New Britain herald., 1922-02-24
Acids In Tank Car at Richards and Company's Warehouse Blows Up When Water Leaks In
Victims Believed to Have Been Torn to Bits and Re- mains Destroyed by
 Flames.

Stamford, Conn.,. Feb. 24.-Explo- sion Of acids in tank car which was on tracks between warehouses Of Richards and Co.,, makers of artificial feathers, caused the probable deaths Of Joseph Hogan and Joseph Taxter. workmen, both of this city, and a fire which resulted in $1o0,000 loss today. The men are thought to have been blown to pieces.
 Warehouses Were Filled
 The warehouses were low wooden structures alongside the tracks. Two of them were entirely burned and the third was gutted. In the two buildings lost were stored eight hundred thou sand pounds of cotton and 200 drums of alcohol used in manufacture. In another building close by were 30 metal tanks containing 12,000 gallons of alcohol but the fire did not reach these.
 The plant of Richards and Go. is in Canal street below the railroad tracks. Nearby is the plant of Baer Bros. and the coal yard of David Waterbury and Son.
 Water Cause of Explosion
 The explosion is thought to have been produced by water coming in contact with the nitric of sulphuric acid which the two employees were handling Apparently there was no actual witness to what occurred a few moments before the explosion As the fire followed immediately in the near est warehouse it was not possible to search for mems bodies, and the be- lief vas held by firemen that both weer torn to pieces and these pieces destroyed by the fire which spread over the immediate section.
 Main Plant Not Hurt
 The warehouses were each about 30 feet in width and of considera ble length and were located near the main plant of Richards and Co.,; the main plant however not being involv- ed in the fire.
 The Stamford fire department was assisted by apparatus from GIenbrook and from the Yale and Towne Mfg. Co.
 Joseph Hogan lived at A Walnut street and Taxter on South Atlantla street.
 Working On Cars
 Hogan and Taxter were at work on the tank car transferring the acids from the tank to metal drums each of which had capacity of 50 gallons, The initial explosion blew the tank car to pieces and for this reason it ;o$ $ol, hot men were destroyed. The three low warehouses or sheds had metallic roofing The acids from the tank car fell as g spray of flame on these roofs and inside of five minutes the fire area embraced the three sheds. Short ly after there were minor explosions as the drums of alcohol burst and the contents took fire.
 Shock Felt Far Away.
 While the vibration of the car ex- plosion was hardly felt In the city resi- dents at Sound Beach. some distance away claimed to have felt is distinct ly. No damage appeared to have been done near the Richards plant by the explosions and very little win dow glass in the plant itself was shat tered although one end of building was only 150 feet away from the tank car.
 No one was hurt during the fighting of the fire. The blaze was under con- trol at noon.
 Hogan We'll Known
 Hogan was a single man, was known as an athlete and was captain of the Richards and Co. baseball team. Taxter was married and leaves a wife and baby. He lived with his mother.
 After the fire it was found that a sewer manhole cover which had been near the car had been lifted and car ried 600 feet. It weighed 200 pounds. A fragment Of the tank weighing about 300 pounds was blown 60 feet against a brick wall and then re- bounded and went through a small shed belonging to Baer Bros. A wrench that one of the men had been using was found on the ground.