The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-12-26
Los ANGELES PLANT
SCENE OF EXPLOSION
Dynamite Wrecks LlewelIyn
Iron Works and Slightly
Injuries Watchman.
Concluded From Page One.

able cause of the damage The front
of the main building, three-story
frame, for distance of probably sew
entyhve feet, was blown to pieces and
the furniture and Office paraphernalia
are ruined The big machinery Of the
plant rs apparently undamaged
j. E. Asbury, the watchman, was
seated IN the office about thirty feet
from the center Of the explosion. He
was buried under mass of debris. but
was dragged out by Policeman Cahill,
who was in front Of the Office at the
time the explosion occurred With the
exception of a cut on the right hand
and an abrasion of the scalp and face,
Asbury was unlnJured.
Policeman Describes Explosion.
"T saw flash and heard a report
like the crack Of a whip said Po-
licemsn Cahill. "and next the front
of the building seemed to crumble and
the air was filed with debris. ! called
out, is there anyone in the buildingY'
and hearing cry for help from Asbury.
found and dragged him from under
the ruins and to the street. -
The Llewellyn iron works has long
been prominent in the fight against the
recognition of union labor in this city,
and is one of the concerns involved in
the existing metal workers strike
which went into effect on June ! of
this year. The strike has been charsc-
sides.
The strike was called originally for
the purpose Of enforcing demand for
an eight hour day for all the metal
workers and a uniform wage Of 90
cents per hour. The struggle was pre-
cipitated by notice from the men en-
ga Ced IN the metal trades in Sau Fran
cisco that the employers there had made
condition of concessions to their EN-.
ployees that they should not thereby
! be placed at a disadvantage in com
petition with non-union Los Angeles
| firms in the same line Of business.
Officials of the Lewellyn company
are of the opinion that the effort to
destroy their plant is the outgrowth OF
their differences with and attitude to
ward union labor. and the police are
working on this theory.
! John Llewellyn, secretary OF the com
papy, said;
''Tbere is no doubt in my mind that
this effort TO destroy our property is
due to the fact that we are standing on
our rights to run our business in our
own way.
No Clue to Perpetrator.
''T do not, however, wish TO be un
derstood as intimatiug that the men
who we're working here in Los Angeles
and went out in the metal workers
strike are responsible for it, 7 do not
think they have had anything to dc
with it.
81 believe il is the work of men who
do not belong here, who for their owr
malefic ends are willing to commit any
kind Of crime. -
Fred G.. Wheeler, president of thu
Los Angeles Central Labor council
said:
"Tbe fact that the bleweIlyn iron
works is in warfare with organized
labor. is all that our enemies need tt
endeavor to lay this outrage at on
door Every true friend of the cause
of labor knows that violence injure
our cause more than those agains
whom il may be directed
"sTo those who would seek 10 faster
upon us any responsibility for such
crime we of the Los Angeles Labol
council are able to make answer BY
defyipg anyone 10 point out any time II
our twentvsix years Of existence, wheI
we have ever advocated other tha,
peaceable measures for the accom-
plishmeut Of our just ends
Apparently the police have no def
uite clue to the perpetrators.
In view of the Log Angeles Time
dvnamitiDg outrage, October |, last, il
which twenty-one men were killed, to
DAYS explosion has created widespreat
interest The grand .jury is expected
at any time to hand in its report o,
the Times case