Show f BLAZING CHEMICALS SPREAD DEATH President Denounces War Fortunes I I I TERRIFIC EXPLOSION I N OF f I TN FACTORY T R TAK TAKES i lIV LIVES OF n W WORKERS I I Earth Eath Rocks as Buildings and Men Are Thrown I Skyward While Poison Fumes and Deadly I Gases Complete Gha Ghastly Work of Death Rescuers Held at Bay by Y Zone o of Fire By Associated Press PITTSBURGH P Pa May 18 Probably Probably men were killed today when an explosion of T. T N. N T. T 1 demolished the plant of the Aetna Chemical company at Oakdale on the Panhandle division of the Pennsylvania railroad 1 sixteen miles tulles fr front from nl here Five hundred were startled at noon by a report not much louder than the crack crack- of a pistol It came from front the soda house but they knew its deadly import and as one man they rushed for the nearest nearest exit Before they could gain again the open the very d air tl seemed u. u tt to burst t into h h d t flame f mil ac the 1 o earth earth- th 10 1 1 heaved fr f rr t and b 1 rocked ld a n m g a roar nun Uh a was waa II ear lui IVI or ml es me LII a lung ong I. ac ors ul lags were hurled high into the air carr carrying Y ing with them ponderous equipment equipment equip- equip j ment of r 1 M r S 'S A gre great t cloud d o of oft dust and nd smoke f f ill j d over ove t the scene and 1 v vt i through ugh its deadly fumes torn and n angled Jed i d' d forms dropped to the d earth many dead but others to end in ln t the th flaming debris The number of dead had not been determined tonight and it is possible that it may not be known for days if i indeed deed it ever will be known State and county authorities agreed that it would reach BLAZING CHEMICALS ADD TO PERILS OF RESCUE Many of the injured some of whom were found half a mile from front the remnants of the factory were brought to Pittsburg hospitals hospitals hos hos- by special specia trains and in ambulances all of them so badly hurt that in only y a comparative few v instances were physicians physician able to lo hold out any hope for their recover recovery The properly property loss was estimated at Immediately y after the second explosion the mass of broken beams and twisted timbers broke out in a great blaze while the highly inflammable chemicals used in the manufacture of T T. N. N T. T and T. T N. N A A. added ample fuel to the flames Blast after blast blasl followed as the heat reached the tanks each one scattering the burning g embers and endangering g property in the entire community Noxious gases gases spread over the valley vaHey and surrounding hills making perilous the work of rescue Telephone and telegraph h wires were wrecked b by r the explosion sion and the tracks of the Pittsburgh Cincinnati Chicago StLouis St St. Louis railroad the Panhandle route were blocked by the falling fallins An hastened to Carnegie four miles distant where wreck and relief trains were made up and hurried to Oakdale Oakdale Oakdale Oak- Oak dale while every hospital in Pittsburgh sent ambulances with with- nurses and doctors Company guards under the direction of state constabulary surrounded the burning ruins and were later laler reinforced by deputy sheriffs and deputy coroners I J r HEAT AND GASES OVERCOME DOCTORS AND NURSES For a time it seemed as though g it would be impossible to reach the wounded because of the heat the constantly widening zone of gases and the danger from explosion But the nurses and doctors aided b by the officers made their way as best they could One young young nurse Miss Meryl Merl Aschelman of New Philadelphia Ohio a member of the 1 staff of Sti St Johns John s 's hospital ho pital Pittsburgh who was among g the first to answer the call for help helo I was perhaps fatally injured Other rescuers were caught near a little stream into which acid and oil had poured It exploded as they crossed and a allum- allum number number num num- ber were thought to have perished Sheriff William Villiam S. S Haddock almost lost his life during one of the late explosions A heavy piece of steel blown from front the wreckage passed close to him hinh and the force of the blast threw him to the ground He was badly bruised but continued his work Each succeeding explosion reduced the blazing pile as embers and chemicals were were widely y scattered Soon after 6 G o'clock an explosion louder and more powerful shot away the remnants of J the fire and practically cleared the blackened space Many bodies were consumed in the flames the authorities declared while parts of of others hers were oer so tossed about it will be impossible to identify such portions as might eventually be found Among the dead Coroner Samuel C. C Jamison found was Samuel Diehl assistant superintendent of the Heidelberg plant of the Aetna company while John B B. B Johnston superintendent of the dale g the badly injured Oa Oakdale plant was among various communities for fifteen miles Af tl Uirt t I t nf of v vicious or n o on le s a Ions nn u L me II v either cither side of Oakdale were assembled women Red Hed Cross workers on their way to Pittsburgh to participate in a monster parade The thou thought ht was inspired that the Red Cross workers were needed at Continued on page 5 j TERRIFIC EXPLOSION Continued from pa page o 1 1 Oakdale than at Pittsburgh Abandoning Abandon Abandon- ing all thoughts of or parade the women locked flocked to the afflicted area b by automobile au au- au and arni b by trolley read ready for any sacrifice or service And these women lent valuable aid aidin in bringing order and system out of or orthe the chaotic condition among the panic panic- stricken families of ot workmen Answering the first call for hospital aid and went a n corps oi ot nurses of physicians from St. St hospital One of ot the nurses Meryl whose home is in New Philadelphia Ohio was acting as a stretcher bearer carrying a wounded man to the ambulance when in one ono of the explosions she sho was thrown to the ground and ad the patient on the stretcher was killed One of her legs was blown off oft STORY OF SURVIVOR Scarcely one who lived through the explosion is able ablo to tell a coherent story of the happening H. H H II Canan starter at the plant was eating his lunch with others when hen the first ex cx- explosion occurred and escaped with slight ht bruises I was sitting with two friends about feet from the tho T. T N N. T. T T stockroom stock- stock stockroom stockroom room when the blast came he said Without warning I I. I started up and u up until I lost consciousness When I hit lilt the ground round I came to and iny my two friends landed about feet from me meI I got to my feet and was hurrying away when I passed an injured man man I put him on my back and started from the plant when the second explosion ex cx- x- x occurred I OIL DERRICKS SET AFIRE The explosion hurled burning Durning embers embers em em- bers bors in every direction for almost amile a amile mile and oil derricks were set afire aUre adding further danger of or explosions and conflagrations Pumping on oil operations were stopped and sand Band was thrown on the tho building to extinguish the flames Tonight portions of human bodies I are being picked up a n. milo mile and more from the tho plant Residents about Rennerdale Rennerdale Ren- Ren reported seeing tho the bodies of men flying through the air and early tonight arms and legs were being reported reported reported re re- re- re ported along the railroad tracks three- three quarters of r a mile from the Aetna plant |