Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1921-09-22
Village In
an Y
Is Wrecked
Two thousand Injured in
Blast at Affan Chemical
Plant OH Rhine; Town
Scene of Desolation.
Other Cities Damaged


Mayenee, Germany. Sept. 2l.-A
great explosion today at the Chem
ical Product plant OF the Badische
Aniliniabrik company. at Oppau. on
the Rhine. wrecked the town and
spread death and destruction.
The number OF killed Is estimated
at from 1000 TO l,S00, and the in
jurcd nearly 1000. One report says
there were 5000 men on the spot
and it is believed that about half
OF them. were killed.
Oppau is a scene OF desolation,
more than third OF the houses
having been destroyed. while the
roofs of the others were swept of.
Here also many were Killed or in
jured.
The consussions were so terrific
that they were felt in this city, some
s. miles from the scene, while at
Mannheim. Is miles distant. almost
every window was shattered and
several persons were killed and 50
others injured by debris.
Oppau Heap of Ruins.
Some persons were killed at Lud.
wigshaften, across the river from
Mannheim, many roofs were blown
off houses and all the windows in
the town were broken at Worms,
while of Oppau itself nothing re-
mains but heap of ruins.
One OF the most circumstantiai
reports OF the disaster says the first
explosion occurred in laboratory
No. 55 OF the old plant OF the Bad
ische. company in Oppau. The lab
oratory was raised bodily by the
air pressure from the shock and
then collapsed. not a single one Of
the 800 workers in it escaping death,
this account states.
The shock was felt as far as
Frankfort, more than 40 miles away,
and many windows were broken
there.
The district was enyeloped in
thick smoke which, together with
the cutting of telegraph and tele-
phone communication with neigh
boring towns, hainpered the efforts
at assistance,
All the available fire brigades were
rushed to the spot. but the work of
rescue was found by the relief par
ties to be exceedingly difficult.
Uninjured Flee Town.
Rescuers who penetrated Oppau
reported finding hundreds of dead
and wounded lying in the debris. The
uninjured inhabitants fled in panic
when the explosions occurred.
The region where the explosion
occurred was developed during the
war into one of the most extensive
and productive of Germany's chem
ical munition supply districts. Oppau
is a comparatively small town with
only few thousand people, but
nearby are Frankenthal, Consider
ably larger place, and Ludwigshafen,
which has population Of some rs
600 and which during the war was
accounted the largest of the German
chemical manufacturing plants for
war purposes. The chemical works
there are still on vast scale.
During the war the region was fre-
quently bordered by allied air
squadrons, Ludwigshafen being their
particular target.
Rescue Work Delayed.
Frankfort On The Main, Germany,
Sept. 21-The Bodische Anilinfabrik
according to the Frank
furter Zeitung. states that its plant
1t Oppau, where today's explosion
occurred was partially destroyed"
Further explosions, it was stated,
we're not feared.
The company's plant at Ludwig
'hafen, one of the largest in Ger
many, was not harmed. The Frank
,nthal Sugar Refinery. however, was
considerably damaged.
In Frankfort street cars were tent
,orarily tied up.
Reports from the scene say that
arge forces of police and firenien,
:quipped with gas masks, are work
ng to remove the injured, but are
'eing hampered by shortage of
transportation.