The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-10-02

\OOHIlnOcO 1IOII4 E IL 81 dScJ
would undoubtedly have been killed.
The succession of tragic events has
set the state of mind bordering on a
panic.
BLAME LABOR UNIONS.
The management OF the paper lays
the blame of the explosion to the labor
unions, with which organizations the
paper has long been engaged in bitter
warfare. 1t has been charged that IN
known persons set off a charge of
dynamite in q blind alley which ran
into the center Of the building, COM
pletely wrecking the interior and set
ting it on fire from roof to basement.
The force of the explosion was
terrific. 1t was heard for miles and
all the windows in the vicinity of the
Times building were shattered. Be.
tween fifty and seventy-five employees
were in the place at the time and until
paper can be checked over, it will not
be known how many lives were lost.
The responsible heads Of the paper,
including Assistant General Manager
Harry Chandler, had narrow escapes
from death, many Of them having left
the building only a short time before
the explosion.
The office was equipped with gas
fittings and the force of the explosion
tearing these pipes into bits released
gas which was instaneaneously ignited
in every part Of the building.
No other cause but that Of dyna-
mite explosion was advanced by wit
nesses, excepting in the case of
telegraph operator, William Fierman,
who stated that 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,
the police arrested man named
Harry Flake, making his way through
the Broadway tunnel, few blocks dis
tant He was locked up on suspicion
Another man named William Irwin
was arrested later in the morning and
taken to the station. The police are
without clues as to the probable per-
petrators.
Wesley Reeves, secretary to Man
ager Chandler, has not been found
since the fire.
Mr.. Chandler believes his secretary
lost his life in the building. Chand-
| ler's office was wrecked by the ex-
| plosion.
| Speaking of the explosion, Mr.
Chandler said: You can say for me
that there is no doubt that this ter
rible outrage can be laid at the doors
of labor unions. Ther.have destroyed
the building and plant and have killed
a number of our men, we do not know
how many, but they can't kill the
| Times
There is no doubt but that the ex-
plosion was caused by a 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 ex-
plode. There was no gasoline.
NO GASOLINE KEPT.
There was no gasoline in the place
excepting a small can or two in the
composing room. It is true that the
building was equipped with gas. but
no explosion of gas could have caused
It. For years we have been receiving
threatening letters from people who
said that the building ought to have
been blown up"
| Two hours after the fire Mr.. Chand-
| Ter was busy writing kilograms order
| ing printing presses and linotypes and
sterectyping outfits for a new plant
from New York. An issue Of the paper
was gotten out today from the com
posing and press rooms of the Los
Angeles Herald and from an auxiliary
! Of the Times office in another part Of
the city.
Mr.. Chandler stated that two years
ago the Times had established an
auxiliary plant at College and San
Francisco streets. eQuiaQiaS 1t with a