The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1892-04-23
SEVEN MEN BLOWN UP.
Forcite Compan,'s Works 1T Mt. Airing
ingtou, \. j., Wrecked.

instor, y. D., Wrecked.
MOUNT ARLINGTON, \. j., April IS
The works of the American Forcite
Powder Company on the shores of Lake
fIopatcong, about a mile below here,
blew up about o'clock this afternoon
and seven men were blown to atoms.
The explosion occurred few minutes
after ; O'Clock, and the five buildings
were shattered. What caused the ex-
plosion will never be known. The
works consist of a number of small
buildings scattered at a distance of
about 800 feet from each other. Most
of the buildings We're used in the
man was employed in each. The
other buildings, which stand further
away from the lake on the side of the
mountain, are used for the storage of
dynamite, nitro-glvcerine and detonat-
ors. The works have been frequently
the scenes of explosions, but never to
such an extent as to-day. The explos-
ion occurred while all the men were at
work and created panic. The men
working in buildings distant from those
blown up first heard roar,
and the buildings in which they
were working shook and trem-
bled for fully a minute; then came an
explosion which sounded far louder
than the simultaneous explosion of
nalf a dozen of the largest cannon.
The startled men rushed from their
work and saw cloud Of dust and smoke
flying through the air near the lower
part Of the company grounds. They
knew IN a moment what had happened,
and fearing the conclusion might set Off
the explosives in the other buildings
they ran for the mountain side.
Alter few moments when they saw
that no further danger was imminent,
they cautiously advanced 10 the scene
of the explosion. The wreckage was
already burning tiercely. The men
went TO work at once to overhaul the
wreck in search of the men who had
been at work in the ruined buildings.
Within a few minutes they succeeded
in finding two men, both of whom were
badly injured. Meanwhile the com
pany's fire apparatus was run out
and water from the lake was
used to fight the fire. AS
soon as the flames We're under control
the roll OF the companv's employees was
called, ana 1t was found that seven were
missing. \ search for the bodies was
then begun. The searchers were most
~ old employees of the company, and
knew that in case like the present
one it was useless to search among the
ruins. They found fragments OF flesh
and bones scattered over several acres
OF ground. In fact, they found over 80
pounds of flesh and bone =, which is all
that remains of the bodies Of the
victims. What could ne found was
gathered up in boxes and will be buried
by the COM Dany.
\ representative of the company
SAYS that it will be impossible to ascer-
tam what caused the explosion. The
buildings being separated and each IN
dependent of the other, it 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 explosives and the storage
looms mad never before been affected.
TIE explosion has left little of the
buildings. There was one man who it
was possible might have been able to
tell the story, he said, but he was the
man at whose bench the first explo-
sion happened and consequently he
was dead.
The explosion shattered all the win
dows within two miles OF the scene.
The glasses in the bar-room of Schafer's
Hotel were broken and the guests in
the mouse were greatly startled. Al the
landing the railroad depot was shaken
until the beams cracked and every pane
OF glass i'll the building as we'll as those
in the houses around were blown up.
There are two other powder companies
in this vicinity. The Atlantic Giant
Powder Company is at kenville, three
miles away, and the United States Stor-
age Department station is at Dover,
about seven miles distant The eXplO-
sion was plainly felt at kenville, the
employees thinking at first that it was a
part of their own works