River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-05-26
LIVES ARE LOST
BY AN EXPLOSION
TERRIBLE DISASTER OCCURS AT
FINDLAY, o.
BIG PLANT TORN TO PIECES
Explosion in Lake Shore Novelty Com
pany's Factory Kills Seven Per-
sons and Injuries Many, Some
of Whom Will Die.


Findlay, O., May 23.-As a result OF
an explosion in the two drying rooms
of the Lake Shore Novelty company's
plant here Sunday, seven persons are
known to be dead, five are so seriously
hurt that recovery is believed to be
impossible, and II or 10 are injured
badly. From reports of the physicians
ten of the less seriously injured may
die as a result of blood poisoning from
the potash that was driven into their
bodies
The Victims.
The dead are: Joseph Sherwood,
aged p; Jay Sherwood, aged "a; Edith
Dillon, aged II; Dean Shaw, aged IS;
and Mary Snider aged %. These were
killed instantly. Estella Decker, aged
Is, and Frank Grant, aged Fl, died
later at home.
The injured, whom it is believed can
not recover: Maggie Logan, aged IL;
injured by flying debris; Thomas Book,
struck in the back by flying barrel,
arms and legs broken, internally in
| jured; Claude Shaw, twin brother OF
Dean, back severely injured and ankle
| broken; Fife Peterman and her broth
er Roy, caught in falling debris and
internally injured.
The less seriously injured: Carrie
Peterman, aged II, breast and lungs
crushed, and head and eyes powder
burned; May Leavis, aged Is, who
worked beside her, similarly hurt;
Louis Weingartner, hip fractured;
Minnie Doll, burned; Mrs. Doll, fore
woman, cut and burned; Minnie Quln-
Ian, floor woman, cut and bruised about
the head and shoulders; J. S. Leary.
B. c. Swisher and William Baughman
also sustained slight hurts. Three 9TH
ers, whose names could not be learned
were also cut and burned. Two en-
ployes and missing and are supposed
to have been blown to atoms.
Cause Not Definitely Known.
The Lake Shore novelty works plant
covered nearly ten acres of ground in
the Southwest part of the city and
employed nearly 200 men, women and
children. Railroad torpedoes and
Fourth of July explosives were manu-
featured. Owing to the large rush OF
orders the officials of the plant re-
quested the employees to report for duty
Sunday About 80 complied with the
request. During the morning residents
of Findlay were startled by two ex-
plosions that shattered windows
throughout the city. The conclusion
was felt for miles around Two maya
zines in separate rooms at the novelty
works let go simultaneously with ter
rible reports. The exact cause of the
explosion is nda definitely known. 1t
is surmised that one of the Sherwood
brothers, who were the only persons
in the drying rooms, dropped large
box of torpedoes, but this theory can
not be confirmed. The explosion oc-
Cured shortly before the employees as
sembled for duty. At least 20 per-
sons We're on their way to the factory
when the explosion occurred.
Human forms were strewn consider
able distances apart on the factory
site. The remains of the Sherwood
brothers were found in drying room
No 1, mangled, and almost unrecog-
nizable Their clothing was blown
from their bodies, save a stocking on
the right foot of Jay Sherwood. The
body of Edith Dillon was picked up
200 yards from where the explosion
occurred. The news of the catastro-
phe spread like wildfire throughout the
county. Every train and interurban
car that has arrived in the city for the
past ten hours was crowded. The large
plant is shattered into fragments, not
one single wall remaining. Bricks and
timber can be found for a half mile
around.