Evening star., 1917-09-09
FRANKFORT BLAST
DUE TO ACCIDENT
Coroner Reports Dropping of
Tray of Decorators Caused
Arsenal Explosion.
!, KILLED; Fl INJURED

PHILADELPHIA. September S.-Ac-
cidental dropping of tray of detona-
tors is believed to have caused the ex-
plosion in the Frankford arsenal early
today that killed three men and injured
twenty persons. several of them
women.
Coroner Knight announced this
theory of the accident tonight at the
conclusion of an investigation started
Immediately after the disaster. He
made to him by Col. Montgomery. COM
mandant of the arsenal that the ex-
plosion was due to the dropping of the
tray by one of the men killed.
The Dead.
The dead We're Howard Linton. TWEEN
ty-three years old. and Edward F. Bate
eel thirty years old. The badly burned
body of a third man, not vet identified,
was taken from the ruins tonight. The
explosion wrecked the building in which
primers and detonators for three four
and si1-ineh shells were dried. Eighty
thousand detonators. recently complet-
ed. were set Off. and the fire which fol-
lowed destroyed three small structures
adjoining. The loss is placed at $4,000
Linton and his two helpers said the
coroner. who carried completed de-
tonators from the r. A. a building,
where they were manufactured. were
paid by the hour. and there was no in
centive for them to take chances by
careless and hasty handling of these
dangerous explosives
Weeks Output Blown Up.
Col. Montgomery in his report of the
explosion sent to Gen. Crozier in Wash
ington, said there was weeks output
in the detonator dry house. and the
primer dry house was about half filed
These, together with small lots of ex-
plosives in adjacent buildings. blew up
The fire was under control within an
hour and fifteen minutes.
Notwithstand nding the disaster the sew
eral hundred employees at the arsenal
reported for work today.
The arsenal is at present under a
congressional investigation at Wash
ington for defective explosives in small
arms. The explosion today. however.
was in department entirely separated
from that being Investigated.
Cause Not Reported to Department
In reports to Cen Crozier, chief of
ordnance. officials at the Frankford
arsenal gave no cause for the explosion,
merely telling that it had occurred and
requested $500 for making immedia tie
repairs.
AT about 2:30 this morning one de-
tonator dry house blew up. followed by
one primer dry house. Two men in the
dry house killed: one man on way to
dry house with tray of detonators badly
injured. There was about a week S
output in the detonator dry house and
the primer dry house was only half
filled. Small lots of explosives in ad-
jacent building also went off. Four
other buildings damaged. Situation
under control at 3:45 am"
THE War Department points out
said a statement commenting on the
Frandford accident. that since explo-
sions such as these cannot always be
prevented. the buildings referred to are
made small"
My understanding is.' Gen. Crozier
explained, that about weeks output
of detonators were in the dry house.
do not know how many primers were in
the other house. The contents of both
dry houses were confined to primers
and detonators, they being the only two
classes of material which are made wet
and therefore have to go to dry houses
The primers are used for ordinary
shells, and the detonators are used in
connection with high explosives. Deto-
nators are supposed to be safe.
Il haven't the slightest idea what
caused the explosion, but / have heard
nothing to indicate a suspicion of in
cendiarism. The scattered explosions
as l understand it, were solely the re-
suit of the first explosion. 1t is entire
ly possible that the detonations from
the explosions in the two dry houses
caused the other explosion"