The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1922-12-11
FIVE KILLED BY
BLAST OF POWDER
One Buildings After Another
E1plodes at Plant
SHOCK FELT FOR Is MILES
Fire Seen Near One Structure Spreads
so Quickly That Fighting it is USE
iess-Five Seriously Injured.

Wilkes-Barre, Pa, Dec n.-Fiv'
dead, a dozen or more injured, foul
buildings demolished and towI
thrown into terror by the smashing o1
windows and blowing open of doors
sum up a fearful blast that followed
the accidental ignition If powder ir
the plant of the Black Diamond Pow
der company in the village of Snsc"n
Pittston township.
The dead are: Frank Garren, II
years old, ma rried. of Ashley; surriv'
ed by a widow and seven children
Ralph Brum, 30 years old, son of f.
B. Brumm, of Pittston, superintend
ent Of the plant; William Wright, Is
years old, married, of Suscoa, sur
yived by Il widow and two children
Raymond Slaugh. "a years old, single
uf Suscon: Sebastian Fabian, "a years
old, married, of Suscon.
The first four, were killed instantly
while Sabian, portions VI whose arms
and legs were blown off, died in the
pittston Hospital.
The more seriously injured are
Edith Mason, 20 years old, Of Suscon
struck by debris and skull fractured ;
Hayden Francis, 80 years old, of West
Avoca, may lose one eye; Mrs. Harry
Sherwood, 45 years old, Of Suscon, in
iured while at home; Walter Hutmak-
or, 80 years old, of Suscon, covered
with debris while 200 feet from the
explosion scene; Sidney Warner, 80
years old, Of Suscon, struck by debris.
The cause Of the accident never
will be known. Company regulations
forbid the use of matches or the ig-
hitting of fires by any means, yet the
first trace Of trouble was indicated in
a blaze that began near one of the
eleven buildings which comprised the
company's operations. Men rushed to
put out the fire. but it spread to the
powder storage and reached $500 kegs
of the explosive kept there. With a
crash that was heard for twenty-five
miles around the powder exploded.
Bodies Of the victims were hurled
through buildings, arms and legs being
torn from their sockets In their rehd-
ing flight.
Immediately after the first explo-
sion other buildings blew up--the dry
house, packing house, shipping house
and planning mill, as well as various
small structures on the premises. The
drying mill, $50 yards from the glaz-
ing mill, contained 500 kegs Of pow
der, while the packing mill held 1000
kegs.
A blanket of smoke then settled
over the plant. but survivors of the
blast and rescuers who hurried from
all parts of the little town, Of Suscon
risked their lives in frenZied search
for dead and injured. Parts Of build
ingS still on fire were torn away and
the injured were quickly taken out
and rushed to hospitals. Almost every
home in the town suffered damage
through the breaking Of doors and
windows Practically all chimneys
were torn loose and fell.
Immediately after the blasts ambu-
lances, physicians and nurses were
rushed to the scene from Scranton,
PittstOn, and Wilkes-Barre. They as
sisted in caring for the injured, hurry
ing them to hospital in Pittston. The
most serious of the injured was Miss
Edith Mason, who was employed in Il
boarding house of the company and
was pinned beneath the debris when
the blast demolished the house.
Much difficulty was encountered in
identifying the victims, because sew
-eral Of the bodies were catapulted as
far as 300 yards from the scene of the
disaster The body Of Brumm was
not found for more than an hour
afterward