The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-02-16
Continued Blow Ups at
Plant of American Ora
phophone Co., Where One
Man Has Been Fatally
Hurt, and Many Burned
Severely Cause Of Investi-
CATION.
Employees in Grinding Room
Frightened By Succession
Of Accidents Probe Re
port That Men, Disgrunt-
led at Comrades Dis
charge, Threw Matches in
Machine.

Because the life of one man
mas been forfeited, and scores
Of other lives have been en-
dangered and are daily in peril, +,
it is suspected q violent form of
sabotage" is being employed
by workers in Building No. 40,
of the American Graphophone
CO., in Cherry street, it was
learned by a Farmer represen-.
tative today.
Since Jan. 8, three expio-
sions have occurred in the fac
tory. Disgruntled workers
seeking to have a discharged
foreman replaced, are suspect
ed of throwing match heads
and emery powder into grind
ing machineswhich are used to
grind into dust raw material,
from which talking machine
discs are manufactured.
An explosion occurred at $40
o'clock last night and although Sc
we're, did not damage the building to
any extent, but the shock unneFved
the workers in the structure fright
ching them considerably. Cooler
heads prevented any panic and one
worker was severely burned. Efforts
to find out his name or where he was
. taken met with no success.
The emergency hospital ambu-
lance was called to the scene. It
was stated to the attaches Of the hos
pital that a. worker had been burn
ed, but removed before their arrival
The company officers were reticent
and would give no further informa-
ton on the matter.
The grinder in which last nights
explosion occurred was greatly dam
aged and the blaze, as in the first
explosion, threatened to spread
through the building to the depart
ment where young women are en-
ployed testing the discs. The COM
pany's organized fire fighters, how
ever, by quick work, confined the,
flames to the grinding room and the
fire was nearly extingufshed when
the city's apparatus reached the
scene.
An official Of the company today ad-
mitted that the police, who have been
secretly Investigating the case, have
arrived at the conclusion that the ex-
plosions have been caused by the
criminal acts of employees, whose re-
quests for the reinstatement Of a dis
charged foreman have been ignored.
More than two months ago the fore
man Of the grinding room was dis
charged. A number of his fellow
countrymen advised him to ask for
unemployment. He did so several
times but his request was denied by
officials Of the company. The morning
Of Jan. 9, at about o'clock, an explo-
sion, the result of matches being
thrown into the grinder, with the raw
material, resulted in an explosion,
which fatally burned Angelo DiBiaso,
35 years, wo lived at 836 Pembroke
street; caused injuries to two other
workers from which they nearly died
and threw the 400 employees of the
structure into panic
In the mad rush for the exits
score of girls were trampled upon
and injured, half dozen others were
slightly burned The grinder was
destroyed and the loss to the COM
pany Of the services Of the depart
ment seriously hampered the run
ming OF the factory.
Two weeks ago. another explosion
= toob place but no one was injured
and the fire department maintained
by the company quickly extinguished
the flames. Last night at 9:10 an
explosion in one of the grinders in
the same building resulted in a fire
which was extinguished by the prompt
work by employees.
1t has been admitted that the raw
material with which the grinders are
fed contains nothing Of an explosive
nature. An official of the company
when questioned relative to the exv
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