| Show 7 Dyad Dead or Missing inq in Shell Shill Plant Blast t IG fiG EXPLOSION RIPS MIDWEST UNIT UNITt t- t 41 Workers Hurt II Searchers If a. a comb Gomb mb Wreckage I r. r fe ELWOOD Ill June 5 UP M officials an announced 57 persons were dead or Is sag after a terrific Isn ha n had destro destroyed ed a shell loading load- load 3 ing at the lw od ordnance plant Friday th a c concussion that shook r j within a mile rake ra- ra V ke kean an earthquake f. f M J official official casualty list Issued arty irly 12 hours after the blast blasted owed ed 41 injured of whom five re ere re in critical condition Captain David P P. Tunstall army relations officer at th the ant t said 21 bodies had been re- re Wreckage of the building was petted peeled to yield additional vic- vic ms Some were hurled far from fromi's is i's c ene and others were blown J lila iti Army ny- ny officials announced that tha t th h implant e plant as a whole spread over 3 f square miles o of flatland 40 1 SOUth of Chicago continued petitions uninterruptedly the so southern ther fringes f Chicago were shattered and of northern suburbs Iiii long Lake Michigan said the con- con assion resembled an earthquake A Array my officials and agents of ot federal bureau of Investigation gai Sanan ganan n immediate investigation 1 uy ey y declined to speculate on th the igia of the explosion but re- re to Joliet police indicated the theist ast had followed a smaller con- con salon as if a heavy shell had and set off the contents tithe the loading line C Captain David P. P Tunstall pub- pub relations officer at the plant flounced Bounced the casualties He said would be established 3 9 won soon as possible He lie said the explosion occurred p on Paw Pace Six I Column Three SHELL FACTORY TOLL HITS 57 I I Continued from Page One I In n a loading line at a a. shipping building The plant consists of clusters of four buildings In the first the shells are received and painted sainted in the second the T TNT N T Is s melted and mixed in in the third the he shells are loaded and in the the fourth the one which was demol- demol the shed the shells are packed for shipment to the fighting forces 68 Men in Building Tunstall said there were 68 men menn In n the building He attributed the comparatively I low w d death th rate to the he safety construction n of the the shipping hipping building This structure was divided into 12 bays bays- each with concrete side walls and light fabricated board outside walls This his construction caused the force of f the blast to thrust outward damaging box cars ars on a siding The officer explained that although although al- al though hough the F FBI B I had been called calledo to o investigate there Is no indication indication indi- indi cation atlon of sabotage A military board of inquiry willbe will willbe wille be e appointed to investigate also An eyewitness description of the explosIon was supplied by a young workman from an adjoining building build build- ing ng who said his brother had been in n the shipping building Building Demolished I Army officers forbade use of the he workmans workman's name I We were working in the shell- shell I loading building when there su sud su- suddenly denly was a terrific explosion he said aid The shipping building just seemed to disintegrate In into o th the air All the pieces w were re blo blosky blown I sky ky high Huge pieces of debris broke through the roof over our heads We were stunned by the impact Suddenly I remembered my 18 year old brother went to work in inthe inthe the he shipping building four four days ago go I know he was injured but butI I haven't been able to find out how low badly So terrific was the force of the thelast blast last that it rattled the windows of f Chicago's Northwestern railroad station tation 40 miles away and brought down own showers of soot and cinders from rom the ceiling I Shakes Distant Areas I A householder at Glencoe about 60 0 miles mlles away demanded that police olice save him from a prowler I I who vho was trying to break into his house ouse a At Winnetka in the same general vicinity the shock caused houses to appear to sway away as if in inan inan inn an n earthquake Many persons thought hought their heating plants had blown lown up Police at Blue Island south of pf Chicago thought a motorist had rammed the garage doors in their building |
