The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-08-20
EXPLOSION
 KILLS FOUR Terrible Accident Near Birmingham. PART OF PLANT WRECKED Dynamite Shakes Earth for a Miel
 Distant. Bodies of EmpIoyes Are Torn to Small Bits and Scattered All Over
 the Surrounding
 Country.

Birmingham, Aug. t9.--(Special.) )-As the result of an explosion at Lewis burg Monday morning shortly before 10 o'clock four men are dead and the punching house of the Sterling Dyna- mite Company totally wrecked.
 The bodies of the men working in the house at the time were blown to atoms. Window panes and chimneys for fully a mile were shattered
 The dead:
 George Hall Lewisburg.
 William Reynolds of Pennsylvania.
 George sparr of Chicago.
 Herman Schaegel of Germany.
 Frank Topish. boy. employed about the punching house had just left the building. He owes his life to the fact that he was sent on an errand. Tho explosion occurred in the same place that an explosion occurred two years ago and sent five men into eternity. As no one Is left to tell the story the cause of the latest accident will prob ably never be known.
 The dynamite works was located midway between North Birmingham and Lewisburg. half mile away from the suporintendent's office and remote from any residences. Thomas Truss, newsboy, was one and c half miles away from the scene of the disaster when 1t occurred. A minute or two after he heard the report and saw a great wave Of smoke so sailing through the air, 8 huge piece Of brass fall xutfhiO fen feat nf him.
 Persons in other parts of the county tell of seeing falling pieces of human flesh and bonas.
 One bour after the explosion the only thing found to indicate loss of human life was knee cap. Searchers com tinued. however, until about half or the remains of the four men. together with a lot of shattered clothing, were found and turned over to an under taker. They were grouped the best y~ty possible, one relative identsfyin8 a piece of shirt, or coat, while another would identify hand or an arm The earth literally shook for dis- tance of mile in every direction, when the dynamite house, small one-room structure, went sailing through tho air in every direction, carrying with it four human lives. People In Birm- ingham felt the force of the explosion and immediately there was rush Tor the telephones.
 People in Lewisburg. Boyles Gap,
 North Birmingham and other places
 rushed to the scene, only to find the spot where the building had been lo- cated Here and there could be found
 a few spllnters, portion os brick or something else to indicate that ca- .tastrophe had occurred: Although sex- eral physicians, including pr. A. c.
 Watts of Lewisburg, went to the scene, there was nothing they could do: The searchers found nothing but the knee cap of one of the four victims. It IS possible that other portions or the bodies will be found later in the day- perhaps half emile away.
 Persons residing within one mile of the place not only felt the shock, but saw the panes of glass in their houses broken out. and in some instances the chimneys fell. The extent of the dam- age from this source will not be very large. however. as there are not many residences near the dynamite works The office of the superintendent IS about half a mile away from the punching houses.
 Little is known about the dead men
 other than that they were employeo lIl inc manufacture of dynamite. It was said that Hall had a family at Lewis hurR. but this was not verified. The other men are said to be single and II was not stated how long they had been in the employ of the company. Al the local sales office of the Du- Don't Powder Company 1t was said that nothine was known about the explo-
 nton oIher than 1t had occurred and that four men had been blown to pieces