Evening journal., 1909-01-21
80 Men HURT In
DYNAMITE BLOWUP
GibbStOWn Explosion More
Serious than Indicated
by Early Reports
TEN VICTIMS IN
SERIOUS CONDITION

Later reports from Gibbstown. n. J.
where two dynamite mills of the E.
DUPONT de Nemours Powder COMPANY
exploded with terrific force YESTERDAY
morning, tell of thirty men injured. ten
Of whom are in a serious condition.
The ten men seriously injured wero.
John Bradley Joseph Bates. George
Bates, Patrick Powers, Clyde Powers.
William Smith. Rufus Murray. Isaac
Read. and julius Luboscow. all or
Paulsboro, and William Lupton. of
Woodbury.. All of them en- were
cared for in houses near the plant bv
Drs. c. F. Lewis and A. r. Black. the
company's physicians.
The Bates brothers were taken TO the
Chester Hospital in the tug Harriet
Duboshow is lying in house in Gibbs
town with a broken back, and win die
The other men may recover. The six
buildings which exploded were Judsor
Dobe House, pulp house. ammonia
house, sulphur house. laboratory. and
the Dove store house.
over 100 pounds Of high explosives
went up into separate blasts. the fiist
Of which set fire to the Judson Dobe
House OF the mill. II was followed a
minute later by an explosion in the
Judson store house. Four buildings
of the mill blew up simultaneously with
the store house. Each Of the ex-
plosions bored huge holes in the ground
and blew the buildings into fragments.
Day Shift Just Starting.
on account of the precautions at the
pant. the havoc did not extend to any
of the other 1876 remaining buildings
in the plant. The explosion occurred
Just after the night SHIFT Of workmon
had left. and the day men were filing
TO their positions in the buildings OF
the plant.
The Judson House mixers had ELI
been started. A quantity of sulphur and
bituminous coal We're placed together
I'm them. AS they revolved a huga
iron ball pulverized the mixture. The
machinery had only been in operation
four minutes. when one Of the work.
mon, Harry Lonson. noticed that a
lump of sulnmr had taken fire.
Runnig with frantic haste he started
the fire wistle blowing. In response the
fire squad rushed TO the Judson build
ing. They were 100 feet from il when
the explosion occurred.
There was a terrific roar and the men
saw the building rise into the air. The
walls spread out toward them. They
saw a fash and. turning, fed, but be-
fore they got out of the danger zone
the second explosion came.
This time there was a roar many
times louder than the first, as the fivo
buildings were demolished. Hurting
bricks. fragments of stone and parts
Of machinery We're thrown through thu
plant shrouded I'm flames.
Mon in the buildings were thrown
to the ground with great violence.
their eyebrows and hair burned OF
Men at distant points were scratched
and bruised. In Gibbstown windows
were blown To fragments. chimneys
were levolled and many persons were
blown from their beds by the terrific
concusstln.
Trains Narrow Escape.
a train passing through the town
narrowly escaped being thrown from
the track and wrecked. Women. wives
Of mon who work in the mill. ran bare
headed and screaming 10 the scene or
destruction. The entire town was
thrown into a fever OF excitement.
That the destruction Of life and prop
erty at the plant was comparatively
small was due TO the precautions taken
i'm powder-malSing. Each building pre-
sents a front OF three walls Of solid
earth TO the other. 'The damage 10
the plant Will not amount TO much,
said Superintendent 7. w. Lockers, Of
the powder company. I'VE take so
many precautions that the danger Of
an explosion doing much damage is
reduced 10 a minimum"
Isaac Reed received his injuries in an
attempt 10 eNtinguish the fires in the
boilers of the power house. The build.
ing had not been damaged by the eN-
plosion or touched by flames, but fear
ing that another explosion would &C.
cur. Reed thought the fires in the boil
ers should be deadencd.
lie ran into the power house and
dropped the fires Rcd hot Goals flew
out over him. igniting his clothing and
burning ashes got into his eyes. Tie
heat out the flames. and scarcely able
TO sec. let the building and sough;
assistance.