Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-21
BLOWN TO ATOMS
Terrible Explosion in Winchester
Arms Factory at New Haven.
SIX KILLED AND MANY WOUNDED
Narrowing Scenes Attending the
Awful Calamity.
AID FOR THE INJU RED

NEW HAVEN. Conn. july 21.-Four
women and two men were killed today by
an explosion in the loading department. at
the armory of the Winchester Rep Eating
Arms Company Five others were taken
to the hospital badly injured
List of the Dead.
The dead are: William F. Banner Mrs.
Mary Baumeister. Miss Josie Brennan Miss
Ida Brown, William Hill, Miss Tracy Con-
roy.
Fatally injured-George Bardorf, Edward
B&rdcrf.
The explosion occurred in the loading
room. Employed in this room were $50
hands two-thirds of them girls or women.
Nearly all of the female hands arc en-
ployed on the loading machines, each of
which requires three operators. The full
complement of hands was at work in the
1oom when the explosion took place. Forty
feet of the side of the building was blown
cut and hurled in pieces many feet and
fragments Of human bodies wera scattered
in sickening manner.
a hurry call was sent for all available
physicians The fire department the po-
lice. the ambulance and hoSpita! corps
were speedily summoned, and the work of
caring for the dead and injured was be-
gun.
narrowing Scenes Witnessed.
vast throng congregated about the place
As rapidly as possible the injured were
cared for. In two instances the suffering
of the wounded was frightful. One was
partially dsemboweled.
As rapidly as a victim was seen to be
alive. the mutilated being was tenderly
cared for. made as comfortable as possible
and conveyed with all possible speed to
his home. Two of the bodies had been de-
GaD'tatC1. Others heen
asunder and still others had been dismem-
btred.
The officials of the company expended
every effort to assist in the work of relief
sad Case of John Bnumeister.
Perhaps the saddest scene was enacted
when John Baumeister learned that his
wife was among the dead. He lived in
Hampden and had been but recently mar
ried. At the time of the explosion he was
at work but a few feet distant from his
wife.
Mrs. Baumeister was but sixteen years
Ole and had been in the factory but three
weeks She was married a little over
month ago. and she and her husband Fritz
used adjoining machines. The girl was
blown fully fifty feet. and so crushed out of
Shape that it was almost impossible to
ide nifty her.
The husband. curiously enough. was ap
parenJly blown with the same force and by
the same blast and yet he is one of the
least seriously injured. He struck the
gre und brit few feet short of his wife.
and staggered to his feet and fell across
the mass of mangled flesh that had been
his wife.
Did Not Cause n Fire.
The explosion did not cause a fire, and
the fire department confined its efforts to
aiding in the work of relief The cause of
the explosion has not been determined, and
perhaps its cause may never he known.
Some of those at work in the room at the
time say that il was due to the fact that
a cartridge in process of loading had been
improperly placed in the machine.
OF the injured those who are able to
talk remember nothing except a binding
flash. Some did not even hear the eX-
plosiOn.
The two Barlorf boys, working side by
siGe, Were thrown at a tangent out one side
oil the building. The struck the ground
thirty feet away. They are so crushed and
mangled that thay will die.
Edward Blair. working ten feet away at
his machine. was sent upward through the
loof. He fell on an ash heap, with broken
twisted out of shape. The doctors say he,
too, will die
Edward Bardorf died after being taken to
the hospital.
Ida Brown one of those killed outright,
came from Detroit. Mich, in which city her
parents reside.
T. e. Bennett. president of the company,
sad: We have been running automatic
loading machines for something more than
twenty years. and this Is the first time that
any one has been injured in their use.
Since the adoption of those machines
have had no accident 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 exploded
had been overcharged.