The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-05-19
I No HU NDRED
:. DIE As CHEMICAL
I. PLANT EXPLODES
HOLOCAUST AT PITTSBURG
IS MORE APPALLING THAN
FIRST ANNOUNCED.
MANY ARE BURNED ALIVE
Massive Buildings Are Lifted From
"A Ground and Hurled Skyward-
Victims Caught as They Flee and
Crushed-Bodies Mile Distant.

Pittsburgh, Pa, May 18.-
Z Two hundred men were killed
and an equal number injured
K according to estimates tonight
In an explosion at the plant of
4 the Aetna Chemical Company
E at Oakdale, 16 miles from
here. The property loss is
100000. The plant was de-
molished.
The first explosion made a
noise scarcely louder than a
pistol crack. 1t came from the
soda house. The workers
knew, however, and rushed
for the exits.
But most of them were too
late. The chemicals used for
the manufacture of "T. N. IT,,
one of the most deadly of ex-
plosives, had ignited and sec
ond explosion followed a few
seconds later.
This time, the massive plant
was lifted from the ground and
hurled skyward. Crash fol-
lowed crash. Those who had
escaped saw the huge building
twist in midair and the bodies
of their fellow workers hurled
forth with wreckage of ma
chinery.
The debris caught fire and work
ers who had survived the first shock
were pinioned beneath heaps of
burning lumber A cloud of dust
settled over the place and the pois-
onous fumes of the burning chem
icals tortured the injured.
Special Trains to Rescue.
Special trains ran into Pittsburg
all afternoon carrying the dead and
wounded. Some were picked up
more than 4 half mile from the
scene.
Minor explosions followed during
the rescue work and made work al
most impossible.
Telephone and telegraph wires
were wrecked by the explosion and !
the tracks of the Pittsbure, Cincin-
natl, Chicago & st. Louis railroad |
Panhandle route) were blocked An |
employe hastened to Carnegie, four
miles distant, where wreck and re-
lief trains were quickly made up
and hurried to Oakdale.
Rescuers in Great Peril.
Every hospital in Pittsburg sent
ambulances with nurses and doc
tors. For time it seemed as though |
it would be impossible to reach the
wounded because Of the heat, the
constantly widening zone of gases
and the danger from explosions. But
the nurses and doctors were not TO
be deferred, and aided by officers
they made their way in as best they
could.
One nurse was perhaps fatally in
jured. Other reScuers were caught
near a little stream into which acid
and oil had poured. 1t exploded as
they crossed and a number were
thought to have perished.
Sheriff William s. Haddock al
most lost his life during one of the
late explosions. A heavy piece OF
steel blown from the wreckage
passed close to him and the force OF
the blast threw him to the ground.
He continued his work.
Throughout the afternoon the fire
burned. Each succeeding explosion =
reduced the blazing pile OF embers
and chemicals were widely scattered.
Soon after o o'clock an explosion
louder and more powerful than any
since noon swept away the rem
nants of the FIRE and practically
cleared the blackened space.
Bodies Are Consumed.
Many bodies were consumed in
the flames, the authorities declared,
while parts of others were so tossed
about the coroner declared it would
be impossible to identify such por- :
lions as might be eventually found. c
Among the dead was Samuel w. Z
Diehl, assistant superintendent of i
he Heidelburg plant of the Aetna I
company. John b. Johnston. super t
ntendent of the Oakdale plant, was c
lmong the badly injured. I
At the stations OF the inferurban L
street car line and at the Pennsyl- i
iania stations of the various COM
for fifteen miles on either v
ide of Oakdale were assembled wo- n
men with the head dress and cos 4
umes of Red Cross workers on their e
Continued on page 81. le