The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-07-13
EXP LS|ON OF
GUN-COTT0N
Works Death and Ruin in
New Jersey.
ELEVEN MEN ARE DEAD
TWO BUILDINGS BLOWN TO ATOM
The Explosions in the Powder Works We're
Followed by Fire Which Threatened
Still Worse Horrors, but Was
Soon Ouanchpd
Soon Quenched

Soon Quenched
New York, July 1.-Two explosions
which killed eleven men, wounded about
twenty others and wrecked two build
ings, occurred at the plant of the Iatlin-
Rand Powder Works, at PomptOn, \. j.,
this morning. The first explosion was in
the house where the gun-cotton was be-
ing made and the second, presumably
superinduced by concussion, was in the
drying house, close by. Three men were
in the mixing room when the explosion
occurred. and they were blown to atoms.
Chief Engineer Craig. who was in the
engine room. had his head crushed to Il
jelly in the wreckage of the boiler house,
the side of which was blown out. John
Phillips was standing near Il tree some
distance from the mixing house. His
head was blown from his body and was
picked mp eighty feet away.
he foreman Of the drying room was
blown to pieces and number of Ital-
ians who were digging trench in the
rear Of the building were killed.
The most seriously injured was VIII
liam III. Emmons. n private of Company
|, Third New Jersey volunteers. 1t is
not likely that he will recover.
Charles Lukes. of Butler, was also
probably fatally injured.
The explosions were followed by n
fire which threatened to spread to the
other buildings of the plant in which tons
of the highest explosives were stored.
Five companies Of the Third New
Jersey volunteers have been stationed M
the plant since the war with Spain be-
gan. and they were ordered under arms
and went to the scene of the explosion
at double quick time. Within ten min
utes the soldiers had formed Il Gordon
about the works.
The fire was soon quencheI ard the
search for other dead and missing was
Immediately begun.
The list of killed is as follows:
John Craig, - years old, chief en-
gineer of the works.
William Brenna, 35 years old, cart
driver
James Phillips, A. years old, married
and leaves Il family.
Daniel Freeman, 80 years old, boss of
the drying room.
William Fisher. an inside worker
William Fisher Jr.. helper.
John Bonatta. lahorer, of Butler
Casper CoZzino 30 years old. Italian
labOrer. married.
Guido Marine. fragment Of body found
In pocket of the clothing on it was found
Il due" slip for work done for the COM
pany.
Jose Casenne, Italian laborer, killed
in the ditch.
a canvass of Pompton Plains. shows
that G. J. Garrigan. an employe of the
company is missing.
About ; o'clock in the evening. while
the night guards were being posted
they came across Il body. or rather Il
portion of one. This made eleven killed.
This man appears to have been working
on the side of the mountain Il thousand
yards from the works. His head was
blown off Who he was no one seems
to know.
Working in the gun-cotton, when the
explosion occurred was a man named
Fisher. The body found on the noun
tain side may be his. as his remains
have not been found. A boy. son of
Fisher, is also missing. He was work
ing with his father. and he may have
been blown to pieces.
The Lafin-Rand Company has been
powder. nitro-glycerine gun cotton and
smokeless powder under contract to the
government. The loss to the company
will be great. but it is stated that n re-
construction of the Wrecked buildings
will begin at daylight tomorrow, ami
that the plant will be in full running
order i'll two weeks.
After the explosion there was some
talk of Il Spanish spy being implicated
i'll the attempt to deStroy the powder
mill, but the theory of the lnrH connect
ed with the works is that Il grain of
gravel or sand got inro some powder,
which was in process Of handling i'll the
mixing roof and that as it went through
the machinery the foreign substance
came in contact with a metal surface
and threw out Il spark which ignited the
explosive.