Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-07-22
SIX PERSONS KILLED OUTRIGHT.
They are Blown TO Picccs-Fivc
Seriously Injured.

NtTlouhiy thtuIfus
NEW HAVEN, CONN. July 21.-Four
women and two men were killed to-day
by an explosion in the loading depart
ment at the armory Of the Winchester
Repeating Arms Company. Five others
were taken TO tho hospital badly in
jured.
The dead are:
WILLIAM T.. BAUMER.
Mrs. MARY BAUMEISTER.
Miss JOSIE BRENNAN.
Miss IDA BROWN.
WILLIAM HILL.
Miss TRACY CONROY.
Fatally injured:
GEORGE BARDORF.
EDWARD BARDORF.
The explosion occurred I'm the loading
room. Employed in this room are $50
hands, two thirds of them girls or wo-
men. Nearly all Of the female hands
are employed on the loading machines.
each of which requires three operators.
The full complement of hands were at
work i'm the room when the explosion
took place. Forty feet Of the side Of
the building was blown out. and hurled
in pieces many feet, and fragments Of
human bodies were scattered in sick
A hurry call was sent for all available
physicians. The fire department, the
police and the ambulance and hospital
corps were speedily summoned, and the
work of caring for the dead and injured
was begun narrowing scenes were wit
messed as a vast thrOng congregated
about the place AS rapidly as possible
the injured were cared for In two in
stances the suffering Of the wounded was
frightful. As rapidly as a victim was
seen to be alive the sufferer was tendcrly
cared for, made as comfortable as pos
sible. and conveyed with all possible speed
to his home. Two of the bodies had been
decapitated Others had been partially
torn asundcr, and still others had been
dismemberod.
The officials Of the company expended
every effort to assist in the work Of re-
lief.
THE SADDEST SCENE.
Perhaps the saddest scene WAS enacted
when John Baumeister learned that his
wife was among the dead. He lived in
Hampden. and had brt recently been
married At the time of the explosion
he was at work but few feet distant
from his wife. Mrs. Baume!ster vas but
16 years old. and had been in the factory
but three weeks. She was married ht-
Tie over a. nOulH ago anu 'i'D GU 49,
husband. Fritz. used adjoining machines.
The girl was blown fully fifty scct, end
so crushed out of shape that it was al
most impossible to identify her.
The husband, curiously enough, was
apparcntly blown with the same torce
and by the same blast. and yet ne IS one
of the least seriously injured. lie struck
the ground but few feet short Of hls
wife.
The explosion did not cause fire, ana
the Fire Department confined lts cilorIa
TO aiding I'm the work of relief Ihe cause
of the explosion has not been determined
and perhaps its cause may never pe
known Some Of those at WORK in the
room M the time say that it was due to
the fact that a cartridge i'm process OF
loading had been improperly placed IN
the machine OF the injured, those VINO
are able to talk remember nothing eX-
oant q binding flash. Some did not even
hear the explosion.
The two Bardorf boys, working side
bv side were thrown at a tangent out
one side of the building. They struck
tho Ground 80 feet away. They are 50
crushed and manglod that they VIII dle'
Edward Blair. working 10 feet away
at his machine, was sent upward through
tbe roof. He fell on an ash-heop with
broken bones and a fractured Skull ana
his legs twisted out of shape. The doc
tors say he. too, will die.
Edward Bardorf died after being taken
to the hospital IN, ..
Ida Brown, one Of those killed out
RIGHT came from Detroit, Mich., III
which city her parents reside.
n G. Bennett. president Of the COM
pany. said: I'VE have been running
automatic loading machines for some
what more than twenty years and THIS
is the first time any one has been IN
iured I'm their use. Since the adoption
of those machines we have had no ac-
cident in the use Of black gunpowder'
Mr.. Bennett expressed the belief that
through the carelessness Of the operator
or the powder-boy the machine that eA-
nlodcd had been overcharged