The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-09-10
Powder Mills Blow Upj
and Scores Of Pc 0plo N.
4. Are Injured. s,ls
EVERY HOUSE IN Il
Fiji CITY is DAMAGED.
Buildings Twenty Miles Away
Rocked On Their F Foundations
Railway Trains Have Mars ~
II row Escape From Annihi- 5s9s
lation-Cars Of Dyna- !gSss'
mite SetaOff. s5s3 sen
(By Associated Press.) 4

(By Associated Press.) @s sssS $ssSfssaa
sCONNELLsyILLE5, PA. September sas
The Rand powder mills, at Fairchancs,
six miles south OF uniontown. were en-
tlrely wiped out by an explosion at 9:oe \
o'clock to-day. OF the thirty-two lert 4
who went to work In tho mill this moriissS33
Ing, nineteen are known to be dead. N or
these thirteen have been identified. iins /
the plant, we're seriously Injured. Scores
OF people Iii the town Of Fairchances,4S
within half a. mile OF the powde r N nils
were more Or less painfully injured 55SsE$.f$S
The shock of9ithe explosion was dis
tinctly felt in connelsyille, twenty miles {
away. buildings being rocked on 3 theirs
foundations. AT uniontown hundreds OF \
panes of glass were broken. In the town
OF Tairchance there is scarcely q house
that did not suffer damage. The sides;
we're battered as though axes had been
used. Hay sta cks were toppled over3Sirl *
the field, ana live8stock were stunned.
The rails of5the Baltimore and Ohio Fail-f
way and tile w est Pennsylvania Il tion
Railways mpany. we're rooted from tho
roadbcd, and traffic was delayed from 4
3fourfto six hours. transfers being made
Oycr9Ln lie Rl'ennSy lVttltl
Trains Have Narrow Escape.
Train No, Il SO. on the Baltimore and |
Ohio, had 4aFnarrow5 escape from annihi-&
|5latlon. i had just passed tho Rand mills
when the explosion occurred. d The wins.
dows in the passenge coaches were shat
tered and passen gers thrown into a panic.SS
Had the train been a few seconds late IT,
would have bee n lowrl UP. y as the mills
were wlthin5sa few rods OF the tracks,
~
| Railroad had also passed just a. few SEQ
/ onds before the explosion, and was far
enough away Y 2 escape damage, though
! 1T was deralled. 5 81 gssss i ~ Isl Is s XII
sA There were seven explosions IN II all,
Every ono or the ten buildings was
totally demolished. Not a vestlge OF them
remains Tonight. The debris \ that was
where tho plant was located took Are
soon after the explosion and added its
terrors to the disaster. The dsmen.I
hered parts of the dead were burned In
many instances. Identification of many
was made by parts OF clothing alone
The first three explosions were not M
serious as the last four. Then the pack
ing house, pressing room and ma gazinsi
blew up, followed byYt two ears @ e. dynH.
mite standing OH "A nearby railroad s!d,)
Ing which We're set off by the cons
:cusson from the powder mill Xploslona.t
Two other cars remained intact and IL
was with difficulty that they were moved
to II place Of safety after the explosions.
When the bodies We're recovered theSw'ork
OF Identification was very dlticult.& Small
pieces of bodies We're picked up all over
the place, but they were SO nlangled
1T was difficult to collect enough fraR g.
lnents OF any one body to make iden tits
cation possible Almost half-mlle nouns
talnward from the plant an oftlce over
sleeve, wet with blood. was picked un
The hole where the magazine exploded
lis nboutSl5 feet deep and 50Syards square
Tile earth, black and soggy, Is thrown
up In huge chlnks. some of them weight
ing Il hundred pounds. Under the high
banks of earth thrown up at this place
workmcn are working. with picks, trys3
Ing to got traceEof more bodies. ssssssJ
The Third Explosion.
Manager c. Mortimer Rand was taken
to his home&nt lIniontown on q street
car about noon. He suffered greatly from
shock aside from, the painful Injuries he,
received MIR. Rand could not DO seen
and no statement from the company could
be obtained on the accident or the cause
| OF 1t. Y. 81.
This is tho third explosion at the Rand
plant within the past two yea RS, hreo3
men were killed in the first eXplos lon.i
Two were hurt In the second, which waD
only slight. M sSss
few months ago the citizens Of Fairss
chance had an injunction served on the
Rand powder firm, asking the 5eourt that
tho firm be compelled to move the works.
from that vicinity. They claimed tho
town of Falrchance and the safety Of
it's citizens were jeopardized by the locas
ton OF the plant so close to tho town.
This injunction is still pending IN the
Superior Court. & s5