Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1884-04-03
THE REPAUN0 EXPLOSION
A DESCRIPTION OF THE NITRO
GLYCERINE WORRS.



8 gycerine house of the Repsuno Chemica
+. Works at Thompsons Peint, New Jersey
across the Delaware river from this city ex.
ploded at 1880 o'clock this morning, and il
. is supposed seven or eight men have been
killed.
| Among the killed are supposed to be
i Lamotte dupont, president OF the company,
, W. N. Hill, superintendent, Mr.. Norcrosa
compounder of the dynamite, and others.
Their ting was Immediately dispatched to this
, city for surgeons and has'left with number
I to attend to the wounded.
, FURTHER PARTIoLABs-DEATH OF La AMoTTE pU
POINT CONFIRMED.
CHESTER, March 29-2.30 p. m.-The ex-
ploson at the Repauno Chemical Works took
. place at 10 20 this morning.
The buildings were demolished and six
men instantly killed, The killed we're:
LaMotte DUPONT, president of the Repauno
Superintendent Hill.
: Foreman Norcrosse
| Mr.. Lane New York customer of the
, company.
Two workmen, whose bodies were so badly
mutilated as not to be recognizable.
1t is not positively known that other bodies
are not buried in the debris.
tug with six physicians aboard WAS i'm
mediately dispatched to the succor Of the in
jured, the number of whom has not been
learned.
A man named Miller standing on the Eleo-
trio Lines wharf, when the explosion took
place. states that he saw dense volume OF
flame shoot upward into the air, and timbers
of every description were thrown in all direc-
tions.
The shock WAS keenly felt here and the
houses were rocked to and fro for several
minutes many of the inmates rushed into the
streets for safety, fearing the dwellings
would tumble.
1t was at first supposed that an earthquake
had caused the disturbance and the widest
excitement prevailed. When the cause of the
shock was made known people crowded to the
wharves, and every boat obtainable was
pressed into service and quickly loaded with
men who proceeded to the scene to render
any aid possible The buildings were shiv-
cred to atoms There was a considerable
quantity Of dynamite and other explosives
stored In the place.
FURTHER NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. IN A DOOR
WAY WHILE TRYING TO EsoAPE-DEsTBuo-
TIoN ABOUT THE BUILDING.
CHESTER, March 29.-The explosion at the
Repauno Chemical Works this morning was
supposed to have been caused by too much
heat being generated by nitric acid.
This supposition is based on the fact that
the six occupants Of the building were seen
to rush for the door and we're jammed in the
passage when the explosion occurred.
The six were instantly killed. their bones
being broken and twisted, and their heads
crushed in frightful manner. Their pames
were as follows LaMotte dupont, president
OF the company and connected with the
DUPONT powder works in Delaware; W. N
Hill. superintendent of the works
Edward Norcross, compounder Of nitro
gycerine George Norton, an employe, Lewis
Lay, also an employe, and a visitor supposed
to be a gentleman from New York.
He was unknown to any one
left living about the works.
| He was seen there before with Mr.. DUPONT,
and is supposed to be merchant dealing in
Atlas powder or the material that enters
into 1t. He was nicely dressed, wore
a diamond ring and stud, and was tall
and fine looking. His pocket book contained
a large sum of money. Mr.. Jackson the
chemist had been introduced to him but can
not recollect his name.
Norcross, Merton and Lay lived at Thomp-
| sons Point where the works are located and
dupont and Hill lived elsewhere.
The bodies of the dead were placed in
| boxes, and the deputy coroner of the county
| began an inquest, after which the bodies will
be removed TO their respective homes.
| workman WAS standing on a trestle-work
not more than 100 feet from the
building when it blew up and was
thrown several feet into field. Several
large stones alighted around him. He
says he saw the men rushing to the door and
heard the report. 1t appears that Norcross
| had said during the morning that he did not
like the way the dynamite had been working
and that they could not keep the heat down.
The surgeons who went over from Chester
were of little service. The bodies of the men
were not much mutilated, except with flying
timbers and stones.
| Nothing remains of the building, which
was two-storied frame one An excavation
sufficient to bury good-sized house was
made in the ground where the
IttTII al lna lfn Fnr
half mile around were badly shattered
The works which are largely owned by the
duPonts of Delaware have been in operation
| for about four years and this is the first acci-
dent that has happened there.
THE LATE LAMoTTE DUPONT.
LaMotte dupont, president OF the company,
| was the eldest son OF Alfred dupont, who was
| the eldest son of Irene dupont, who WAS one
| OF the founders Of the Il. L. DUPONT de Nenlours
q Co. The deceased thus belonged to the
third generation of the family since the es-
| tablishment of the powder manufacturing
business in this country.
| LaMotte dupont was born in 1881. He
married in 1865 a daughter of Henry Belin Of
this city, who, with six or seven children
survives him. Upon the establishment of
the works for the manufacture of dynamite
at Thompson's Point he was made president
o; the same William DUPONT, son OF
Henry A. DUPONT being secretary of the
/ u
| ton avenue, West Philadelphia. He
has been the second member Of the
| family to meet a violent death, his uncle,
| Alexis DUPONT, having been killed in au ex-
plosion at the Hagley yard some 30 years
ago.
Sundays Philadelphia Eress, gives the
following description OF the works and
detailed account Of the disaster:
| o.,
works are scattered over au area OF more
than 500 acres, on which there is prsoti-
cally nothing but their buildings. The
nearest railway station Ia at Gibb5town,
N. J on the Delaware River railroad,
and about two miles from the river. A
special train from Pennsgrove over the
Delaware River railroad carries the em
pioyes of the company to the scene OF
their dangerous work every morning at
O'Clock, and brings them back in the
evening at s O'Clock. A branch OF the
railroad rms from Gibpstown half q mile
toward the river, past building in which
the boxes are stored in which the dyna-
mite is packed, and nearly to the maga-
zine where a large stock OF the manu-
fsotured article is kept. Where the rail-
road ends narrow gauge track begins,
in which tanks Of acid are hauled by
mules to the nitro glyoerine house.
This building, in which the explosion
occurred, was singular in structure. On
the first "foor," 30 called, 1t was about
20 feet square, with an addition in the
rear about IA by 10, The walls of the
first story were built solidly of stone,
sunk two feet below the level OF the
ground and rising six feet above it. The
space within these walls was filed with
closely packed sand. In the addition, in
the rear, were two tanks, into one of
which the manufactured nitro glycerine
WAS drawn from the upper story and
washed with soda water. From this tank,
as it settled to the bottom, it was drawn
into smaller one through a pipe by a
man who was psid $3.50 day to stop
the flow whenever free acid instead OF
nitro glyoerine began to flow.
THE DANGER SPOT.
The second story OF the house was built
entirely OF wood, and, on account of its
solid Foundation OF stone aud sand, was
free from all vibration. The wooden walls
enclosed one room, entrance to which was
gained from the outside by steps from the
ground. At the side of the building
were also the nsrrow-gauge tracks,
elevated on trestles, up which mules
drew the tanks of acid. Two tanks were
usually drawn up at time, each con-
tanning about 1000 pounds OF mixture,
| COMPOSED e-third of nitric and two.