New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-07-03
TEN VICTIMS OF DYNAMITE.
ONLY SMALL BITS OF THE BODIES FOUND.
BU 1LDiNG OF THE ATLANTIC COMPANY IN NOR
EIs COUNTY. n. L. RLOMN TO ATOMS.

scorched and tattered flesh to l two bushe. baskets
were al that coGld be found after 7:3O yesterday morn
ing IN carefully searched territory quarter OF mile
IN extent OF ten men who entered the mixing house of
the Atlantic Dynamite Comrany's works about naf
ne from the village OF McCansville. n J ten minutes
| before that hour They had literally blown out
OF sight ny the explosion OF the dangerous materials
upon which they were working, and remained to
tell how 1t happened. The people of tho vicinity
seemingly sfupeed by the horrible occurrence and the
families OF the victims hardly realize the sudden
| loss that has befallen them
About hfteen years ago. when dynamite a COM
para'ivcly new agent. the Atlantic Dynamite Company,
OF which Albert Dibbee, Of San Francisco. is tho
president. purchased a farm OF about 400 acres
McCainsviie in the township OF Roxbury Morris
county erected the necessary buildings began the
manufacture OF dynamite in small way under the pat
ents OF Nobel. tho inventor OF this
powerful explosive. The business gradually
improved aud the facilities were extepdej,
until no less than sixty buildings had bsen erected
inc tract Including numerous packn ghouses acid and
soda WORKS, store houses, ntro-glycerne factories
ml1ins-hou'es, a box factory and an Office.
Inc Westinghouse which the OF
| 'ne explosion. was one-story frame
building about 40 by 60 feet painted q grayish blue
ana situated In tho central southern portion OF the
grounds on tho side OF gradually slopug hill About
| ooo ieet north OF the mixing.house and a little
further up the hill was rambling wooden structure
~ py 80 feet In SIZE in which charges Of
Duiihng Was connected by rubberined covered
with eaien Kettle SIX feet I'm diameter and five feet
dcep IN the north end OF the mixing house. into
WHICH the gycorne was run by the aid OF
sheh' stream OF water, preparatory to
the hna mixing ptocess. At the side OF the leaden
vessel were two pans ten feet In diameter and foot
IN DEPTH In which was placed what is known "dope"
"A combination Of nitrate OF soda, sawdust, woodpulp
ana other ingredients supposed to be known only
10 the manufacturers The nitroglycerine is
gradually run into these pans OF dope until 1t had
all been absorbed, the mixing 1t thoroughly with
wooden hoes and rakes In this form the dynamite Is
loaded on tramway cars and drawn by mules
to tho numerous little pscking-housos built
on the hillside. and just large enough
to contain two men and the articles necessary for their
use Here the dynamite s placed in paper shells an
Inch u diameter aud eight inches long. each weighing
about eight ounces. and 100 OF the cartridges thus
formed are packed In small wooden boxes ready for
shipment
AT 40 o'clock yesterday morning Alfred Lowell,
the superintendent Of the works. entered the
miIing-house In his usual tour Of inspection and
found that the nitro slycerine, which had been
prepared the night before, in the leaden tank
and that everything was In readiness for
the men to go TO WORK Leaving tho building he passed
up the hill to tho structure where the gycerirc is
charged. and while standing the end OF the
building observed the nine employed In the mixing
department enter the mixing building. Ten minutes
LATER while ho WAS still occupied about the nitro
glycerne building he was startled by fearful explo-
son
"For moment" said Mr.. Lowell in describing his
sensations. II did not realize what had happened.
feeling of heavy oppression overcame me, and had
to exert myself to collect my thoughts 1t all flashed
upon me In instant, and looking in the direction OF
the mix E-nouse, saw asthug but q cloud where q
moment before had stood substantial building. Al
though only about GOO feet from the building the
conclusion did not seem greater than that made by q
good sized cannon. was merely Jared a little" The
=o.e Of the explosion was neard for dis
lance Of twenty miles IN all directions; win
dowpane, were broken in houses FIVE miles
away and in Hackettstown. fourteen miles
distant sashes and doors considerably Jared
Nearly every who heard the explosion ju rped at
once to the conclusion that 1t was In the dynamite |
works and people began to gather In crowds Livery |
sort Of vehicle pressed into service and the dusty
roads leading to tho works were alive as a city
thoroughfare with wagons and pedestrians. The ten |
men killed were:
AMMggM,y GEORGE Of ccansve age thirty four leaves
BRYAN. HEopoRE f.. of McCainsvie twenty-nine;
HArnE GtoRiE Of &c ansvile. age twentynne; leaves
JACKSON. CHAiLss. Drakesvile age twenty hve SINGLE
kNSEk JOSEPH w. OF AcCainsvle age thirty two: leave
KING GsoEos Q, snecasana age twen!y,wS single
LAuBACH. HENRY. OF McCainsyie age thirty single.
esvs w and one U5 child %e .SG 3 twenty
sMlIH, JOHN H.. OF McCainsvlle, age twentyslx snge
Mlburn was not employed in tue kin s-houss and
only entered before the explosion. He had
been by superintendent Lowell to clean build
ing another part OF the grounds and ia supposed
that he went into tho mxing-house in search OF
sponge.
Tho last person who saw the victims alive
was the aged father of King who is fore
man of ono OF the departments Two
minutes before the shock he left the building, into
which he had some trivial errand. to to the
aclhou.e. 500 feet southwest OF tie mixinghouse
MI stank with ammonia for shipment TO San Francisco.
when he left the men they hard at work and
seemed particularly cheerful Mr. King wa. the
witress of the explosion. but even he virtually saw
nothing.
"All there was of it," he sald "was terrific noise
heavy cloud in the a long rumble The build.
Ing and all contents had disappeared in the cloud
Near as | was was not knocked down ana only fel:
.izzy for moment" q
The force OF tho explosion may best be understood
when said that the wood used In the construction
the reduced to fine sawdust, and that the
piece found inches long and foot wide.
which had become mbedded In railway tie. boulder
sghlng fully 500 pounds, which had been OF the
foundation stones OF tho structure thrown hun d
ired yards into the marsh below. For hundred '
Yards to the south swaih fifty feet Wide
rad been moved In thick grove OF
roung willows. birches and alder trees, and
or distance OF 200 yards the trees had been stripped
IF leaves bark Tho only part OF the contents OF
he building not reduced almost to powder was small
,oil Of ppe which portion OF tho heating
ysem used The spot whe re the leaden ket.
e containing the $50 pounds of nitro glycerne had
tood by crater twenty-five feet III diane
aud five deep. and two craters about twelve
eet In diameter feet deep marked the places
where mixing pans had been Another large crater
. little west OF these believed to have been formed
,y the dynamite car ready to be
to packnghouse. The mule which was -
this car and the boy who drove him had narrow
"a. hal fnsf rfa1 frnm he n lrl
he their destination; when the expio-
non occurred.
spd up ard verified by the fact that
most Of the ght which thrown Into the
ar fen directly back and believed to have been 4
Irswn down by tho vacuum formed The II
Tide walls works building 800 yards distant
unrlheaaferlY dlrecton were forced out and COLI