Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-04-11
liz KNOWN DEAD
AND III INJURED,
MANY MORTALLY
Feared That Final List of
Fatalities at EddystOne
Will Reach $50.
MAJORITY OF VICTIMS
ARE WOMEN AND GIRLS
Scarcely Fragment of Shrapnel
Building in Munition Plant
Is Left Intact.
RELIEVED TO BE ACCIDENT
Detectives Find No Ground for I'm.
NOR OF Intention to Destroy
Great Munition Factory.
BELIEVED TO BE ACCIDENT
Detectives Find No Ground for I'm.
NOR OF Intention to Destroy
Great Munition Factory.
IRy Associated Prea-.i

CHESTER. PA. April i0-One hum
area and twelve persons. most of them
women and girls. are known to have.
lost their lives and i2l were iniurcd
by a series OF terrific explosions to-
DAY In the shrapnei building of the
iiddystone Ammunition Corporation. at
Eddystone. one mile from this city.
Many of the injured were mortallv
hurt and it is feared the final death
list will reach $50. while others prob
ably Will be manned for lie.
Scarcely n fragment OF the structur.
was left intact. Fire added to the hor-
ror. and most of the bodies were so
badly charred that identification was
impossible.
In the absence of any official state
ment, many theories as to the cause OF
the disaster were advanced Rumors
OF plots and arrests Of persons both
inside and outside of the plant were
numerous. but all lacked confirmation,
EXPLOSION RELIEVED no
HAVE BEEN ACCIDENTAL.
Twenty Philadelphia detectives were
sent TO Eddystone soon after the ex-.
plosion on a rumor that 1t was tho
result OF plot. After spending sew
eral hours Investigating they, reported
that they had learned from officials OF
the corporation who had made an in
vestigation that 81 quantity of shrapnel
had been placed near radiator, and
the heat Nigh; easily have exploded it.
Their opinion is that the explosion
was purely accidental. 4 canvass ot
the police stations In the vicinity and
inquiries among officials Of the COM
pany failed to reveal that any arrests
had been made.
The explosion, which was felt in
Philadelphia. fifteen miles away. oc-
Cured about 10 o'clock in what Is
known as the 1o-F building, two
story structure, 75xsoo feet In this
building time fuses were prepared
more than so per cent of the workers
being women and girls. Probably fifty
mon and boys were employed in tho
building at tho time of the blast and
the majority of them escaped.
Great excitement followed the cx-
plosons. :, heavy pail of smoke dark
cned tho entire town. This was soon
lightened by the flames from the burn
ing building. Rescue squads composed
Of other employees at the plant were
quickly formed. and call for assist
ance was sent to Philadelphia. Chester,
Wilmington and other nearby points.
The entire Chester fire department re-
sponded. and ambulances from Phila-
delphia and Chester were soon at the
scene. y strong military guard was
thrown around the plant, and every
one except those assisting in the res
cue work was forbidden to approach.
SEVERAL BODIES FIsIED
OUT OF THE MARSHES
Fifteen minutes after the explosion
the bodies of the dead and injured were
being carried out. Several bodies were
tished out of the marshes 200 yards
from the illfated building. and it is
feared that others may have beem
blown into the river still farther away.
All were badly mutilated. and many
were burned beyond recognition.
Some of the injured were temporarily
cared for in buildings of the ammunI-,
tion company, while scores of homes
at Eddystonc and nearby towns were
thrown open to others. At one resi-
dence in Ridley Park thirty-hve per-
sons were given attention. None Of
them had been hurt, but all were in
state OF collapse from shock aud
hysteria.
There were numerous instances OF
heroism. In one of these Captain Wall
ter Wilhelm. vice-president of the
Eddystone Corporation, and formerly Il
national guardsman. dashed through
smoke and flame into the wreSkaEe
no less than ten times. each time car
rying some one to safety SO serious
was the danger from exploding shrap.
mel considered that the trolley lines
were tied up for more than an hour.
Throughout the afternoon and until
a late hour tonight Chester presented
q pathetic scene. Thousands of friends
and relatives OF the victims were surg
ing through the streets in an effort 10
locate their loved ones either dead or
alive. Crowds OF the morbidly curious
in front of the hospitals and the
norgue were held back by national
suardsmen. No one was allowed IL, the
morgue. and only those who could
establish their right to be there were
permitted TO enter the hospitals. Com
panies b and G. of the SIXTY Penn
syivania Regiment. We're called into
service early in the night to assist the
machine-gun company OF the First Reg
iment and cadets from tho Pennsyll