The Mankato free press., 1921-09-23

today by explosions In the sadlsehs
AnIiInfabrlk works at oppau.
Mayence. Germany, September a.
More than one hundred persons are re-
ported to have been killed today when
chemical products plant exploded a
Oppau, near Frankenthale, in tht
Worms region. Telephone and tsle.
graph communication with the Worms
Frankenthal area was cut by the ex
plosion and details were lacking.
Most OF Industrial DIsasters
The disaster appeare to have beer
one of the most terrible In the histor,
OF industrial catastrophies.
The first explosion occurred whsr
the shifts were being changed at 7:A
q. M, in laboratory where 500 nes
were working. All Of these are 70
ported to have been killed This sx.
plosion was followed By rapid sue.
cession, Of others which rendered N.
sistance to the first victims impos-
sible.
The conclusions were 20 terrific
that they were felt in this city, some
thiry five miles from the scene, while
a Mannheim, thirteen miles distant.
almost every window was shattere /
and several persons were killed and
thirty six others injured by debris.
Shock Felt Forty MiIes Away
Some persons were killed at Lud
wigshafen. across the river FRO
Mannheim, Many roofs were blown on,
houses and all the windows in t,lT
town were broken at Worms. while OF
oppau itself nothing remains but j
heap 0f ruins s.
The shock was felt ~ far as FRANK
fort, more than forty miles away,
many windows were broken there
The whole district was enyeloped in
thick smoke. which together with the
cutting of telegraph and ielephcr !
communication with neighborine
towns, hampered. the efforts al assis-
tance.
Reports from the scene variously
describe the disaster as due to the ex-
plosicn OF gas or spi. its tank.
Thousands Rep. Led Killed
Paris, September -One thous-
and persons are repol. :. 10 havetbeen
killed and several til, asand others
injured at Oppau, neal .'rankenthai,
in the Rhine Palatinate through ex.i
plosions in chemical prot .ttS plant.
according to a Mayence hi, ..,e to the
Havas Agency received fI;s iay.
The town of Oppau ltsel Il; ell
tirely destroyed by the expi,.
advices state.
The force of the shocks ".
for distance OF nearly fifteen
killed and about fifty injured. :
cause Of the explosion il not knu,
One OF the most circ.. ..ilia
ports of the district says [. igst =
ploslon occurred In latoratU x
Der So of the old plant of the B. ..i;.
company in Oppau. The laDt
was raised bodily by the air press
from the shock and then collapsed. a,
single one Of the 500 workers In
oppan 10 Small Town.
The region in the Rhine palapinat
where today's disastrous explosio. 4
occurred was developed during the
war into one of the most extensive
and productive Of Germany's chemi
cal Eunition supply distfacts. on
pan itself Is o comparatively email
town with only few thousand popu-
lation but nearby are Frankenthai,
considerably larger place, and Lud
wigshafen, which has q population OF
some $4,000 and which during tho
war was accounted the largest OF the
German chemical manufacturing
plants for war purposes. The cheni
cal works there are still on q v&Ge
scale.
It is about seven miles southeast
of Frankenthal and directly across,
the Rhine from Mannheim. Durina
the war the region was frequent J
bombarded by allied air men; LId
Wigshafen heinz THAR narfin..iax. ta.