The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1908-02-25
"A FATAL
EXPLOSION
Three Men Blown to Atoms
and Much Damage Done by
Explosion near Wharton.
d.. & W. FLYER ENDANGERED

A combination mixing and packing
house Of the General Explosives Co.,
located a mile above Wharton, ex-
ploded at ten minutes past eleven
o'clock on Tuesday morning, the con-
cussion being plainly heard in Norris
town, in fact as far as South Orange.
Three men were blown to atoms
Joseph Hough, thirty-seven years of
age, who was associated with his
brother Arther, in the management
of the plant; Jerry Utter, about thirty
years Of age, of Berkshire Valley, and
James Kevern, of Marysville, also
about thirty years old.
Thesmen were at work in wooden
structure about twenty by seventy
feet in size, one story high with fiat
roof, located in low spot in the
woods. In the building were mix
ing room in which was tank of nitro
Clycerine, a packing room with two
hand machines, shell room, where
the cases for the powder were kept,
and mailing room, where the filled
shells were packed in boxes and nailed
no. There were in the building fifty
cases, containing about six hundred
hounds of the explosive ready for ship
ment and as much more waiting pack
ing. Ten minutes before the eXplo-
sion Mr.. Muscoveci, the chemist of
the plant, was at the building and
then everything was all right. What
happened later is merely guess.
There is not a splinter of the build
ing remaining on the site ; trees were
uprooted and the space about the site
for quarter of an acre was cleared,
the earth being pushed over toward
the river The hydrate house, two
story structure, a hundred feet from
the packing house was practically
shaken to pieces and all the other
buildings of the plant were more or
less damaged, some seriously, others
having doors blown off or boards torn
from the sides and glass broken. The
office. a former farm house, was badly
racked. Just at the minute OF the ex-
plosion. the Lackawanna Buffalo Tx
press was passing the place about
eight hundred feet from the demol-
ished building and had windows brok
en- and great shaking. Passengers
were much frightened and the train
was stopped to learn what was the
matter.
Other day coaches were secured at
Netcong and sleepers at Washington
to take the place of these damaged.
Several passengers had their wounds
dressed at Hackettstown or Washing
ton, and all but Harry Dillon, OF Cort-
land, N. Y, we're able to proceed on
their journey.
In Wharton all the show windows
of the stores were broken as we'll as
much other glass and considerable
platter was shaken down. In Dover,
two stores had their show windows
blow out, and other damages were re-
ported. Tie worst to suffer was the
Dram store at Wharton.
Diligent search was made for re-
mains of the men, but only portion
of the trunk and head of one man sup
posed to be Mr.. Hough, a foot, a piece
of liver and some small fragments of
flesh were found.
Mr.. Hough was married a year or so
ago and leaves besides his widow, a
boy, about six months old. Utter
leaves widow and four small child
rem. Kevern was the support of
widowed mother.
Hough had told neighbor only on
Sunday evening that he had lost his
nerve and was going to leave the pow
der works and take some other posi-
tion. He told the teamster at the
works few days before, that he hoped
if he was ever blown up, that not a
piece of him as big as his hand could
be found.
A peculiar feature of the explosion
was the rising of cloud of smoke
which kept together like a ball, pro-
ceeding over Dover and toward Nor
ristown. 1t was watched for half
hour or more.
Many persons wonder why men work
in such places, yet applicants are nu-
merous for every vacancy. Higher
wages are paid than for laboring work
and some men seem to enjoy the risk.
The powder industry is an important
one in this section. The United
10 nj
tinny and has authorized the manu-
facture of smokeless powder there in
addition to other work. Then there
are the Forcite plant at Lake Hopat-
cong, the Atlantic Dynamite plant at
Kenvil and the Latin & Rand Co.,
over at Wayne, on the borders of the
county. In all several hundred men
make their living by working in these
factories dangerous as it may seem.
To-. a NoxN CronnrU EiSaal Xaats