The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-05-01
TORPEDO =.
( EXPL0DES
Killing Six, One Victim
! Captain A. T. Stewart
r. u. 5. A.


mont at the smokeless powder works OF
the DUPONT Company on Saturday
-Four men were instantly killed and two
have since died Of the terrible Injuries they
sus aimed.
Following Is a list of the dead:
STEWART Captain A. T., U. 3. A.
M MGtdIS AMOS 4Ii JH --~
SMITH. HARVEY
/, PUFFETT, WILLIAM ~
All but Captain Stewart. who was m
ordnance officer detailed us inspector weN
workmen ut the factory. 4
The siMbkeless pt WIDER ia manufactured
! at Inc plaut on Carnoy's Point, which Is
ion the Now Jersey sido Of the Delaware
,slsuss three miles from Pennsgr0ve. While
loading n torpedo for the first time in the
thirty -calibre press mill, the guncotton ex-
pl0ded.
Heretofore torpedoes have been loaded at
other places, but it was thought the me-
thods in vogue were not expeditions and
too expensive. 1t was proposed therefore
to do The work more quickly, more etfec-
tivoiy, and ut less cost by using hydraulic
pressure Such pressure had been taken
advantage of before, but not with such a
| press rs tho new one, which had just been
put In place. -
Francis G. DUPONT, with Captain Stew.
art, went from here 10 supervise the ex-
pertinent. General Superintendent Daniel
q. Roche was called to watch the trial OF
loading. He brought in the yard foreman.
with some mon, to assist the force regular
! " In the building, which Is known ut tho
works AS No. 10, on the thirty-calibro
line"
Guncotton was dampened and pressed
iuto the torpedo ittl6 aG u time. Tho
| new press seemed to work well, and $50
pounds of tho tremendous explosive were
4 forced into shell, This was done safely,
and 1t was thought the experiment was u
success.
In the afternoon second torpedo was
tried. Fifteen pounds OF guncotton had
! beDn placed In this and packed down. An.
othor five pounds was being put In when,
in twinking, the fatal ending of tho
ssrie:i came The press went into frag-
ments and through tie roof.
Ycager, vino had opened tho valve to
turn the pressure, had his heart split into
two pieces and his skull fractured by parts
Of the machine FrialIt, who was standing
nearest The press, was blown into small
pieces, which were afterwards GATHERED
together in sack. Smith was cut In two
below he ribs. Morris lost IA footIand an
arm, and was instantly killed, likel the
Others.
Captain Stewart, who had just stepped
away from tho press. was injured in the
lower part Of the body and the head lie
was carried out of the building ten min
uces after the accident in Il dying conli-
ttion. Puifett hat one eye blown out and
his upper jaw destroyed, and received So
we're internal in urics. Captain Stewart
md putfctt were hurried or board the Du
Punt tug Emily and brought to the Della
ware lIosr!ial;here, where the army off,
Ger died within two hours, Putfrtt died
yesterday morning.
Just before ths accident Mr. DUPONT
called Mr. Roche and stepped out OF tho
building whore the experiment was going
on. Edward Munion and four men from
The yard, who had bcGn helping, went out
10 get Il drink and wero lust over the
threshold when the crash came,
One man. Eiward Dnnser, was saved by
q miracse. Ho vas standing between two
of the men vino were killed. When seen
here TO- day he said all he couu remember
was that a big light came, and that then
The stumbled over body AMI out at the
door.
As usual in such cases, the employees are
not inclined to talk, but Edward Mun!on
who WAS in tho room Just before III press
blew up, made II statement to-day:
'There was grating sound, as II tho
press was not working right, he spid, Il
iihuugbt it strange wheu Mr.. Du Pont and
tho supertenhent went out Whom l heard
that sound | thought it WAS time to quit,
TOO. So called my men and went out for
. drink
Other workman who were present be-
fore the sccldent said thar when the sec
Ond oiEedo was starred loss pains was
taken to dampcn the guncolton because it
was Saturday afternoon ana Captain
Stewart and Mr. DUPONT wanted to get
away Not much Grcdence is given to this
report as Mr.. DUPONT Is known as an OK
csilent chemist and Il very careful man in
handling explosives.
At the time the experiment WAS being
anado three hundred men were working in
and about he hundred scattered buildings
chat comprise the smoleless powder plant.
Il Is considered remarkable that the detu-
nation did not explode .he torpedo already
londcd. which was lying on the floor near
thepress.
II the 20 pounds OF guncot'on in this
shell had been fired the men abont the
works say the magazines would have eX-
pl0,le also.
As it was the force Of the explosion was
sufficient to send IA portion of the press Il
quarter Of mile away, where it fell IN
the river near the tug Amanda Powell.
Another piece fell a. the back Of Suporin-
tendcnt R0che's house. The iron weighed
fifty pounds, and went Two feet in the
ground. Another chunk, weighing 100
pDuhu', ltEueu near DlliullP nv. ~, anu
buried Itself in the sand.
This is the third explosion ut this plant
within year. but the other two occurred
while the explosives were being handled
In the ordinary process Of manufacture.
These explosions have resulted in the loss
Of ten livo., and destroyed $4,000 worth OF
machinery and buildings.
Yeagcr and friant each leave wife and
child. Captain Stewart also had u family
living nsur Wilmington. rho others were
single Friant and Morris will b. buried
on Tuesday, and Ieager and Smith on
Wednesday. Coroner Iorton will hold au
inque 4, but the date is not fixed.
An endcavor vii. be made at he inquest
to learn whether it is possible to make ex-
perncntI with now machinery in some
Isolated locality, where the lives Of hun.
dIols Of workmen will not be impcrllied.
=, Con!idence is expressed that tho company,
which has always dealt literally with in
jured worknon, will cooperate in the en-
deayor to lessen the danger, II it Is posi-
bio TO do 80.