Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-09
D E TAILS LACK N G.
SIX BODIES RECOVERED FROM
WRECK.
Forty or Fifty Persons Employed in
the Plant-Work Of
Rescue.

With a report that could be heard for a
radius of fifteen miles the Rand powder
works, located at Fairchance, Pa, six miles
east of Uniontown, Pa, blew up this morn
ing about 9:15 o'clock, causing, it is believed,
over thirty deaths and considerable finan-
cial damage. So far six bodies have been
taken from the ruins, and 1t is said that
there are from twenty-five to thirty bodies
still under the debris. Hundreds of people
have volunteered for rescue work, but prog
ress is slow and 1t will be some time before
the casualties are known. The explosion
occurred In car of powder and was fol-
lowed a few moments later by another and
heavier one when the flames ignited the
large magazine. The concussion of the sec
ond explosion was SO great that telephone,
telegraph and trolley wires were blown
down, interrupting all communication with
the scene Of the catastrophe. Persons with
in a radius of fifteen miles heard the ex-
plosion and knew that the powder works
had blown up:
Work Of Rescue.
Every vehicle in the surrounding vicinity
was pressed into service, and by 10 o'clock
hundreds of people were gathered about the
ruins aiding in the work of rescue. The six
bodies recovered were burned almost be-
SoA'o ASSoShieioi' NAeihaGCi VI tiIC
Rand powder works was seriously hurt,
and was taken to his home at Uniontown,
Pa. A passenger train on the Baltimore
and Ohio railroad, northbound from Nor
gantown to Connellsville, which was pass
ing the works when the first explosion oc-
Cured was almost thrown from the track
by the concussion which broke all the win
dows and caused a panic among the pas
sengers. several of whom were injured by
flying glass. Opposite the powder works
the tracks of the Pennsylvania and Balti-
more and Ohio railroads have been blown
up. For a mile around Fairchance build
ings have been blown over, and at Union
town, Pa, several miles from the explosion,
hundreds of windows have been broken. A
large skylight IN the court. house at Union
town was smashed, and there was panic
among the occupants to escape from the
building. Damage was done at Connells-
ville Mount Pleasant and Scottdale. and in
hundreds of homes the dishes fell from the
cupboards and pictures were thrown from
the walls.
An Odd Feature
One of the odd features of the affair is
that passenger train No. 80 the Balti-
more and Ohio, north-bound from Morgan
town to Connellsville, was passing the
scene at the time the explosion occurred.
The train was Jared tremendously and
every window was broken. A number of
passengers were cut by the showers of
glass which fell about them. but nobody
was killed on this train, but 1t Is said that
some were very seriously hurt. The con-
cussion was like an earthquake to the coun-
try round about, and in the surrounding
towns caused great excitement, which was
not lessened by the fact that communica-
tion on the trolley line was broken off sew
eral miles from here
Manager Rand was not killed, but was
seriously hurt.
The first thing he did after being re-
moved from the wreck was to insist On
being carried to q telephone, so that he
could talk to his wife in Uniontown, be-
cause he knew she would hear the roar of
the explosion, and believed that nothing
else than his voice would reassure her
The search for bodies In the wreckage is
slow, and 1t will be some time before any
thing like an estimate Of the casualties can
be made.
1t is probable that the cause Of the ex-
plosion of the car Of powder will never te
known. All the men who were working
about 1t are. believed to have been blown to
pieces. From this car, by reason it is said
of fame and detonation, the explosion
spread to the magazine, which carried with
1t about everything there was to the plant
General Manager Rand was taken to
Uniontown at II 80 and removed to his
Twelve Bodies Recovered.
FAIRCHANCE, Pa, Sept. 9-Twelve
bodies had been removed from the ruins
Of the Rand Powder Works at 1 o'clock
this afternoon and three employees, are
still missing.
The dead so far recovered from the ruins
are:
Homer Humphrey.
Clyde Woods
James Breakiron.
George Lewellyn.
William Lewellyn.
Elmer Hughes.
Fred Walterstraw.
Fred Walterstraw, jr.
Charles Bartlett.
Charles Elfritz.
Frank Ryland.
Walter Hughes.
All of the dead except Clyde Woods are
from Fairchance and vicinity. Two of the
missing are:
George and William Martin.
Among the injured are:
Bert Woods, fatally.
James Smiley, seriously.
Vena Winaught.
>Scores of people in the town of Fair
chance have painful injuries Not vestige
of the ten buildings that made up the big
powder works remains standing The
debris Is now on fire and two cars of dyna-
mite that cannot be removed from the
vicinity of the ruins are momentarily ex-
pected to go up.
Thousands Of people rushed to the scene
of the explosion within half an hour after
It happened. Uniontown sent hundreds of
rigs and the surrounding country turned out
en- masse Now they are returning, panic
stricken, fearful Of another explosion from
the dynamite cars. that may add further
terror and swell the death list to greater
proportions.
Taft Party at Shanghai.
SHANGHAI. September 9-The United
States transport Logan, with Secretary
Taft and party on board, arrived here to-
day. All the American travellers went
ashore. but there was no official reception.
The Secretary was interviewed on the Jap
anese situation, but was non-committal.