The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1918-05-20
s. CHARRED BODIES TAKEN FROM.
RUINS AND 2I2 ARE STILL MISSING
THE WAR IS BROUGHT HOME To Us.
TARPON BOY AMONG THE MISSING
Latest Telegram From Scene of Explosion Says
George Fernald Cannot Be Found-Mrs. Ada
Fernald and Miss Matte Fernald Left Sun
day. a. m, For Oakdale Pa, to Look
For Missing Boy---a Brooksvlle
Boy is Among the Dead

Sunday morning and should arrive.
there some time tonight.
Mrs. H. B. Webster is thankful that
her son was spared and truly it would
seem the Great God had saved him.
Mrs. Webster had recently lost her
husband, and about year ago her
eldest son was brought home dead. SO
Percy was all that she had left.
Mrs. Ada Fernald is also a widow
and George her only child.
The report given out from the scene
of the explosion yesterday is as fols
lows:
Pittsburgh, May 49, Fifty-six men
are known to be dead, ninety-four in
jured and in hospitals and thirty-one
employees of the Aetna Chemical COM
pany are missing as result of the
nine explosions yesterday which
wrecked this company's explosive
manufacturing plant at Oakdale, six
teen miles from this city. This report
is the result of the days investigation
by state, federal, county and city Of
ficials.
Throughout tbs e.ss a. al DIS ID.
day men were 9extingnisEing small
fires in the debris and bringing out
remnants of human bodies. In most
cases there was nothing to Indicate
the identity.
All day blue brown smoke contin4
Iued to hang over the ruins, impeding
the work of the searchers. Its deadly
fumes are feared by the residents Of
the community. For time the work
was impeded further by the thousands
of sight-seers. Automobiles blocked
all roads and another company of the
state constabulary was rushed in au-
tomobiles from Greensburg and the
crowds were turned back when they
had reached within five miles of Oak
dale.
f Thousands of persons streamed into
the temporary morgue all day to view
the gruesome finds from the ruins, and
it took special detail of police to
keep this morbid element in check,
There were many there of right, how
ever, and some identifcations were
made. Pitiful scenes were on every
hand and one in particular was when
Hans Martz, one of the coroner's
workers in the morgue, collapsed. He
had found in bucket a bunch of keys
and pen knife which had belonged to
his son, who had been employed in the
plant.
The country is desolate for an area
of several miles around the plant
where the former beautiful green hill
sides have been scared and burned by
the blasts and fruit and shade trees
denuded of their foliage.
Federal officers, representing the de-
partment of justice today ordered the
arrest of two men who were photo
graphing the ruins and who were
charged by woman with making Sc
ditious remarks. A special policeman
employed by the Aetna Chemical COM
pany arrested two men early today as
they were about to hurry away from
the plant on a motorcycle.
Among the identified dead are John
X. Lawhorn, sixteen years old, of
Brooksville, Fla; Marshall Anderson,
China Grove, N. c., and Geo. Chris
topher, Reynolds, Ga.
Up to tonight I'll of the $50 employ
es of the plant had registered at the
temporary headquarters established
for this purpose.
The cause of the explosion had not
been determined tonight. w. L. Sam
derson, assistant superintendent of the
plant, said he thought it occurred in.
a tank Of tuloul.
~7Oo~o~lo--~--~o->--->->
A special board Of trade meeting
has been called for Monday night