Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-10
Rand Powder Mills at Fair
chance, Pa, Blown Uu.
NINETEEN WEREKILLED
SHOCK WAS FELT TWENTY MILES
AWAY,
| Narrow Escape of a Baltimore and
Ohio Railway Train From
Annihilation.

CONNELLSVILLE, Pa, September o.
The Rand powder mills at Fairchance. six
miles south of Uniontown were entirely
wiped out by an explosion at 9:O5 o'clock
To-Day. Or the thirty-two men who went 70
work In the mill this morning nineteen are
known 10 be dead. OF these, thirteen have
been identified. The list OF dead and miss
ing Is as follows:
FRED Waterstraw, jr.. William McIntyre
tdied at hospitaD. Albert Woods. Omer
Humphreys. George Llewellyn, Harry I'm
derwood (died at hospitaD. Elmer Hughes.
clyde Woods, James Breakiron, George
Martin. Charles Barclay (died at hospitaD.
GILBERT Mitchell Ga small boy) Anawalt
Grlbble, Fred Walersraw. sr.. Charles Fritz,
William Llewelyn. Isaac MetcaIf. Omer
Swaney and Frank Ryland.
Scores of people in the town of Fair
chance, within half mile of the powder
mills, were more or less painfully injured.
Felt Twenty Miles Away.
The shock of the explosion was distinctly
felt In Connellsville. twenty miles away,
buildings being rocked on their founda-
tons At Uniontown hundreds of panes
OF glass were broken. In the town OF Fair
chance there is scarcely a house that did
not suffer damage. The sides were bat
tered as though axes had been used Hay
STACK stacks were toppled over In the fields and
Baltimore and Ohio railway and the West
Pennsylvania Traction Railways Company
were rooted from the roadbed and traffic
was delayed from four to six hours. trans
IerS being made over the Pennsylvania
Train number %, on the Baltimore and
Ohio, had narrow escape from annihiIa-
ton. 1t had just passed the Rand mills
when the explosion occurred The windowa
In the passenger coaches were shattered
and passengers thrown into a panic Had
tne iraln been few seconds late 1t would
nave nave Den blown up, as the mills were
car on the West Pennsylvania railroad had
also passed just few seconds before the
explosion and was far enough away TO es-
cape damage, though Ii was derailed
Seven Explosions.
There were seven explosions in ALL Every
one of the ten buildings was totally de-
molished. Not a vestige of them remains
tonight The debris that was strewn over
the ten acres of ground where the plant
was located took fire soon after the explc.
sion and added its terrors to the disaster
The dsmembered parts OF the dead were
burned in many instances. Identification OF
many was made by parts of clothing alone
ne nrst three explosions were not as seri-
Gus as the last four. Then the packing
house, pressing room and magazine blew
up, followed by two of dynamite
standing on nearby railroad siding which
were set off by the conclusion from the
powder mill explosions
Two other cars remained intact and II
was with difficulty that they were moved
to place of safety after the explosion.
The Victims.
When the bodies were recovered the work
of Identification was very difficult Small
pieces of bodies were picked up al over
the place These were not collected to-
gether, and many section of bodies were
thrown back into the debris where they
Were found. Almost a half mile mountain
ward from the plant office overseeve,
wet with blood. was picked up.
The hole where the magazine exploded
is about fifteen feet deep and fifty yards
square. The earth, black and scggy is
thrown up in huge chunks. some OF them
weighing hundred pounds. Under the
high banks of earth thrown up at this
place workmen are working. with picks try
Ing to get trace of more bodies.
No Explanation.
Manager c. Mortimer Rand was taken to
his home at Uniontown on a street car
about noon. He suffered greatly from
shock aside from the painful injuries he re-
ceived. Mr.. Rand could not be seen, and
no statement from the company could be
obtained on the accident or the cause of il.
This is the third explosion at the Rand
plant within the past two years. Three
men were killed in the first explosion. Two
were hurt in the second whic h was only
slight. few months ago the citizens OF
i ilad an injunction served on the
Rand power firm asking the court that the
firm be compelled TO move their works from
that vicinity. They claimed the town of
Farchance and the safety of its citizens
were JeopardiZed by the location OF the
plant so close to the town. This injunc~
ton is still pending in the superior court.
Cause May Never Be Known.
1t is hard to determine the cause of the
explosion, and ITS origin may never be
known. Nor is the point at which the first
explosion occurred known certainly.
1t is supposed to have taken place, how
ever. in the mixing mill resulting from a
spark caused by workman striking tool
against a piece of metal.
The second explosion in the glazing
mill. Only short space separates the two
buildings, and it is believed that a trail of
powder led from one MIL to the other, the
explosive having been carried back and
forth on the soles of the employees shoes.
When the first explosion occurred ii is
thought this trail of powder became ignited
and quickly ran along the ground to the
other mill.
The third explosion, which was the most
destructive occurred in the ''Treff' mill.
By this time pieces of burning wood had
been scattered over the adjoining buildings
and several more explosions followed in
quick succession.
This evening Coroner A y. Hagan. who
has been on the ground all day. impaneied
a jury. After viewing the bodies the in
quest was adjourned until next week.
Coroner Hagan will put force of forty
men to work In the morning to find IL pos
sible the missing bodies which are believed
TO be under the debris. Prompt measures
were taken to relieve the distress of those
whose homes are directly affected by the
horror. The citizens of Uniontown held a
meeting and appointed finance and re-
lief committee, which was instructed to
visit the scene of the wreck and furnish
food. shelter and other help to those whose
relatives were killed and those whose
houses were wrecked. The committee is
being done for the injured and the surrer-
ng ones.
and Waynesboro Railway.