New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-03-24
FIVE PERSONS BLOWN UP.
FEARFUL WORK OF DYNAMITE
TEN THOUSAND POUNDS OF THE EX-
PLOSIvE IGNITED.

DESTRUCTION OF THE ACME POWDER CON-
PANY's WORKS NEAR PITTsBURG-THREE
OF THE VICTIMS WOMEN
AND SISTERS.
Pittsburg March 2S-Two explosions occurred
this morning at the Acme Powder Company's
works, at Blacks Run, fourteen miles from
this city, on the Allegheny Valley Railroad re-
sulting in the death Of five persons. the injury
Of another, and TIE destruction Of five build
ings and 10000 pounds of dynamite The none
tary loss is about $4,000. The dead are -
follows:
ARTHUR. William aged twenty-eight.
ARTHUR. Belle aged nineteen. wife Of William Arthur.
REMALEY. Nellie. eyed twenty-five
REMALEY. Sadie. aged thirty
ROBBINS. Charles. aged twenty Of Allegheny City.
The three women were sisters The person
injured James Mooney superintendent of tho
works Ills right thigh was struck by flying
splinte:.
The location Of the works was about mile
from Hutton. in a ravne. The first explosion
occurred in the plcking-house about 7:15 o'clock
this morning. shortly after work had begun. The
only eye-witr esses of IT are Superintendent
Mooney and Simeon Bradley. Of the work.
men, They at the slycerine-house. almost
200 fet above the packing-house, arranging to
make nitro-gycerine, which was their first duty
in the morning Bradley had his eyes in the d.
rection of the packing-hous when he saw
flash Of fire come out of the door. In a terrified
shout 10 Mooney he said: Whats that?'
Mooney shouted ITS fire. Run for your life!'
They fled up the creek fast as their legs would
take them. but in few seconds the awful ex-
ploson deafened then, and hurled them TO the
ground. Mooney was struck in the right thigh
.f,,s httf
hat was blown off, and his spectacles torn from
his face.
The packing house was located about one hum
dred yards from the Allegheny Valley Railroad
tracks and was a two-s.ory wooden structure.
20 by s5 feet At the time OF the explosion Mr..
Arthur his wife, Sadie Remaley and Robbins
were in the building and were blown to frag-
ments Nellie In the clearinghouse. about
100 feet below the packlng-house. This building
was two-story frame structure about ~ py
40 feet II was levelled 10 the ground ana
Nellie was crushed b. the falling tmbers. sne
was rescued and brought to this city on the first
train. the intention being TO take her to the west
Penn Hospital but she expired just as they were
taking her off the train. She did not regain con-
sciousness after the explosion.
The second explosion occurred at the mixing
house al S:25 a. m. This was caused by spark
from the ruins or the DOardlnS-nOuse Inc sh'Oho
had been seen in time all in the vicinity
to get out Of the way before the second explosion
took place. so no damage was done TO ire In
the second explosion 1000 pounds of dynamite
exploded, blowing the mixing g-house with all its
machinery to atoms.
After the second explosion terrible picture Of
damage and desoaton met the eye, the smoking
ruins OF the boarding mouse with splintered una-
bers. furniture and torn bedding and clothes ly-
ing about the house being raZed so -cornpleiey
that in no place did the ruins lie above the
ground more than foot. One hundred feet fur-
ther on where the packing house had been, tnerc
was a great hole in the ground. probably zen tees
deep For five hundred feet about tne groTha Tn
Is literally covered with splinterec WOOD Inc
hillside TO the right used in making dyha-
mite shells. Large trees on the hilislde were .oIi,
up bv the roots others broken in the middle, ana
others stripped of their branches little furtner
on 10 the left. looking up the valley wnere tne
mixing house stood, nothing or us remains cIulu
be seen save splinters The SIDE ol the ens'".,
house toward the packing-house Was plown IN
and the roof partially caved in. httle store
house along by the railroad tracks was
shattered so that the daylight was let In on
everv side but il remained standing. The heavy
iron machinery of the packing and mixing houses
was blown all to pieces and rails on the roads
used for transporting the dynamite from mouse 10
house were twisted into varous Shapes
The bodies OF the unfortunate victims were
blown to atoms The largest parts loulo "sIe
portions of two trunks supposed to be OF tne
women on account OF proximity Of pieces OF
scalp with long hair on them foot was lou.u;
Small pieces of clothing were found mere ana
there Pieces or flesh and wrecKage were iou"o
/? mile and a half away.
The explosion created the widest kind OF eA.
element In the Allegheny Valley above ana
below Blacks Run, and felt at Sharpsourg.
nearly ten miles distant. At Acmetonia, directly
over the river from Blacks Run. nearly every
window in the town was smashed wnlie houses
rocked 10 end fro for perhaps two minutes AL
most similar scenes were enacted IN Hutton
Oakmont Verona. Johnston. Parnassus, kenslng-
ton Tarentum and other towns within RADIUS
~ ave miles At Sprngdale two miles above
Blacks Rum the force Of the explosion was such
as TO break all the glass in front OF store r.
b. McAbee, president OF the Acme fowaer Som,- an
nonv sovs th, cause of the explosion was fire.
He thinks one OF the dead persons had matches.
and that one ir some manner became igrited;
Durine cold weather the buildings were warmed
with steam brought from the engine-house ioo
feet away. On account OF the warm weather tne
steam had not been used lately. Tne company
win rebuild. Within five years dynamite rae.
tories owned by the Acme Company, and iocateo
In the neignborhood have blown up fve times
and nine persons were killed