The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1924-01-10
SCORES DIE IN
STARCH BLAST
Flames That Follow Explosion of
Dust May Have Consumed
Many Bodies.
MANY ARE BURIED IN DEBRIS
Two Buildings Collapse, Ensuifns
Nine Workers in Box Cars Along
side-Trapped Man Sings to the
Other victims-$5oo.ooo Damage.

Pekin, Ill.-Two score of workers
persisted in an explosion and fire
which destroyed two buildings OF the
Corn Products Company plant here.
The property loss was over 100000.
The employment Office issued state
ment, listing "a to 40 persons as dead
or missing, % injured in hospitals.
II probably fatally hurt, and IA in
jured and removed to their homes.
Superintendent H. B. Lawton is
sued a statement that he could not
tell how many were killed, as some
workmen may have left the plant
without checking out"
The explosion, caused probably by
dust, rocked the countryside with vio-
lence Firemen from Pekin and
Peoria kept the flames in check, but
their efforts added to the difficulty
of relief workers by covering debris
with a heavy coating of ice.
Wives and families of the victims
did not congregate at the plant, but
kept coming and going in a steady
procession. induiring with quivering
lips for word of their loved ones.
Word went out that if it were pos
sible that the missing had survived
the explosion and fire, their lives
would by that time have been ended
by the cold.
Nearly all the dead. missing and in
jured are Americans, residents of this
little town, whose 1900 people were
torn with similar grief in 1917, when
the river steamer Columbia bore Sc
Pekin excursionists to grave in the
Illinois River.
State and Federal Investigations of
the explosion are in sight. George
NJ Moffett of New York City, vice
president and general manager OF the
Corn Products Company, directed
Superintendent H. B. Lawton to spare
no cost in rescue work, and invited
]. w. Pierce, engineer in charge Of
dust explosion Investigations of the
Department of Agriculture at Wash
ington, d. c., superintendent Of diyi-
sion which investigates explosions, to
conduct a full examination
There was no official who would
venture a guess as to the possible
cause Of the explosion. 1t was admit
ted, however, that a spark sufficient
to cause the crash might have come
from friction, or from defective cleo
trio wiring, or from a lighted match
or cigarette.
How the spark was set will always
remain a mystery, Superintendent
Lawton said he believed Workmen
never brought tobacco or matches to
work, and formerly were searched to
assure that no matches were carried.
Later, however, it was said that an
appeal was made to the honor and
self-interest of the workers, which
proved more effective.
There were 100000 pounds of
starch in the building destroyed,
which Chief Chemist R. F. Sherman
said contained II per cent moisture.
How starch of this moisture content
could have produced explosive dust
sufficient to cause the extreme dam
age done to the plant was a thing.
he added, that he could not explain.
AS darkness closed about the work
ers, a train-wrecker was still pulling
cautiously at the wreckage of five
box cars, in which nine leaders went
to their death, screaming prayers for
help The full force of the derrick
was not exerted for fear the pull
would bring down upon the score of
wreckers the remaining walls of the
ruins.
From before daylight until after
dark, Salvation Army lassie worked
among the relief crew, climbing over
recovered debris, carrying a steam
ing pot of coffee in one hand and a
basket of hot doughnuts in the other.
She was the wife OF Captain Herman
OF the Pekin corps. who, with her
husband, was on the ground frs.
among the outsiders who brought first
aid.