The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-10-01
Home Of Los Angeles Times De-
stroyed by Dynamite Explo-
sion and Fire AT an
Early Hour
LABOR UNIONS ARE BLAMED
Owners Of Paper Have Been Engaged
In Bitter Warfare With Unions
For Years-Believe Outrage is
the Outcome.

Los Angeles, Calf, Oct 1.-The
building and plant of the Los Angeles
Times, Of which General Harrison
Gray Otis is editor and principal
owner was completely destroyed by
an explosion and fire early today. re-
sulting in the death OF upwards from
twenty employees and a financial loss
OF nearly half a million dollars The
management of the paper lays the
blame for the explosion to labor un-
ions, with which the organization's
paper has long been engaged In a bit
ter warfare II is charged that un-
known parties set OF charge of dyn-
amite in a blind alley which ran into
the center of the building, completely
wrecking the interior and setting IL
on fire from the roof TO the basement
Between fifty and seventy five employ
es were in the building at the time
and until the whole list of employees
can be checked over IL will not be
known how many lives were lost.
Responsible heads of the paper in
cluding Assistant General Manager
Chandler had narrow escapes from
death many OF them having left the
building but a short time before the
explosion. The force of the explo-
sion broke the gas pipes. and released
the gas. which was ipstantaneously
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 a
Western Union telegraph operator.
William Firman. who stated he de-
tected the odor of gas throughout the
building earlier in the night and had
called attention to 1t.
| After the explosion, the police ar
rested Harry Plake and William Irwin
as suspects. The police are without
clues as to the probable perpetrators
Wesley Reeves. secretary to Mama
ger Chandler has not been found
since the fire and IL is thought that he
lis among the dead.
Speaking of the explosion, Chand-
| Ter declared there is no doubt that
this terribi1 outrage can be laid al
the doors of the laNhor unions: that II
was the use of dynamite AND that ar
explosion of gas could not have teams
ed such a complete wreck. He says
that for years. the owners OF the pa
per have been receiving threatening
letters.
| Foreman Craybill of the composing
room estimates there were 115 men In
the building. IS OF them in his depart
ment. He believes twelve of his men
were killed aod that the fatalities in
\ other departments were of about the
same number. Manager Chandler is
authority for the statement that an
attempt to blow up the Times auxil-
Iiary plant, in another part of the city
was made a few minutes before the
explosion which destroyed the main
office.
President Lynch Indignant.
Indianapolis, Ind, Oct. president
Lynch. of the International Typogra-
phical union today declared the In
ternational Typographical Union Is
not a lawbreaking. dynamiting insu'
tuition. That its record OF more thar
sixty years existence is an honorable
one and entirely free from resort e
violence of any kind. He resented thu
intimation that the union had any
thing to do with the disaster to th'
Los Angeles Times.
compers Makes Statement.
St. Louis. oct. president Com
, pers of the American Federation
, Labor said today he does not believ
union labor members were in any wa,
responsible for the explosion and FIR
in the Los Angeles Times building
4 He regretted the loss of lives and de
struction OF property but saw no rea
son 10 think union men had anythin
] to do with IL.