Evening journal., 1910-10-01
l6 DEAD in
EXPLOSION
Los Angeles Times Building
Completely Wrecked by
Dynamite Editor Says
ATTRIBUTE AWFUL
FATALITY TO ENEMIES

BY United Press Leased Special Wire.
LOS ANGELES, Cal, Oct six
teen persons known to have been
killed and twenty injured in an ex-
plosion, which wrecked the plant Of
the Los Angeles Times shortly after
1.30 a. m to-day, while the big edition
Of the paper was being run of.
Twenty employees of the company are
yet unaccounted for.
The cause Of the explosion, which
was followed by a fire that completely
destroyed the building and plant, is a
mystery that will probably only be
settled by a coroners investigation.
As result Of the desperate warfare
which has for years been carried on
between labor and General Harrison
Gray Otis. owner Of the Times. friends
of the latter are openly charging to-
day that the building was dynamited
by enemies of the paper
Owing to the fact that twenty-five
extra printers and several other extra
men employed in the mechanical de-
/ partment were at work TO assist on
the Sunday pages, considerable diff
Guilty was at first experienced in get
ting accurate figures as to the num-
Der OF dead and injured.
The property loss is estimated at
upwards of half a million dollars. but
the publication OF the Times will not
be suspended
So bitter has been the feeling
against the paper that the manage
ment, il developed to-day has for
many months kept a duplicate plant
In a warehouse here, to be used In
/ just such an emergency.
A large part OF the editorial force
had knocked of work at the time Of
tho explosion Most Of the dead we're
employed in the composing, sterotvp-
ing and mailing rooms.
Immediately after the first explosion
"a sheet of flame seemed TO envelope
the entire building. sweeping upward
through the four-story structure. BE,
for an alarm could bring the FIRE ap
paratus series of sharp detonation
shook the neighborhood for blocks.
says Dynamite Was Used.
Harry T.. Andrews. managing &c
tor OF the Times, gave out the folio
ing statement.
N "The Times building was destroy
~ BY dynamite this--f{l}f6i1linssar sar-f;7s'lis fS;7Vsis
enemies oil Industrial freedom 4
e.. ni'rN 'N'Nh taHHoi DC destroyed
IT. VIII soon be reissued from its aux
iary plant, and Will fight its battles
of the last
TX The horror Of the loss OF life an
r. manning oil men precludes a furths
" statement at this hour
Thomas =. Smith. a composition, VIII
u was on the second floor at the tim
d Of the explosion, said
There were at least fifty men al
G work on my floor I believe that
d half OF them may not have escaped I
e made my way to the street and when
/ turped to look back. the whole
building was in flames"
Many Witnesses told Of seeing men
fall pack from the windows into the
SETTLING furnace. Twenty-Five in
iured persons were taken to hos
pitals. There was grave doubt
whether trace of the dead could ever
be found. the heat of the fire was so
I intense.
Labor officials Indignantly denied
reports connecting labor with the ex-
plosion, and will probably demand a
. rigid and searching investigation tn
prevent capital being made Of the ac-
cident They say the investigation
will prove that the disaster was due
TO carelessness and lack of safety de-
vice precautions.
rhe police reported that two mer
had been arrested I'm the Broadwa,
g tunnel, two blocks from the Timei
(, building.
y They are being held pending an in
J. vestigation.