New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-12-02
TWENTY-ONE Persisted
IN TIMES" EXPLOSION
Blowing Up of Los Angeles Plant
Monumental in History Of
Dynamite 0JtrageS.
SLAUGHTER AMID THE CHAOS
Catastrophe Followed LABOR
War and Trail Of Detectives
Led to Unions Which Had
Opposed Gen. Otis.

The destruction OF the plant OF ne Los
Angeles Times" a crime monumental IN
the history Of dynamite outrages. occurred
on the morning Of october /, 1910 In the
e1nIosion and fire that followed twenty-one
men employed by the paper lost their lives
sixty others barely escaped.
The naper was coins TO press. II was the
busiest hour Of he twenty-four in The
Times" whose lights alone shone on the de-
serted streets The mechanical depart
rents on both sides Of a little blind alley
in the rear Of the plant where the eN-
plosive was placed were in full operation
Editors and makeup men were rushing the
late news 10 the forms. Engrayers and re-
norters were getting ready to go home The
mailing room was icing cleared for quick
action.
Then came crash and roar as though
volcano had suddenly burst under the
building The whole complicated machinery
human and mechanical together-was
hurled into chaos,
The foreman Of the composing room
standing in the centre Of that department
Jaw the floor bulge between two linotype
machines one Of tho operators was fung
against the ceiling. Two others seated be-
chimes flew in every direction. Through
the gaps in the floor spurted flame Then
broken umbers began falling.
Fire Cut Oh Escape.
Those who escaped instant death rushed
for the fire escape. hut the blaze reached il
first Then they tied the elevator and
some were forced down the shaft in the
ba O.
meut found the street door locked. Some OF
them forced their way through the board
partition in the mailing room and escaped.
Others, overcome by the flames and smoke
that almost instantly filled the building
persisted like trapped animals. Quantities
of highly inhsmmable ink and paper in the
storeroom added 10 the fury Of the blaze.
Few Of the men in the composing room
sscaped Two were staggering down the
stairs and found the fire coming 10 meet
them one dragged himself 10 a window
I'm the stairway and jumped two stories
landing with broken leg. The other. a
cripple was caught on the stairs and was
never seen again one woman, Mrs. J. b
I-lrich. q telegrapher. fell down the ele-
vator shaft and was caught By one leg
in the top Of the case, where she huns
head down and terribly injured, until res
cued nearly dead Churchill Harvey Elder
assistant city editor. his escape cut off
jumped three floors to his death.
such was the outcome Of the plot. to the
carving out Of which James 3. Mcnamara
has Just confessed-a plot executed at the
moment when the greatest number Of
human beings could be entrapped.
Suspected Of Plot,
That the explosion was the outcome OF
a dynamiting plot every one at once be-
Ueved. In view Of the fight Of THE Los
Angeles Times" with organized labor, such
an attack had Ions been feared. This sus-
oicion was swiftly verified. General Otis
The proprietor Of The Times was on his
way home from Mexico a guard was al
once placed around his home. That morn
Ing a telephone call came for Felix j. Zee
baudelaar. the secretary Of the Merchants
and Manufacturers Association. who had
been in the thick Of the labor fight.
Sorry we didn't get YOU said voice
over the wire But we will get you vet
-
That afternoon it was found that an at
tempt had been made 20 destroy Zeehanoe'
LIARS home with an Internal machine. A
similar machine was found near the home
Of General Otis.
The unions both OF Los Angeles and san
Francisco at once denied any part in the
crime. The SAL Francisco building trades
offered q reward of 1880 for the capture
Of the criminals The city offered slO'vA
and later increased the sum. The Mer-
chants and Manufacturers Association sci
out 10 raise $4,000 to spend in running
down the criminals.
This work involved knowledge Of Lo'
Angeles labor history. particularly tn
part played in II by Harrison Gray Otis
tie militant owner Of The Times. who
starting as q poor boy. became in 1852 par
owner Of the paper, then little folio
sleet The paper grew with the town, ant
with them mounted the fortune OF Genera
Ctis