The patriot. [volume] (Indiana, Pa.) 1914-1955, 1915-12-04
81 ARE KILLED
IN EXPLOSION
Six Others Injured When Du,
pOnt Powder Plant Goes Up
l,OLEIN GROUND MARKSSPO7

men With Baskets Pick Up Arms,
Legs and Pieces Of FIesh-Moncy
Less SmaII-Women, Storming the
Wreckage In Search of Loved Ones,
Held Back by Guards.
Wilmington, Del, Dec. Thirty.
one men, most of them young, were
killed and seven were injured when
5000 pounds of black powder explod d
in packing house in the Upper Hcg-
ley yard OF the E. |. Dupont de
Memoirs & Co. in Wilmington. The
cause, the company says, is a mystery
The killed are: James Bard, Ben
jamin Barber, Marge Bricotti, Elmer
Cumpston, James Egner, Harry Elliott,
Elmer Fox, Norman Fisher, James
Gemmit, Nelson Newgate, ]. Haber,
Fred Jeffrey Kelcher, Edward King,
James Malloy, Bryan O'Connor, Harry
Place, G. Siivestri, Paul Smack, JOIN
Smack, Wesley Simpson, E. Spring
field, Allan A. Thaxter (foreman), Les
lie Timmons, w. Vein, Elmer Mace,
Patrick Hanrahan, c. Pleasanton, VIII
liam Oliver, Lewis Booker and one
man thus far unidentified.
The injured are Edward Davis, E.
F. Ware, P. J. Skies, w. H. Oliver, ].
r. Meredith, all of whom are at local
hospitals.
The explosion was so severe that
only hole in the ground marks the
spot. The packing house was blown
to pieces, as were other structures
nearby. There were twenty-five men
and youths from sixteen to twenty
one years at work in the packing
house. None survived. They were
all blown to atoms, not enough of any.
body being found to enable identifica-
tion. The others killed were outside
the building. For hours after the ex
plosion other workmen in the yards
were busy with buckets and baskets
picking up arms, legs and remnants
of flesh scattered over surrounding
country and hanging from trees for
Over a quarter of mile.
1ne only Dody identified among
those known to have been in the pack
ing house is that of Allen A. Thaxter
OF Portland, Me-, foreman in the mill
The trunk of his body was blown
across the Brandywine creek and was
identified by shreds of clothing that
clung to the mangled flesh.
When an official Of the company
was asked if the explosion could be
attributed to outside agencies, his re-
ply was that it was a mystery and,
while a thorough investigation had
been started and would be pursued
diligently, there is nothing on which
to base any suspicion.
The disaster was one of the worst
that has ever occurred in the history
of the Dupont company. twenty-five
years ago SIX mills in the same plant
exploded and killed fourteen men and
injured a number of others. The
money loss in this latest explosion
will only be few thousand dollars !
The packing house was of frame,
eighteen feet by twenty feet and one
story high.
All Of the injured were badly mutt
4dISNl, oO4lAC A4SbF 44As0 CIlSAl SS co DAON II |
cut and limbs almost torn off. Some |
will die.
4 he scenes about the plant were
heartrending. Hundreds of relatives |
of workmen clamored for admission |
or screamed in anguish. The entrances
to the works were patrolIed by armed !
guards who kept everybody outside
The victims would have been
through for the day at 8 p. m. The
mill was a pellet packing house, the
being engaged in packing
powder in wooden boxes, each box /
containing twenty pounds. The build
ing was divided into six rooms. Just
before the explosion occurred a car
several thousand pounds of
powder was run along a narrow rail-
road track to the door of the packing
house. This was drawn by two
hcrses. One theory is that some OF
the powder spilled from the car and,
falling on the tracks, was ignited by
the car passing over it.
The thirty victims will probably all
be buried in one grave.