St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-10-01
WERE BLOWN TO ATOMS
Terrific Explosion of Giant Powder and
Nitro Glyoerine at tho Bayohester.
N. Y, Works.
Four Employees of the Factory Reduced to
Mere Fragments Of Flesh and
Bone.
The Catastrophe Caused by Reckless
Hunters Shooting Into the
Building.
The Shock Felt In Three States and
Attributed to an Earthquake
Visitation.
A Horrible Accident.


BARTow-ON-THE-So n. z, Sept.
3O.-A terrible explosion occurred at the
Ditmar powder works. Baychester, on the
Harlem river branch of the New York 81
New Haven railroad, about O'clock this
morning, resulting in the instantaneous
death OF four men employed in the factory.
The explosion occurred in the packing
house, one-story frame building, 20x3O
feet in the center of the grounds and
about two hundred yards from the factory,
a large frame building near the water,
where the bulk OF the giant powder and
nitro-glycerine used i'll the new aqueduet
works is manufactured. The men were
hard at work putting up and packing cart
ridges, when, suddenly and without warn
ing, the explosion occurred, shattering the
building to splinters and blowing the four
men to fragments. The exploding powder,
of which there was large quantity, shot
up into the air as high as fifty feet, and
splinters Of the building were blown mile
distant.
THE MEN KILLED ARE:
EARNEST DRALEN,
JOHN BUSCH,
MAX SHAFBOLT,
MR.. RINEHAkT.
Nothing was left of them except the frag-
ments of their bodies. Their hands, ,css,
feet, arms. pieces of skulls. backbOnes and
charred bits of flesh were scattered in every
direction for 500 feet from the packing
house. Max Cruger, foreman of the works,
says the explosion was caused by two men
shooting into the building. He was in the
packing house at the time, and going out
found two men who said they were shoot
10 hof +
with arrest and they then became impu-
dent. AS the explosion occurred the men
were seen hurrying away. R. n. Stan
field. superintendent of the Thorite Power
company, near by, picked up box full Of
fragments of the dead men, and others as
sisted in the work, and the remains were
all put in heap to await the arrival of the
coroner. One of the dead men leaves
family in Germany. The others are sin
gle. Their clothing
WAS BURNED TO sHREDs.
The main factory Of the Ditmar works was
nearly wrecked, one end being blown to
pieces, exposing the interior. After the
explosion the lower timbers Of the building
took fire and burned fercely. A large tree
near by was torn up by the roots, and
branches of other trees were blown away.
The ground around for half mile was
strewed with fragments of the dead, splin-
tiers, packing paper, etc. The violence of
the explosion shook houses in Barlow.
across the creek from Rochester. The
windows in John Elliott's Bayview hotel,
at Pelham Bridge, over mile away.
were shattered. Thomas Didwoodie's
blacksmith shop, at Westchester, was
shaken violently, and the windows in
many bonees in the same village were
broken. This is the second explosion
that has occurred in these works this year.
The one last winter blew man to frag-
ments. The remains of the men killed to-
day could not possibly be identified. sMany
persons living miles away drove hurriedly
to the scene and some of them helped To
gather together the fragments of the dead
men. The windows, sashes and doors in
the railroad station at Baychester, not far
from the powder works, were blown to
fragments. and the windows in other
houses were damaged. but no one outside
the factory was hurt. The shock was felt
at various points in neighboring states and,
until definite information was received, was
attributed to an earthquake.