The sun., 1917-01-13
Mixing Works and Powder
Magazines Explode With
Deafening Roar.
WIVES AND CHILDREN
WILDLY RUSH TO FIRE
Firemen Seek More Victims
in Ruins-1.2OO Men in
Death Peril.

Another terrific munitions plant dis
aster, the second in thirty hours, shook
New Jersey and New York last night
when at $3.50 o'clock several mixing
plants and powder magazines of the f.
J. du Pont de Nemours Company at
Haskell. y. j.. were destroyed. Three
explosions, more violent than the great
blasts of Black Tom or Kingsland,
were felt distinctly in Manhattan,
:wetny seven miles away; in West
chester, on Long Island and even as
far away as Troy, n. Y. and New Lon
DON Conn.
So far as could be learned early this
morning six men had been killed and
twenty injured. but so great was the
extent of the disaster it is feared that
a more careful examination of the
pant, still burning and roped off from
all visitors. will disclose more fatali-
ties
The people of nearby towns, their
nerves still shaken by the bombarding
blaze of the night before at Kinesland,
were terrified by the awful aspect of this
latest explosion. When the first roaring
crash came n great column OF brilliant
light shot up among the Pompton hills.
Through the flames dark objects could be
seen hurting, grim suggestions of the
fate of the workers People rushed from
their homes for miles around. Jersey
homes of 100000 or more commuters
again were jolted and damaged. The resi-
dents did not ask What is it?" but only
"Where is ii this tme?''
Imperiiied 200 workers.
The night shift had gone to work In
the Haskell. works when the explosion
occurred There were about Loo men
scattered through 100 or more small
buildings
The buildings were set far apart over
the big tract of land owned by the
powder company to lessen danger in
just such accidents. The fire is believed
10 have started in blending hoe
hlled with nitroglycerine on the south
side of Pequanac River
This was the first great blast and a
binding shaft Of light shot up and daz-
sed the eyes of those who watched. and
then died down again and was partly
hidden by pail of smoke and dust. The
FIRE spread quickly to other small powder
mixing buildings. which exploded in a
series of short blasts, and then came
smother crushing roar and one Of the
larger magazines went up.
Before people had caught their breath
after this explosion came the last and
worst of all, when a large magazine
On ridge let go with a detonation that
was heard more than $50 miles away.
Scene Of Panic in Haskell.
Again came the terrific fash of light
% bright that for a few moments peo-
pie could see to read by it for miles
around, and then the dread aftermath OF
silence II was some time before the
roar of the flames as they crept across the
screening plant and over the Wanaque
River to the drying houses made any
Impression on ear drums that had beer
desenstiZed by the violence OF that final
blast
Then the cries and sfkieks of fright
ened women rose and all of Haskell
poured into the streets, the village
houses crumbling and shattered beyonc
safety. In the crescent where the towr
ls built. around one end OF the plant
are scores of houses erected by the com
pany for their employees. and undel
the repeated battering Of the explosion!
these hmsy homes were crushed ant
cracked, their windows blown to tin,
DTS. their walls cracked and beaten IN
and the roofs lifted. Some OF them col
llapsed and it will he hours before it Il
known whether there was sufficien
warning to give those inside time L
escape
Some Of the plant houses inside tn
nigh fence, which, with guards. is th'
companv's protection against intruders
We're also crushed like cardboard be
iore The levelling force of the wave o
air thai swept over them. Men rushe'
ou' ana were struck by falling tim
oers lying through the air like grea
rockets, and were cut by bits Of CORFU
gated iron and cement. of which most O
'he buildings were constructed
Fire Fighters Seek Dead.
Those who preserved their senses un
o"r the succession of shocks got out tn
e'mpany's private fire apparatus an
made efforts 10 fight the blaze so a
10 prevent it from spreading to all tn
plant. They did manage to get II unde
control after 1t had destroyed about
dozen houses and magazines. and the
attention was turned to searching tn
runs FOR dead and injured.
People from miles around siarte
toward the explosion. but were not pei
m''tod to go nearer than half mile I
the scene OF the fire. Policemen an
deputies from the surrounding towr
were suBmosled and It required all the