The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1889-02-27
A FRTGHTFUL DISASTER
A Powder Explosion Causes the
Death Of Eleven Girls
Employed in Squib Factory ut Ply
mouth, Pa.-The Victims Burned
Beyond Recognition.

Beyond hec0gnltlOn.
The Buildlng Caught Fire and In Few
Miuutes was Reduced to Ashes-Namos
OF the Killed.
WILKEsBARRE, Pa, Feb 26.--Eleven girls,
varying in age from thirteen to twenty-five
years, lo, It their lives In PowelPs squib fac
tory at Plymouth yesterday afternoon.
Powder squibs are manufactured at this
place for the use Of miners. The squib Is
sort Of fuse, which Is Inserted In the drilled
hole in the coal. Girls are employed TO make
these squibs because their labor is cheaper
and they can do the work more satisfactori-
ly than men. Powells squibs are used in
probably every mine In the United States
and Canada and some are exported to the
English collieries When trade Is good the
factory employs about eighty girls Late
ly, however, trade has been somewhat slack,
end last week part OF the machinery broke
down aud the superintendent was COM
PEELED 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 ex-
ception Of about seventeen, who were re-
tanned TO do some odd jobs. When the
twelve O'CLOCK whistle Sew six Of the girls
who lived near by wcnt to their homes for
their midday m al, the remainder-eleven
all told--ate their dinner in the factory.
After all had dined the girls adjourned to
an ante-rcom containing stove. Here they
sat and chat ell on various topics. Maggie
y n t,,t 80
In the evening. Charles BeLtley had asked
her to accompany him and sho said she
guessed she woull go. A the other girls
urged her to do 50, sayin she would have a
good line. What pa ,sed between the girls
after this is MT known There the story
stops short. Alice X 'eSe, who carried din
ner for two OF the workers, left for her
home after Miss Lynch had told of her in-
tention TO go to the social.
A few minutes before one O'Clock almost
starting-up time, John Thomas, who re-
sides near tho factory, was sitting at table
eating his dinner. when violent explosion
shook the dishes from the table. At first he
thought IL was an explosion in I mines,
but on looking out OF the window he saw
the roof Of the factory shooting up In the
hir' uhu whou ~ ion oaV" '.5"ii V'o 'l'o' Va
the building were falling in' Inen nre en-
veloped the debris ana In Ten minutes ume
the structure was reduced 10 ashes: The
speed OF the hames was so RAPID thati IL was
impossible for any one 70 enter the wrecked
building.
The miners from the gaylord slope rushed
70 the burning building and heroicaiiy at
tempted to pull away the burning timbers,
so that they might enter and possibly save
the lives OF some OF the imprisoned girls
but the hames mad gained 700 much heau'
way and the men were absolutely poweriess.
When the hremen arrived they found
that their hose was not long enough 10
reach the fire from the nearest water sup
PLY, so that they also were unable 10 render
material assistance. When the hre hnally
died out for want OF material TO feed upon
the bodies OF the unfortunate girls were dug
from the debris. Their heads, arms and
legs we're gone; nothing remained but their
ch rred bodies, which were entirely unrec
ognizable, Miss Maggie Lynch's body beinf
recognized only by It's large siz,.
Thousands OF persons had gathered aoou
the wrecked building and l. piteohs erie
Of the re.atiyes OF the dead girls were heart
l lt.as IA hnnaa