Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-01

LOS ANGELES, October 1.-The build
ing and plant OF the Los Angeles Times.
one of the best known newspapers of the
southwest, of which Gen. Harrison Gray
Otis is editor and principal owner. was
destroyed by an explosion and fire short
ly after 1 o'clock today, resulting in the
death of upward Of twenty of its en-
ployes and a financial loss Of nearly half
a million dollars.
The management places the blame for
the explosion on the labor unions, with
which the paper has long been engaged in
bitter warfare. 1t is charged that un-
identified persons set off a charge Of dy.
Mantle in blind alley which ran into the
center of the building, completely wreck
ing the interior and setting it on fire from
roof to basement.
Explosion Heard for Miles.
The explosion was heard for miles All
windows in the vicinity of the Times
building at 1st and Broadway were shat
tered. Between fifty and seventy-five en-
ployes were i'm the structure at the time
of the explosion. and until the whole list
can be checked over 1t will not be known
how many lives were lost.
"he responsible heads of the paper, in
cluding Assistant General Manager Harry
Chandler. had narrow escapes from death,
many of them having left their Offices a
short time before the explosion.
The building was equipped with gas
fittings, and the force of the explosion,
tearing these pipes into bits, released
gas. which was instantaneously ignited
No other cause but that of dynamite ex-
plosion was advanced by witnesses ex-
cept one, a Western Union telegraph
operator. William Firman. who stated
that he detected the odor of gas through
out the building earlier i'm the night, and
had called attention to it.
Two Arrests Made.
few minutes after the explosion tho
police arrested a man named Harry
Plake making his way through the Broad
way tunnel, a few blocks distant. He
was locked up on suspicion. William
Irwin was arrested later in the morning
Wesley Reeves, secretary To Manager
Chandler, has not been found since the
fire. Mr.. Chandler believes his secretary
lost his life. Chambers Office was
wrecked by the explosion.
Mr.. Chandler said: There IS no doubt
that this outrage can be laii at the doors
of the labor unions. They have destroy
ed the building and plant and have killed
number of cur men, we do not know
how many, but they can't kill the Times.
There is no doubt that the explosion
was caused by charge of dynamite
placed apparently in the little blind alley
in the center of the building. No other
agency could have caused it. There was
no oil In the building. We had no boilers
to explode. There was no gasoline in the
place except a small can or two in the
composing room. 1t is true that the build
ing was equipped with gas, but no ex-
plosion of gas could have caused 1t. For
years we have been receiving threatening
letters from people who said that the
paper ought to be blown up"
New Plant Is Ordered.
Two hours after the fire Mr.. Chandler
was busy writing kilograms to New York
printing presses and linotypes
and stereotyping outfit for a new plant
An issue of the paper was gotten out to-
day from the composing and press rooms
of the Los Angeles Herald and from an
auxiliary of the Times office in another
part of the city.
Mr. Chandler said that two years ago
the Times had established an auxiliary
plant at College and San Francisco
streets, equipping it with a press and
twelve linotype machines. with the ex-
that the present plant would
some day be destroyed.
Bomb Under His House.
F. ]. Zeehandelaar, secretary of the
Merchants and Manufacturers Associa-
ion, telephoned to the police station this