.tT.on o' ev- , Pi. Pi.m will or i...m!c.' ..i-f .r :ne ( .,'1 . i ,u -.v il h-''t ..inl.iii'' I to .P- ox -r t..r . of th" fhsaslcr. t e not A v".k t' mi: 0 wo-k on. ; nnwr.-r. mi l " C o'ln of thf rxphioi, prot.nI.lv ;w.vn wi'A rtn.itn a nivfl-r K. fn .,iv j'itt"!i h.a! P n tnhn to k uinl a. '-uh'tit " I Tie H'-oit t'-e r.n- was !' rrrnHI lonUc'H I'V Maior SvUifr. h' ..f I : e pn Coot I nh'i t n t t.t , v r- a P.rrr.rrv -hit of pot- ... Wh-n.-.-tnn I., i'. Th I'u l'ont -oiM-M mmmc-nirn mmmc-nirn are jIm. a- tv-. Put ooi'-.ini: .-o-, .! he , lf-Hrm-1 to what line of 1 n -st . ion !.' V M 1 T p 1 "Sill 11K ',..i.,i! h:le hren ci;ri-.'i,t T e for, M',,V ,'.o- 'h.U not,, e- 1 .oi been , found nh1 tree's nnd Irn.'-d nioiic t ie : ro.oi- !..r!ni- f h o t ! the Had. - ai.'s in, t' e I'f'ir S 1'i'inl r'ant ' t e I mi -oi;t .'..n.p.o' wrt'i-iPK .'tn:l'i '.- - f , Ti ni'Miii' mi ,,:in t.it thev woni.l inr ei d th.'h lives l. con' liiutiu; I" work j 1 1 eit.ier ,' p. is..p who . .1 i -11 to I-bvo -ern v,,,',! ' ,P',.H di:...' f.e rcioaioe.1 in '''V"," : fnr o,d-.' tl tew t'.e.i-.s at ii tiire (V:i '(:! . i.f the eofVl.ui leci;red Ioiiu:tit. I'.oW , ever that tho li.ol made a lhoioii;l, m- e-i icatlon of lln-w n-i-oils ii nd iiad l'"iud not !,,n i: to yub-... m nuc ihcm. |