Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1901-01-10
THREE DEATHS BY EXPLOSION.
Gibbstown in Mourning.

At five minutes of twelve last Frida,
morning, shock that shook the earth fol
miles around, and made the staunches
buildings tremble, was felt in this city
and everybody knew that there was another
serious explosion at the Gibbstown Powder
| Works, the exact title Of which is the
/ Repauno Chemical Company.
The telephone soon brought the informa
ton that three employees were killed
blown to atoms-and two injured, as
| follows
William Albertus McIlvaine, aged 2t
years, married, Gibbstown.
Walter Why're, aged % years, single,
GibbStown.
John Kirby, aged 81 years, single, Thoro-
fare.
The injured are
Oliver Daniels, Paulsboro cut about the
face.
Elwood McIlvaine, Gibbstown, cut and
bruised about body.
At these works about two hundred men
and girls are employed in the various pro-
cesses of making and preparing the ex-
plosiyes for market. In the dangerous
operations, the houses are of frame and
small, and widely separated. Only two or
ui1lCC lhCll ttiC IA StsNiA vi tiASoc
houses.
The house in which this explosion oc-
CURED was what is known as mo 3, on B
line . and was what is known as punch
ing house. = or where the explosive is filled
killed were the only employees of this
how the explosion occurred.
Tho au,,llax,aac of4ar 4ba fret eIoaJ- ~
the fright had passed, rushed from their
No. 3 gone, and only great hole in the
ground to indicate the spot where it had
stood moment before.
The body of McIlvaine, nude, except the
shoes, was found twenty-five Yards from
the house, and the bodies of Wyne and
Kirby were recovered in bits over the whole
tract. An arm was found three-quarters Of
a mile distant.
The only description of the explosion is
given by Elwood McIlvaine, brother of
William, who was killed, was at work in
"No. ~ house, next to his brother He
was filling place for the day for friend,
and when the explosion occurred was stand
ing at window looking out, and in an
instant he was lifted from his feet and
thrown through clear the window, landing
on small porch outside. When he re-
covered sufficiently to regain his feet, he
rushed back into the house and turned off
the machine, and while making his escape
from the building was struck by falling
timbers as the building collapsed. In speak
ing of the explosion, he stated that he
knew nothing of it until he found himself
outside the building, and then his first
thought was to reach his machine and stop
it, and he remembers making his way back
into the house, but could not say whether
he shut off the machine. When he came
out and saw where the explosion had &C.
CURED he Immediately made a search for
his missing brother, whose lifeless form lay
only few yards off
The workmen who are familiar with the
operations of the powder punching machines
can form little or no opinion as to the cause
of the explosion, and an officer of the works,
in reply to question as to the cause, said
he could advance no reason with any degree
of certainty.
Among some Of the employees the theory
is advanced that the machinery became
overheated, causing fire. James Peachin,
a young man who carts powder to the
house, had only few minutes before the
explosion taken a mixing" which is
about seven hundred pounds, into the ill
fated building, and it is thought that there
were about sixteen hundred pounds of
powder in the building.
McIlvaine leaves widow and two small
children. At his home his grief stricken
mother related a conversation the boys had
only Thursday night, when it was suggested
that they quit the powder mills and seek
employment elsewhere.
Coroner Miller, of Paulsboro, took charge
of the remains of the victims, and held an
inquest yesterday.
OTHER EXPLOSIONS.
This is the fourth explosion that has oc-
currei at the WORKS since 1884, when six
men, including Mr.. Lamotte Dupont, the
President OF the Company. were killed. In
March, 1894, Levi Evans, was blown to
pieces, as the result of the overheating of
some acids in the Separating house.
On the 26th of March, 1897, Thompson
Stiles, Charles Wright, and James Hamil-
ton were killed and a number Of men were
injured bytan explosion of nitro-glycerine at
the works.
A double funeral was held over the
bodies of McIlvaine and Whynes in the
Gibbstown church, at 10 o'clock, Tuesday.
Kirby was buried from the Thorofare M. L,
church, on Monday m orning
Both services were largely attended, aud
very impressive.
THE INQUEST.
Coroner Miller summoned the following
intelligent citizens of Paulsboro as jurors
to conduct the inquest into the cause of the
explosion above reported: John III. Brown,
oil
bull, John B. Miller and S. L. G. Wilkins.
Prosecutor Lewis Starr assisted the Coroner
and Hon. D. O. Watkins represented the
company.
Laws Hall was packed with interested
citizens. The testimony of the witnesses
was to the effect that nails, pieces Of iron,
and even matches, were oten found in
the powder when passing through the
punching machines. Screens that were
originally on the machines to keep out such
substances, had been removed, because
they impeded movement of the powder. Sec
rotary Barksdale, of the company, was of
opinion that match had got into the
machine.
The jury rendered the following verdict
eve censure the management for the
careless manner in which the works are
conducted, and also condemn the use OF
frozen or chilled POWDER
Stealing Bond Wire.
About noon on Tuesday, farmer John
Mauer, on the. Shivers farm, saw two young
men stealing bond wire from between the
tracks of the trolley, near his place. He
informed John Spencer, who was at his
place, who in turn informed Capt. G. B.
Platt, of the West Deptford Hotel The
Captain got on the first trolley car that
passed, and when he came to the men got
off He captured one, who had sack
well filled with wire. The other, and a
younger man. took to his heels. Mr.. Platt
brought his man right on to Woodbury.,
and then phoned up to Washington Park,
and manager "Abe' Pierce caught the run
away after sharp race, and brought him
to Woodbury. They were given hearing
before Justice Cattell, in the Sheriff's office,
and gave their names as George Souders