Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-03-24
FOUR BLOWN TO ATOMS
Ten Thousand Pounds of Dyna-
mite Exploded In a Flash.
A GIRL KILLED 100 YARDS AWAY.
The Acme Powder Works In n RavIne Near
Hutton, Pa, Wiped Out of Existence In

The Acme Powder Works In Ravlne Near
Hutton, Pa, Wiped Out of Existence In
an Observation-Disclosures In the Mill the Prob
able Cause.
PITTsRURG, March "a - Ten thousand
pounds of dynamite blew up at Blacks
run, near Hutton, and the only four people
who knew anything about it are scattered
in fragments over quarter of a mile of
territory.
The dead are William Arthur, aged 2S;
Mrs. Bell Arthur, aged II, wife of William
Arthur; Sadie Remalye, aged 21, sister of
Mrs. Arthur, and Charles Robbins, aged
10 years, of Allegheny City, who was EN-
ployed as puncher. Nellie Remalye, aged
49, sister of the other women, was fatally
injured and taken to Pittsburt:, where she
died in the West Pennsylvania hospital.
Foreman William Mooney of the dyna-
mite house was hurt by flying splinter.
Mat Feintzel, engineer, and Simon Brad
ley, packer, although near the scene,
capped uninjured.
Had just Begun Work.
The Acme powder works, the scene of
the disaster, were located in a ravine about
one mile above Hutton. There were four
houses down near the creek bottom. The
employees had just begun work. Twenty
minutes later the first explosion occurred,
blowing the two young women and two
men into eternity. About 100 yards away
from the packing house, where the eXplo-
sion occurred, was the boarding house
where the victims lived
Nellie Remalye, the injured girl was
housekeeper for the rest. The boarding
house was blown down and resembles a
heap of broken lumber. and from the debris
the young woman was rescued, being the
only survivor. She died two hours later
at the hospital without having recovered
consciousness.
The scene of the disaster resembles q bat
tletield, debris and cartridge wrappers be
ing scattered all over the hillside. The
ground was torn into a bowl shaped de
preston. trees were stripped of their
branches. and buildings were blown into
splinters. The warehouse of the company,
500 yards away beside the railroad track
was crushed in, and the roof was blown off.
The remains of the four victims were
picked up on the hillside in pieces. Part
of the leg of man, torn and stripped of all
clothing, was found on the top of bluff
nearly quarter of a mile away. tits sup
posed that match had been carried into
the works, contrary to orders, and in some
way caused the explosion. The loss is es
timated at $4,000. The work of rebuild
ing will commence as soon as the debris is
cleared away.
The roar of the explosion was heard for
miles up and down the river. Immediately
afterward came swaying earthquake
motion that shook houses and furniture
AT Springdale, across the river, and at
Parnassus, five miles up the road windows
were broken. Rocks, ties and solid Jumps
of earth were thrown 600 yards into the
river by the explosion.
Some One Had Matches.
Mr. McAfee, one of the proprietors of
the firm, was on the scene soon after the
explosion and made the following state
ment: The cause of the explosion was
fire. Only one conclusion can be reached,
and that is that some of the dead had
matches in their possession, and one was
dropped and ignited- The living positively
declare that they had no matches. One of
the strictest rules of the companyis against
carrying matches except in the engine
house. We had 10000 pounds of dynamite
on the premises. This is an unusually
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