New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-16
SEVEN BURNED TO ASHES.
FUSE WORKS DESTROYED.
Friends Watch VictimS' Death
PozcerIess to Check Flames.
TBv Telegraph TO The Tribune. ]

deau, their bodies burned to ashes, two are
burned probably mortally, and dozen others
are less seriously burned and injured the re-
suit of an explosion and fire at the plant of the
Climax fuse works in Avon a small town ff-
teen miles east of Winsted, this afternoon.
There was no way of coping with the flames.
which soon spread rapidly, and in less than an
hour those who were unable to escape were
burned to ashes The great crowd that col
lected saw the bodies of men and women roast
ing in the fire, and we've powerless even to
check the flames.
THE DEAD.
BURKE william forty years old married
JOYCE James, about thirty-hve years old, married
MCCARTHY Molly
MCCARTHY Robert eighteen years old
SULLIVAN. Miss J.
TUCKER. Mrs NJ. B.
WALLACE James. married: wife lives in Springfield.
Charles Dunmock Arthur Tuller and Mrs
William Burke. who were severely burned, are
expected to die.
The exact cause of the accident may never be
known. but it is the accepted theory here that
in an effort to burn out a stoppage in one of the
machines James Joyce caused an explosion of
fuse with the hot iron he held in his hand IN
fiammabe material near by was set on fire. and
in a few moments the room was mass or
flames. In an instant there was a mad rush for
the doors and windows. and during the scramble
many were pushed back into the building, while
others were severely burned The explosion took
place on the ground floor of the older building
in the factory group, where about twenty per
sons were employed.
There were but sixty hands at work in the
entire plant. 1t was stated tonight that some
of the dead may have been overcome by smoke
before they had chance to flee, and that 1t is
Improbable that any one of the seven victims
lost his life by the force of the explosion.
The scene at the fire was heartrending.
Friends and relatives of the missing were almost
frantic when it became known that their rela-
tives and friends being burned TO a crisp
I'm the ruins of the factory. AS one OF the walls
of the second largest building fell several bodies
could be seen entangled in the mass of ma
chnery in the basement. and in short time
they We're reduced to ashes.
Soon after the building in which the lives
were lost was consumed the fire spread to the
new structure which just completed at a
cost of $50, 900. and in a few hours this building
was g11tted only the four walls remaining. Two
smaller buildings were reduced to ashes. making
A total of four burned, the loss on which is es-
tfmated to be 100000.
A few rods from the group Of burned build
ings are two small sheds. in which fuses and
powder are stored, but they escaped the flames
Superintendent Hagsell. who was in the build
ing at the time of the explosion, said tonight
that the cause of the explosion was mystery
to him. He said that from what he could learn
the explosion was not violent one which is
borne out by the fact that persons living but
two blocks from the scene did not hear it.
Sunerintendent HagseIl also said that the great
mass of flame which was seen Immediately atter
the explosion was caused by the burning of the
reels on which the fuses are wound. There
was no powder in the room when the hre broke
out" he stated "and I attribute the loss of life
nrincipaIJy to suffocatiOn caused by the smoke
and flames which filed the room almost in