Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-09-22
RESCUE + / |I| NORI
D AT Or PAU IS
IN full. /. s SWING J | |! !
Number Of Dead Believed IS
Be 4, 800; Thousands
Injured.
Investigation of Expl lesion
Thought to Be IS I'm
!. possibl ble.
i5tBy !. '][,jt rhe !, z Assoc ciated Press.

i
Mayence, Sept. 2 2 While estimates
81 the number Of dead from Wednes-
days explosion which; destroyed the
4 BaAaDcAe company's Agreat chemical
plant at oppau, continued today at
approximately i, 500, the total of per-
sons actually found to- have been in.
jired exceeds the first figures by a
wide margin. fis5
Already 2,50et persons have receiv-
Il ed treatment for hurts sustained
through the effects Of the explosion.
Bodies Of the dead to the number
Of $50 have been recovered this fore
n noon. ,.s a Ii
The French and German authorities
In the district were continuing the
i rescue work In the closest collaboral
tAon. a German hospital train has ar
4 rived at Frankfort and a French train
at Treyes with injured from the scene
Of the disaster. $ Z. J$ 7y-, I.;. .s
u Other Towns Shaken.
The scene Of the \ explosion was
more than three miles from Mann
helm, but every window Of that city
was shattered by the concussion. The
shock was felt In towns fifty miles
away. 5g.. gy 4, Y,
Immediately! after the blast every
means Of rescuing injured and bring
ing ont the dead were utilized, but
several W nninor explosions prevented
workers from entering the grounds
for IA long time. Great clouds Of chem
ical fumes hung over the CHASTITY
scene OF ruin, and the first men to en-
ter the place were compelled to wear
gas masks The fumes spread as far
as Mannheim and Ludwigshafeny and
tended to heighten the fears Of the
frightened. y. d
+. Investigation Ordered.
An investigation Of the explosion
has been ordered by the authorities
but those who have visited the ruins
declare there is little upon which to
base an investigat tion. :, g
The buildings of the Badische com
great hole in the ground marks the
site Of the main structure. It is 8
theory Of those familiar with the
plant that gasometers exploded, and
that nitrogen compound stored in the
buildings, or in process Of manufac.
tuse weret detonated II M "a. AZ
Order is being mai aintainsd III ths
i town Of oppau Ind N ifcinity ny French
soldiers. that distric 'bsin 81 Within ths
French zone of occupation. sa2ss3;l i9s
This is the second time sOppan had
been destroyed. In 1888, a dam bursl
above the town and the place was
swept by q wall Of water. III
Berlin. Sept. n a. The directorate 81
the Badische company, owners Of the
Qppau plant in which yesterdays ex
piosion occurred, declared insa state
ment issued at Ludwigshafen. 1T
headquarters, received here today
that information reaching the direc.
torate indicated they: 81 number /. O.
casualties and the damage from the
explosion we're not as large as hat
been reported. The known dead, ac
cordlng to- the company's reports vi
to last night, the statement said, wer,
244. with 10 missing, afs
The statement declared that muci
Of the essential machinery Of tn,
Oppau works was little damaged ant
that 1t was hoped production would b,
resumed within few months.
President Ebert today sent $50, ,0ol
marks to the Oppau region as a, con
tributior to the relief Of .tthe victims