The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-04-19
Accident in the Nitro-Gly ycerine-Mill Of the
American Powder Compsnys Works Causes
tbs Destruction of Seven Buildings.
Terrific Explosion That Broke Every
Pane of Glass Within Two Miles.
Six Children and Two Women Crushed TO
Death and Thirteen Persons Badly Hurt
at an English Railway Station.
FRIGHTFUL EXPLOSION.

Seven Buildings Destroyed and Seven Pow.
der-Makers Blown Into Fragments.
NEWARK. n. j., April 16-The works OF
the American Powder Company, q short
distance from the landing station at Lake
Hopatcong, on the Morris ~ Essex rail-
road, blew mp shortly after 3 o'clock this
afternoon and seven men were blown TO
atoms The killed are j. Smith, superin-
tendent of the works; Jacob Carlson. VIM.
Pierce. James Vagh. A. johnson, Godfrey
Water and an unknown Swede. Besides
these two men were injured. One of them.
Benz. Cashmere. will probably die
The works of the company consisted of
number of small buildings. scattered ct .
distance of about three hundred feet from
each other. The nitro glycerine-mill was
the first 60 60 mp. and the shock of this ex-
plosion caused six other buildings to
be rent asunder by their dan
gerous contents exploding. The re-
port was terrific. and was heard in
the surrounding country for many miles.
Buildings in the vicinity rocked as If on q
stormy sea and in some instances appeared
as If about 10 topple over. The startled
residents rushed from their houses and saw
q cloud of dust and smoke lying through
works. They knew instinctively what had
happened and ran for the mountain side,
fearful that some of the large storage
houses of the company, in which there
were tons of the highest and deadliest ex-
plOsives. might 20 up at any moment
When several minutes had passed withoue
their fears being realized the people eau
tiOusly advanced TO the scene OF the ex-
ploslon. There the wreckage was found to
be on tire and burning fiercely. The most
timid of those present scouting aanger-
there being a possibility that the flames
might spread to the st0rage-h0use-again
fled. Others. however, got out the COM
pany's fire apparatus, and water from tho
lake was used TO fight the fire.
ONLY FRAGMENTS OF THE BODIES FOUND.
In short time the flames were under
control and then the wreckage scattered
about was overhauled for the purpose Of
finding the men who had been at work in
the buildings. Within few minutes two
men were found. both badly injured. The
roll of the company's employees was then
called and 1T was found that seven men
were missing. Those men were undOubted-
ly dead and q search was begun for their
bodies. The searchers were mostly old en-
plOyes of the company and they knew that
il q case like the present one 1t was useless
to search among the ruins that still re-
NAMED where the building had stood.
They found pieces of flesh and bones scat
tered over several acres of ground. After
several hours, of work the searchers had
succeeded in gathering about 80 pounds
of mangled flesh aud bone. which Is all
that remains of the dead men.
representative of the company, who
was seen after the explosion, said that it
would be impossible TO ascertain what
caused the explosion. There had been
numerous explosions. he said. at the works.
but none so extensive as that to-day. The
same gentleman said that the company had
could occur. The buildings being separated
and each independent of the other. il was
seldom that more than one mans life was
In danger. All of the explosions of the past
had been in the houses used for mixing the
explosive and the storage rooms had never
before been affected. When asked if an in
vestigation would be made he said 1t as
almost useless to hold one. The explosion
had left little of the buildings.
It would be impossible to ascer:
tain how the explosion occurred
was one man who. it was possible. might
have been able to have told the story. but
he was the man at whose bench the first
explosion happened and consequently he
ives dead. The explosion shattered all the
windows within two miles of the scene of
the explosion. There are two other powder
companies in the vicinity. The Atlantic
Giant-powder Company is at kenville.
three miles away, and the United States
storage department station is at Dover,
which Is about seven miles from the scene
plainly felt at Kehsille. and the employees
at work. thinking that il was part of
their own works which had blown up. left
their benChea