New-York tribune., 1912-04-02
EXPLOSIONS KILL TWO
Three Buildings Are Wrecked IN
New Jersey Powder Mill.
MANY HURT, ONE BADLY
Shock Is Felt in 50-Mile Radius,
Distinctly in Manhattan, Breaks
Glass and Causes Panic.

Voync. y. J. April / (SpecaD.- Three
buildings In the Latin e. Rand Powder
Comrany's works blew up this morning
and two men were killed. another was bad
lv injured and still others were cut ana
bruised one man was driven insane ana
another was struck dumb. There were
three distinct explosions which were felt
through a ffty-mile radius. Wayne !s five
miles west Of Paterson Not window
was left in any of the houses In this VII
laee. and the population OF eight hundred
was thrown into a state Of panic. whlch
constantly increased as the rumors ol
great disaster spread abroad.
The finishing room seems to have been
the first TO go. and then two corning
rooms" Each of these was small frame
and sheet iron structure. separated from
the others by several feet OF space. NO one
knows just what produced the tx
plosion. The one man in the finishing room
when the explosion occurred was Charles
Rysedyke. who was blown to pieces. A lew
scraps Of manged flesh and a blue jumper
found hanging in a tree a quarter OF
mile away are all that was left of him
The other man killed was Superintendent
Charles Stoltz, who probably was passing
the buildings when they blew up. He died
instantly, and his body was mangled ana
torn. He was generally liked, and there
was much grief when It was learned that
he had been Killed. He leaves wife and
four sors. The man most seriously IN
jured is William Spernow. Both his legs
we're broken. and he was badly cut and
bruised Isaac Bransford went entirely out
Of his head. He kept rushing about In mad
fashion and clawing at the cuts and bruises
on his face and body until finally he was
put under restraint. Alfred Quinn had his
face arms and body cut and bruised and
suffered from shock, too. but it had an alb
solutely different effect from that produced
on Bransford. Quinn appeared numb and
would not utter a word. He stared o!ankiy
when a question was asked him.
There are l2o hands employed In the
plant. which is operated by the b |. du
Pont de Nemours Company. The village OF
Wayne Is practically dependent on the
works So when the three explosions oc-
CURED, one after another, the women and
children at home rushed TO the doors or
their houses as the glass fell about them
and dashed TO the fence. as the great white
cloud OF smoke foated up from behind the
,all green fence across the fields Each
thought II was his or her father or brother
or husband that had been killed. The peo-
pie crowded close TO the great doors In the
fence. a rumor flashed around that nine
teen men had been killed. and the excite
ment grew tense.
1t was only when the various uninjured
workmen joined their families that the
crowd finally dispersed. Then an under
takers black wagon drove up and went IN
side to take away the body of Mr. Stoltz.
Paterson. Passaic and other towns
throughout the Passaic Valley felt the
shock severely. Windows were broken ff-
teen miles away and much alarm was
caused
When the explosions occurred train on
the Greenwood Lake division OF the Erie
was discharging passengers at the Wayne
station. a quarter of mile from the works.
All the windows on the side Of the cars
next the works were blown out. and the
station was badly damaged. None OF the
few passengers WAS hurt. The last big
explosion was three years ago. when three
men were killed