New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-05-20
EXPLOSION WRECKS SHOP.
SHOCK FELT FOR BLOCKS.
GuncOttOn or Soluble Cotton the
Cause-T7CO Persons Hurt.

An explosion of soluble cotton or guncotton in
the factory Of the Perifoid Company No. 232 to 25
Thonlas-st-. Newark, yesterday completely demol
ished the factory building and caused much prop
erty damage within a radius of eighth of mile.
Florence Wrigley. sixteen years old. OF No. 81
Dawson-st.. Newark. a bookkeeper in the factory
Office. blown out of the building. fifty feet
away. She is in ST James's Hospital. in a serious
condition Albert Justice, coored of No go CharI-
ton-st.. the engineer. thrown some distance,
but not badly hurt; his injuries dressed in
st. Barnabas' Hospital. John L. Armitage, OF the
Armitage Varnish Works. was in his Office Oppo-
site the Petrifod factory building. His office win
dows blown in. and he severely cut.
Frank L. Armitage. Percy II. Armitage and Hague
Armtage. his nephews. in their factory, which
backs up TO the Petrifoid plant. The back of the
factory was blown out, and they were severely cut
by the flying glass
The shock Of the explosion felt for half
mile, and for a quarter OF a mile windows We're
shattered. There much excitement, and rumors
circulated that many persons had been killed.
Immediately after the explosion flames broke out
in the ruins and the ffremen extinguished them.
The building OF the Petrifoid Company was
erected about three months ago. 1t is close to a
number Of factories. the employees Of which were
much shaken up by the explosion. \ workman in
the pipe bending works a short distance away was
looking toward the Petrifoid Company's factory at
the time OF the explosion He said:
There was big cloud OF smoke and saw the
snokestack of the boiler whirling over and over in
big firecra cker. Then ! something like a
bomb which I am told. was the mixing drum
This up almost high as the smokestack
and then II blew up with a. big pun of smoke. the
as of those things they send up on the
Fourth of July. The force of the explosion nearly
knocked me over.
The president and manager Of the company T. F.
Chace, Mt Thomas-st. Newark. when the ex-
plosioE occurred. Albert Justice. the coored en-
gineer SAID last night:
There no guncotton in the shop. but only
soluble cotton. and that was kept locked in diff
ferent room from where the boiler was. We use
solution Of cotton and alcohol. which is mixed
in drum turned tumblers by steam power. At
o'clock yesterday afternoon charge put in.
and the barrel turned until night. got 10 the
shop about 7:3e o'clock this morning. and started
the fire in the boiler. had about forty pounds OF
steam up. Miss Wrigley had arrived by this time
/ looked at the barrel and noticed that it seemed
to be swelling out. but thought 1t all right.
and started the barrel TO work. A little after
o'clock stood in ths doorway, and Miss Wrigley
terrible explosion. ! was blown right of
the building for distance and caught
under some ruins. 1 got up quickly 7 could
and ran up Thomas-st I all cut and bleeding
l looked back and the place all fire. There
was an explosion Of the soluble cotton mixture
but don't know what made it off.
Miss Wrigley declared Mt the hospital that the
explosion had been caused by colored who
put guncotton In the furnace. She had two
wounds the back Of her head and the
left side Of the forehead, and both her arms were
badly burned.