The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1910-10-06
Los Angeles, Oct. 3.-The


Los Angeles, Oct. 3.-The
building and plant of the Los
angeles Times, n of the best
known newspapers of the south
West. of which General Harrison
Gray Otis is editor and principa;
pwner, was completely destroyed
by an explosion and fire shortly
hfter i a. m. today, resulting in
she death of upwards of 20 of it's
employees and o financial loss of
nearly half a million dollars.
The management lays the blame
pf the explosion to the labor
unions, with which the paper has
long been engaged in bitter war
fare. It is charged that uniden-
kified parties set off d charge of
dynamite in a blind alley which
ran into the center Of the building,
completely wrecking the interior
and setting it on fire from roof to
basement.
Explosion Heard for Miles.
The tOrce OF the explosion was ter-
Fife. It was heard for miles and
all the windows in the vicinity Of the
Times building at First street and
Broadway were shattered. Between
30 and 75 employees were in the struc-
hure at the time. and until the whole
hist can be checked over it will not be
known how many i've were lost. The
heads Of the paper, Including Assist
hnt General Manager Harry Chandler,
had narrow escapes from death, many
bf them having left the building a
bhort time before the explosion.
The building was equipped with gas
httings, and the force of the explosion
Rearing these pipes into bits released
Eas which was ignited In every part
Of the building. No other cause but
kanced by witnesses. excepting in the
case Of a Western Union telegraph
operator. William Firman, who stated
he detected the odor of gas throughout
the building earlier in the night and
had called attention to it.
A few minutes after the explosion
khe police arrested a man named Harry
Plake, making his way through the
broadway TUNE a few block distant.
He was locked up on suspicion. An
hther man, William Irwin, was arrest
Ted later. The police are without
clues.
Wesley Reeves. secretary to Mr.
chandler has not been found since the
IKE. NI SlSl1blCt pSliSNS no WV t'~
fife in the building. Chambers office
was wrecked by the explosion.
Charges 1t to Unions.
Speaking of the explosion Mr.. Chand-
Der said:
you can say for me that there is
MO doubt that this terrible outrage car
fbe laid to the door of the labor unions
PThey have destroyed the building anC
plant and have Killed a number of our
men, we do not know how many, but
they cannot kill the Times.
"There Is no doub that the explosion
twas caused by a charge of dynamite
lplaced apparently in the little blind al
6ey In the center of the building. nc
pther agency could have caused 1T
lThere was no oil in the building. We
ho gasoline in the place excepting 6
hmall can or two in the composing
room. 1t is true the building was
Equipped with gas, but no gas explo-
I'VE have been receiving threatening let
Hers from people who said the paper
Ought to be blown up"
Orders New Equipment.
Two hours after the fire Mr.. Chan
Nler was busy writing kilograms order.
hng printing presses, linotypes ano
ktereotyping outfits for a new plan
from New York. An issue of the paper
Was gotten out today from the compos-
ling and press rooms CT the Los Angelo!
Herald and from an auxiliary of thu
Times in another part of the city.
Mr.. Chandler said that two years age
3he Times had established an %auxiliar.
plant at College and San Francisco
streets equiping 1t with a press and /!
Htntopye machines with the expectation
that the present plant would some da.
pe destroyed.
Has Had Long Labor War.
The Times was established in 1873.
and General Otis purchased the pape
Fix months after it started. For 9
years the paper and it's owner "a
Tbeen engaged IN a war with the labo
unions. starting with a strike by tn
snembers Of the Typographical union.
General Otis was absent from tn
lefty when his newspaper plant wa
destroyed. He is on his way back t
Los Angeles from the City of Mexico
WHITTIER he went some weeks ago as
Representative of the. government b
appointment of President Taft to at
tend the Mexican centennial celebra
fion. General Otis is expected to ar
Rive In Los Angeles today
r. E. J. Z~eehandelaar, secretary O
/, TWO VESSELS I'M GREAT