The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1903-05-07
A TERRIFIC EXPLOSION
Torpedo Plant at Cleveland Blows
Up With Fearful Effect.
-FOUR DEAD AND % INJURED

Shock Caused Adjoining Building to
Collapse Upon Woman and Her
childfen-Oisasssr Was the Resul,
Of Girls Prank.
Cleveland. O.. May An explosion
that caused death and destruction oc-
CURED in the plant OF the Thor Manu-.
iacturiny Company Thus fac four
people are dead. while IS others are
lying at hospitals. some fatally and
others more or Jess seriously injured.
The dead are: Mrs Maurice Cohen.
Solomon Cohen, Ben Cohen and Harry
Gluchmann.
The Thor Manufacturing Company
is engaged in the manufacture OF toy
torpedo canes and other explosives.
The force OF the explosion was ire
mondous. and windows within radius
Of quarter of mile were broken. In
the house next 20 the factory lived
Maurice Cohen. with his wife and
eight chilcecn. With thc collapse OF
the house simultaneously with the ex-
plosion. Tho woman and four children
were caught IN The falling partitions.
T and all were horribly crushed. They
were all taken ont unconscious. Mrs.
Cohen diel on the way 20 The hos
pital.
Tho fire or;s.ua ed in a peculiar
manner. Tie torpedo caps. arc filed
In molds. and there IS constant dan
ger OF some Of the loose powder. sup
posed 10 be Eliminate of mercury.
ororI'ig On the floor. For this reason
the girls ari lcys who arc employed
IN Tie factory ere compelled 70 remove
their shoes Wife at work. 50 AS to
avoid ;he danger OF striking sparks.
Tho oNTios on was duo 90 the froiick-
some IrCr eLsitics Of new girl who
had been ui,oyci at the plant less
han week. The girls had their
shoes on az the lunch hour. and one
playfuily showed another OF the girls.
As the eiri sid along the floor her
shoes struck a spark in some loose
powder Instantly the floor was
ahlaze. WITH great presence OF mind.
one Of the girls ran 10 tub Of water
which was landing in the room and
threw 70 o. the fire The blaze had
gained too great Roadway however,
and the water did not quench il. At
this iuncture a painter. who was
working on the Brudno house next
door glanced through the open window
and saw the fire. and yelled to the
girls 20 run for their lives.
There were 10 girls. four bows and
one man in the factory when the ex.
plosion occurred. All of these got out
except one. Florence Lipster: one
man. Willard Cole son Of one Of the
proprietors OF the place. and Arthur
Conway. l4-yesr-old boy.
The flames were easily subducd by
the lremen. as there was nothing LEFT
Of the factory bur a pile of debris.
Tho fire fighters az once commenced
the work OF digging in the ruins for
the imprisoned The first 10 be I'M
earthed was little Arthur Conway. He
had been rown down at the very en-
trance. his face and hands badly cut.
but without injuries of any serious ma
ture. The next found was Willard
Cole In a short time they came upon
the unconscious form OF Florence Lip
ster She was pinned under a great
weight OF debris and awfully bruised
and dishgured. 4 falling timber had
entirely torn away one side of her
face.
A short distance away was the
homo of Mr. and Mrs. II. Glucchmann
Harry Gluechmann. their 15-year-old
son was lying critically iii of typhoid
fever. The tremendous explosion and
the consequent shock vas too great
for the sick boy to bear. and he died
within five minutes
For two blocks pedestrians were
thrown to the ground by the force #
the defamation. and scores OF persons
Sustained minor ininrioS In this May