Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1889-02-27
A TERRIBLE DISASTER.
Eleven Girls Cremated in a Wilkes
barre Squib Factory.
DEATH IN FRIGHTFUL FORM
Headless and Limbiess Bodies Taken from
the Ruins and Carried Away tu
BiRntets-A Full List of the
Unfortunate Victims,

varying IN age from l3 TO y years. lost
their lives in Powell's squib factory at
Plymouth. Powder squibs are manu-
featured at this place for the use OF
miners, The squibs is a sort of fuse
| which is inserted in the drilled hole in
the coal. Powell's squibs are used in
probably every mine in the United
States and Canada, and some are ex-
ported to the English ,collieries. When
trade is good the factory employs about
eighty girls. Lately, however, trade
has been somewhat slack, and last week
part of the machinery broke down, and
the superintendent was compelled to lay
off forty of the girls. Monday morning
all hands reported for work, but the
machinery was not yet in order, and all
were sent home with the exception of
about seventeen, who were retained to
| do some odd jobs. When the IL o'clock
| whistle blew six of the girls who lived
near by went to their homes for their
midday meal; the remainder-eleven all
told-ate their dinner in the factory.
After they had dined, the girls ad-
journed to an ante-room containing a
stove. Here they sat and chatted on
various topics. Maggie Lynch said she
had an invitation to a social in the even
ing. Charles Beattey had asked her to
accompany him, and she said she
guessed she would go. All the other
girls urged her to do so, saying she
would have a good time. What passed
between the girls after this is not
known. There the story stops short.
Alice Rice who carried dinner for two
Of the workers, left for her home after
Miss Lynch had told of her intention to
go to the social.
A few minutes before 1 o'clock, al
most starting up time, John Thomas,
who resides near the factory, was sitting
at a table eating his dinner, when a vio-
lent explosion shook the dishes from the
table. At first he thought it was an
explosion of the mines, but looking out
of the window he saw the roof of the
factory shooting up in the air, and when
it fell back the sides of the building
were fallingin. The fire enveloped the
debris, and in ten minutes time the
structure was reduced to ashes.
The miners from the Gaylord slope
rushed to the burning building and he
roically attempted to poll away the
burning timbers so that they might en-
ter and possibly ave the lives of SONS
of the injured girls, but the flames had
gained too much Roadway and the men
we're absolutely powerless. When the
firemen arrived they found that their
hose was not long enough to reach the
fire from the nearest water supply, so
that they were also unable torender ma
terial assistance. When the fire finally
died out for want of material to feed on
the bodies of the unfortunate girls
were dug from the debris. Their heads,
arms and legs We're gone: nothing re-
manned but their charred bodies, which
were entirely unacceptable, Miss Mag
gle Lynch,s body being recognized only
| by its large size. Thousands of persons
had gathered about the wrecked build
ing, and the piteous cries of the relatives
of the dead girls were heartrending. All
of the bones that could be found were
placed in blankets and taken to Under
taker Williams establishment, where
the relatives gathered and vainly en-
deavored to recognize the charred re-
mains. The following is a complete list
of those who lost their lives:
| KATE JONES, aged 20.
MAGGIE LYNCH, aged2l.
HATTIE JONES, aged IS.
GLADIS REESE, aged Is.
MARX MATTERS. aged II.
MAGGIE RICHARDS, aged II.
MARY ANN LAKE, aged II.
| RUTH POWELL. aged 10
ESTHER POWELL, aged %.
CHARLOTTE HUMPHREYS, aged IL.
JANE ANN HuMAS, aged IL.
The only person in the building at the
time of the explosion who remains to
tell the story is Foreman Reese, and he
is fatally burned. He says he was
standing by a stove when the first ex.
plosion was heard. He rushed to the
door to notify the girls, when several
explosions occurred, and he next found
himself in the cellar. He managed tc
crawl ont into the open air but is so ter.
ribly burned that he can live but a short
time.
The cause of the explosion is not vel
known. Mr.. Powell says there was bui
a small quantity of powder in the build
ing, a magazine neal by being used as q
storage house. One theory is that a box
of squibs became ignited from ~spontan,
eous combustion and exploded.