The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-09-18
THREE KILLED AT
 AETNA EXPLOSIVES
 PLANT YESTERDAY
R. L. Henson, Ezra Green and Willie Works, Colored,
 Victims of Explosion
BODIES MINGLED
 BEYOND RECOGNITION
No Explanation of Explosion, as Only Three Men in Building Which Was Wrecked
 Were Killed

Four thousand pounds of nitroglyce- rine exploded at the Aetna Explosives company's plant six miles north of Bir-
 mingham at noon yesterday, killing | three men, R. L. Henson, Ezra Green and Willie Works, colored, destroying two buildings and shaking buildings and shattering vii dow glass as far away as the business district of the city, The vibration in some of the tall of
 flee buildings was so great as to spread alarm among the tenants and send | them scurrying to places of safety. The explosion was heard for miles around and as soon as the people learned the source from whence it. came hun dreds of them rushed to the vicinity of the explosives plant seeking to learn the extent of the damage and the mum Der of casualties caused by it. That | more lives were not lost and more prop erty destroyed was hardly conceivable, in view of the fact that only big hole was left where a few moments be- fore two large houses stood, with hardly a piece of timber or other material in sight.
 THOSE KILLED
 R. L. Henson, of North Birmingham. married; Ezra Green, single, formerly of Oneonto, but who has been making his home with Foreman J. W. Pass since he came to work at the plant. and Will lie Works, colored, of Sayreton. were killed, their bodies being torn to pieces. Henson was working in the storage house and Green and Works in the sep arating house when the explosion oc- cured. When found their bodies were near each other and several hundred feet from the houses. the force of the explosion having hurled them in a north erly direction on converging lines. Green and Works heads, arms and legs, and Henson's head and arms were torn from their bodies, and di1igent search failed to find them.
 The separating and storage houses were two of about thirty that make up the colony of buildings occupied by the Aetna company in the manufacture of nitric acids and nitrate of ammonia powder, dynamite and other explosives The nitric acids and nitrate of ammonia sections have been engaged on govern ment work for several months, while the powder and dynamite sections have been making products for the commer- cial trade.
 CAUSE UNEXPLAINED
 The cause of the explosion is not known. The only persons in the destroyed buildings at the time of the explosion were killed and so far as officials and employees could ascertain yesterday after noon no one else was near by at tho time Superintendent J. l.. Almon, who has been in charge of the Aetna works for about a month, stated to an Age Herald reporter shortly after the ex. plosion that he could not account for the accident. He was unable to tell just where the fire started, whether in the separating or storage house, or in the line connecting them. The two buiId- ings were about 100 feet apart, the nitro glycerine passing from the former to the latter through rubber hose or tube which rested in a lead trough.
 SUPERINTENDENT NEAR
 Superintendent Almon and several of the office force were on their way to din- ner at the boarding house nearly half mile away when the explosion oc- cured. section of the lead pipe, weighing fully 20 pounds, fell within few feet of them, and pieces of mate rial from the buildings fell all around them. The ground for a quarter of mile in every direction was strewn with debris from the wrecked buildings Plas- tering and window glass in houses mile or more distant were broken and shat tered
 We were coming to lunch when the explosion occurred" said Superintendent Almon. When I heard it turned and saw the huge volume of black smoke and the wreckage ascending high in the air. ran for nearby tree for shelter. cautioning the others with me to do tha same, for I knew that danger lurked in the air for us Pieces of lead and building material. broken and twisted, were falling in every direction, and knew that our only safety lay in hastily seeking shelter.
 FOREMAN BARELY ESCAPES
 Foreman J. w. Pass, who had charge of the two buildings, had just left one of them when the explosion occurred.
 Five hundred feet away stood the nesr-. est building. Its roof was blown off and MT. Massey, working inside sus- tained few scratches on his face from falling glass Half dozen other em- ployes in different buildings received scratches about their hands and faces as the result of broken glass striking tnef0. IHelT lilJuTioS WcIc Ol d HiiiiOf nature, however and aside from causing a little temporary annoyance amounted to very little.
 Superintendent Almon stated that the destroyed buildings would be rebuilt at once and that none of the 200 employees would be idle day It will be from 20 to 60 days. however before full opera tions can be begun again.
 CORONER INVESTIGATES Coroner John R. T. Rives. notified im- mediately after the explosion, made record run in his automobile to the scene of the accident and conducted an inquiry into the cause Little time was required for this, however. as there is no living witness, and none could ex- plain how it happened.
 The damage to buildings and materia is estimated by Superintendent Almon to he between 5000 and $100o0. He said he could not make an accurate estimate, as he did not know just how much nitroglycerin was in the houses and pipe at the time. There are usually HOO pounds in the separators and 25o0 pounds
 in the storage. but as 1t is drawn off from the separator other glycerine Is let | in Qn ha lc (~~ .