Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1918-05-23
Main Building Of Pittsburgh
{ Chemica Concern Blown
SkyWard By Explosion
OF Deadly 7. NJ. T.
WRECKAGE CATCHES FIRE
Upward of 200 Persons Arc
Killed Outright-Cause of
Disaster Is Not Known
to the Officials.

Pittsburgh. Pa, May GA series of
explosions i'll the Oakdaye plant of the
Aetna Chemical compang at oakdale
today probably cost the lives of 100
persons and did propeAt y damage
which is estimated at $1,000, 900.
Revised estimates of the number of
men employed when the explosion oc-
CURED place 1t at 900. FUZZY $50 OF
!hese, II was estimated, had bsen hurt
in addition to the 100 killed.
The explosion fired the debris, which
Is stlll burning and officers of the COM
pany say that days may pass before
exact loss of life will be known.
The first explosion occurred at noon
and was SO slight that no one was hurt
and caused little damage. But 1t gays
the employees warning and they hur-
ried from the building. Many of them.
however We're caught in the next eX-
later n Immediately the plant burst
into flames.
Three other explosions occurred, each
one scattering the burning debris.
Some of 1t fell among the great crowds
which had gathered or the neighboring
hlllsides and a number OF persons were
hurt, but none killed.
Beyond the fact that a large quantity
of trinitrololuol blew up nothing was
known of the explosion or its cause.
Officials said that IN inquiry Will be
launched Immediately but that there
was little hope Of learning much about
the blast.
The main building and surrounding
structures were completely wrecked
n their debris was rapidly being
consumed by fire that followed the
explosion an hour after ii occurred.
undertalSers summoned to the plant
declared that more than $50 persons
mad nnan killed and fo1a,,1,n,o ,,a,,prfc
from the village said that it would be
hours before 1t would be possible to
even the number Of casual
ties.
Immediately after the first explos-
ion the debris took fire and al. / o'clock
was burning fiercely. just before that
hour 1T was said there was another ex-
ploslon, u 1T did nothing more than
scatter the shattered OF the
FACTORY buildings. Not far from the
aeslroNed plant is an important pump
ING station of the South Penn Oil Com
pittsburgh had no report of damage
to It's property other than that hi win
dows had been broken.
Several surrounding towns, incIud-
ing Mcdonald, were rocked by the sx-
plosion.
Every drug store, physicians office
and all the public buildings were
thrown open to receive the injured.
Dead and injured were thrown over a
wide radius by the force of the explo-
sion.
Scores were so badly hurt that
Wi1celbarrcJys, handcarts and even
childrens express wagons We're COM
Wandered to take them to the score
or more of first aid stations quickly
established in drug stores, physicians
offices and private residences.
Rescue parties worked feverish1y
amid the ruins in an effort to save
many bodies from incarceration and the
wounded from death.
Two cars of physicians and nurses
from Pittsburgh were rushed here or a
special train within an hou after the
plant went up.
A second explosion occurred at 1853,
the building occupied by the T. N. L.
department going up. All the workers
were believed to have left there be-
cause of the fire menace. but early re-
ports indicated possible further loss OF
life or injury among the rescue work.
ers.
Another explosion occurred at 1850
o'clock, this time a big tank filled with
an explosive known as T.. N. A. letting
go.
Miss Marilyn Ashelman, a nurse
from Mercy hospital, this city, was
seriously injured by the second explo-
sion. A flying girder struck her right
leg, severing 1t above the knee. It
least two workmen were badly injured.