New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-13
AN EXPLOSION KILLS NINE.
DESTRUCTIVE ACCIDENT AT THE LAF-
L1N-RAND POWDER WORKS.


MANY BUILDINGS OF THE PoMpToN LAKE PLANT
DESTROYED TWO MEN MISSING AND
SOLDIER BADLY INJUREp--sRAvEnY
OF JERSEY VOLUNTEERS
Paterson, July IL (speciaD.--An explosion
which caused the death Of at least nine men.
wounded large number and caused o'-
rect loss to property OF about $4,000. and a
resulting loss Of about 100000. occurred at the
Lafin.Rand Powder Works at Pompton Lake
at 1928 this morning The Are which followed
the explosion burned the rest Of the day The
casualties are:
KILLED.
Brennan William. eartariver. Of Butler.
CoRRIolNo. j.. lasorsr.
CozzrNA. Casper iaborer
CoZzINA, Jose laborer. OF Oakland
CRAIG John. chief engineer. OF Wanaoua
FREEMAN. Daniel in charge OF dyehous~
JCGrNo. Caspar Isborsra
MERINo. Gudeo. laborer.
PHILLIPS. james. laborer ~ Pornpton LAKE,
MISSING.
Fisher William: probably killed.
FISHER william r.: probably killed
SERIOUSLY HURT.
EMMoNs Edward private. Company 7. "a Regiment:
injured in leg. face and body.
There were several more or less hurt, the
most serious case being that Of Edward En-
mons. a private Of Company !. Sd Regiment.
who was doing picket duty on Post No when
the explosion occurred Emmons's actions
showed him to be every inch a soldier He was
stationed on a cliff about forty feet above the
Westinghouse where the explosion occurred
He was thrown over the cliff, and was picked
up unconscious and badly wounded His face
and body were filled with spnters. and bolt
head entered his leg He underwent an opera
ton without a vince.
The explosion was OF the most destructive
nature. nine buildings being destroyed. two
mixing houses. two guncotton houses the as
semhine-room two traverses and the boiler ana
no,vder houses the latter two being destroyed
by fire.
tn. first explosion there being two. started
IN the northern mixing house In the mixing
rooms IL a combination of guncotton. giycer'h'
and nitric acid in process To the east OF 'ie
mixing rooms is a stone wall. ten feet hleh ana
four feet thick with opening apoVe the
oentre. through which the workers disappear
and take refuge behind the stone wall wheh tns
machinery in the mlxing-rooni Is started ihe
men return to work after the machinery i
started. ard 1t must have been az TINS 1unc'oi'
that the explosion occurred.
Ad,utant Patterson, of the Sd Regiment. VINO
.s IN. erst man on the scene after the ex-
plos,on occurred says that about lo:zo nc heaiu
tremendous report and saw smoke and DEBRIS
chm, I'M from, the surrounding hill. He. with
CAPTAIN L. L. Dyer. Of Camden went WITH
yuard I'D TO the scene Of the explosion on ar
irving there Corporal L. f. Dyer. against ''ie
advice and efforts of his seniors 10 Ies'rdi"
him. rushed into the debris to ma MS CONT aueS
The powder house was picketed IN the gay
time by five posts. Emmons VINO was 80 oaui'
hurt was at Post No. :. the others were
knocked down by the conclusion. The picket
at Post No. l had his gun forced OUT Oh HIS
hand and was hurled several feet. put ne es'
CAPPED with only shaking up M'chaei feady
was filling a wheelbarrow when the explosion
occurred He was picked up and LANDED IN q
sandbank about three hundred feet away ne
was badly bruised. Ernest Grauer. OF brooA-
,vn was employed as an electrician. and was
working in the new office. He was thrown "
the ground and probably momefSarily stunned
for when he looked up he saw body hanging
over him. II was the body OF Phillips
rhsr,es LIKE. employed as a laborer. had a
sn,,nter driven through his cheek. Silas H.
Rurdsell who worked In the dryrooms had both
hands mangled. Edward Trevartell was hit on
q
The side OF the building Craig and Phillips. who
were killed, were standing together near the
northern end of the mixing-room when the ex-
,,..,or occurred Phillips's head was cut off.
PANEL Freeman also had his head severed from
his body.
The two Fishers, father and son. who are
,,,ss,ng are evidently dead. Both worked in
one of the drying houses which was destroyed
~ found
the scene indicate that the loss Is greater than
,hs identified dead shows and 1t Is almost GER
tain that the Fishers have been mangied De-
yond recognition
rh. discipline Of the soldiers OIL guard AT the
works is worthy Of notice. When the guaro
,yant 10 the scene they found the pickets or
their heats as II nothing out OF the ordinar!
had occurred and the bravery OF Corporal Dye'
and his men in rushing into the deoris "her'
an explosion was likely to occur at any mo-
,nent ia praised by all. When Corporal ura"
COME in with the relief his clothes were aimos'
torn from his BODY. ..,,.
The powder company kept close sua'u "o0u
tho scene of the disaster. but Captain Aspih"ai'
s,per,ntenden: OF the concern, talked treeN
- ~, .xn,osion and its results He SAID ina
-. oo,,,d Imagine anything but an accident nav
,nr caused the explosion unless some suos'a"o
had been mixed with the raw "'a'er'a, 49, ..'
:, reached the mixins-roons. he sara .'"' Wy
danger signal was up when the e~P'os'o" ''''
place. .ho works vii
Can,ain Aspinva,l thought that the Worns ds ~,.
T Ts We're sixty thousand pounds OF power woe,
On the ground ready for shipment to the ARM h,,
when the accident occurred; ou, ,uo Sm;ldinss
was rot injured OF the forty seven -. 1rS.
,he nremises thirty-eight are intact ms
Xaor of a building containing hundreas "
pounds Of guncotton was blown OIL pu' III. ers
h;eh explosive remained unframed. trees "e''
rue ~ Tor wards around as If by an axe
A suspicious circumstance which oceu' re-
last night may have something to do Win tit
explosion. About $50 o'clock three men -.
c-oynanv p who had started out for a walk III
the direction Of the powder works. returned foi