Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1899-04-29
THE WORK G BENZOL.
Terrific Explosion in Labora-
tory of Fleer's Chewing
Gum Factory.
LIKE AN EARTHQUAKE.
Two Men Killed and Many Injured.
Factory and Surrounding Property
Smashed to Smitllereens.

~
d.iphia Rnslied TO scene Of Disaster.
and Few of Over Sour Hundred Em-
rloycs Escaped Injsry-Two Dead Bodies
Removed From Ruins.
Philadelphia. April 2S.-The injured
in the factory explosion as far ms re-
ported to the police are: Margaret Bur-
coe, 81 years old. OF 2,32G Caliow Hill
street, fracture. Harry Randall, 20
years old, of Camden, was mt 2.345
Callow Hill street. lacerated Wounds
of scalp. and burns; Mrs. Mary Barr,
400 West Twenty fourth street. blown
out of the house: her next door neigh
Dor. Mrs. O'Donnel. had her baby
blown from her arms, both woman
and child suffering from shock:
Charles Marion, T. years old, 2.312
Callow Hill street. lacerated wounds
of scalp; Iizze Donahue. 2.34T Callow
Hill street, lacerated wounds Of face;
Frank Giberson. / year old. rescued
from a Callow Hill street house by
Fireman Davis, OF Hose Company n.
Philadelphia. April 2S.-An explo-
sion OF benzoil completely wrecked the
laboratory on Callow Hill street, neal
Twenty-fourth street. One man was
killed. another Is supposed to be dead
In the. ruins and about a hundred per
sons were injured. A score of build
ings were completely demolished.
Their were only five persons at work
In the building Mt the time OF the ex-
plosion. Three OF them are under the
care of physicians, one being, perhaps.
fatally burned; the fourth mans body
is at the Morgue. while the remaining
person Is u~naccounted for. This body
Is believed to be In the ruins.
|. The entire front OF the chewing gum
factory was blown out into the street,
and then the roof and upper floors fell
into the basement. A cloud Of steam
and n column OF black smoke shot up
into the air, and almost at the same
moment a more violent explosion oc-
Cured, and all the buildings within
two blocks shook as though an earth
quake had rocked them. Bricks were
hurled through the air. smashing
glass and battering In windows and
doors. An alarm OF fire was turned in.
Flames were bursting from the ruins
in half a dozen places. This alarm was
followed by q second alarm ana by
ambulance calls.
Chief Baxter quickly reached the
scene and with about 100 policemen
kept the crowd away from the ruins.
Some in their fright did not seem to
know enough to get away from the
torpling walls, and the policemen
were Obliged 10 take them to places OF
safety. Children, many cut by flying
\ glass, cried for their mothers until the
policemen carried them away and
tried to find their parents. Women IN
some instances tried to force their
way back through the police lines to
hunt for their children.
Not a house on the block escaped
damage. For two blocks around win
dow glass was shattered and in some
instances had been driven with the
| frames into the buildings. As soon as
the fremen could force their way into
the ruins they went in search OF the
bodies of the dead. although there was
danger of falling walls.
The full force of the explosion was
felt In the houses around the factory.
TO the west George M. Dunlap has a
grocery store, and the side walls and
part OF the front were blown into the
street, together with much OF the stock
In the store. Furniture on the upper
floor was blown into the street. and
some fell into the wreck Of the chew
ing gum factory. At Conrad Goetz's
| repair shop and store the front wall
was bulged out and the roof torn loose
from the joists, while within the fur
niture stock was piled up In a con-
fused mass. On the corner Of Twenty
| fourth street Antonio Woodside con-
| ducts n barber shop. The force of the
explosion blew the mugs, mirrors and
furniture up against the Twenty
fourth street wall. Two wagons were
| passing at the time. One. Il small,
| unmarked one, was f1attened by the
fall Of the wall. The horse and driver
| escaped. The second was a large de-
livery wagon of Armour a. Co, and
this was caught by the blast and
driven up against the house on the OPP
| posite side of the street What became
of the horse and driver nobody
seemed to know, but had they re-
manned with the wagon they would
have been killed. as a boiler for boil
ing candy was driven through the bot
tom of the Wagon and bricks were
piled up on ii. Piled in the street were
many tons of brick and mortar mixed
up with the machinery from the fac
tory. The saloon of Lawrence Me-
Stravog, on the southeast corner of
Twenty-fourth and Callow Hill streets,
was completely wrecked. Windows,
bottles. glasses. cash register. cigar
cases and beer pumps were piled up in