San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-02
RECOVER 10 BODIES
Scene Resembles Those on
Battle Fronts Of
World War.
FIRE ADDS TO HORROR
First Terrific Blost Fol-
lowed by Lesser Rep
etitions.

Nixon, y. j., March 1.-Out of the
death. desolation and disaster that
visited this little industrial village
this morning after a terrific explosion.
followed almost at once by a series of
twenty repetitions. looms the name of
Miss Ruth Rockefeller. heroine.
Rescuers who entered the building
where the telephone exchange of the
Ammonite Company, Inc, was located.
found the young girl dead, her frail
body crushed by the weight of huge
beam, beside her switchboard
Sensing disaster at the first CON
cussion the brave girl rushed to her
switchboard, instead of fleeing to
safety, and hurriedly plugged IN ex-
tensions. shouting out an alarm.
And there death found hel.
As II by miracle, the fire demon.
which followed the series of blasts.
had spared her. Her hands still
grasped the switchboard cords which
she had deity handled number,rss
times. Her face appeared serenely
placid, almost smiling. as il some in
finite power had whispered to her as
she died:
We'll done, thou good and faithful
servant"
Many Are Killed.
Estimates b. officials of the death
toll ranged between - and 81. while
the number of injured placed ia 60.
Up to 10 30 o'clock the bodies Of
nineteen had been recovered and one
man was missing and believed dead.
Firemen were still battling the
flames. which have been serious
handicap to the rescue workers.
1t was definitely established to-
night thGt the first explosion occurred
in the Ammonite Company plant in
tanks of ammonium nitrate. The blast
was in field near big brick build
ing where workmen We're separating
ammonium nitrate from trinitrotoluol.
powerful explosive known at 4. y. T.
The series of lesser blasts followed.
The suddenness with which il cane
was perhaps the most terrifying. eie-
ment of the catastrophe. The peace
full town, basking in the spring-like
noon-day sun. became in Il few SEC
onds veritable hell on earth.
Nothing can describe the scene ex-
cept to COMPARE it with noon-day
heavy gun barraee on the western
Blast Comes Suddenly.
The almost inauiblc hum of in
dustry. the peaceful factories and out
buildings yellow in the sun-and then
the crash. Huge clots of mud an
brick, went HURTING toward the Skv
for hundreds of feet. blotting out the
sun in that territory. Then came
the sickening rain of bodies mingled
with the mud in the descent-Shapy-
less things, torn. bleeding. the mem
bers scattered.
1t came suddenly-the explosion. -
sudden that its victims had not eveu
a fighting chance for their lives.
The day was almost warm: work
men were in the fields. many of then
in their shirt sleeves, engaged II
treating chemically materials removed
from shells rejected by ordnance Of
ficers of the United States army. -
that it might serve the pursuits OF
peace-as fertilizer. stimulating the
development of growing things.
Noon was near. In the great office
building of the AmmOnitc Company,
about 500 feet from the plant. office
workers were diSpOsing of final de-
tails of the days work. \ bro0dins
silence rested over NiNOn--a silence
broken only by the noise of imple-
nents used by the men in the field.
As explosion followed explosion: the
long lines of huts and small buildings
rocked crafty. lurched and teppied
like toy houses, puSbed over by some
invisible hand. \ large tree. quar-.
ter of mile away. was snapped 9ft
four feet above the ground. Teis-
phone poles along the roads seemed
10 waver aud then crashed TO earth
Bodies Are Disnembered.
Then down on the suivery. torn
earth with the newls formed. dcsola'e
craterS through which wounded mei
crawled, bleeding. reaching out bands
from beneath loads of mud. crytnS
feebly like speaking dolls in $ thur
der storm-dowu on these miserable
items Of the dread picture a rain o,
finer dust began 70 settle from ~
crav sky beyond. while the sun still
smiled.
The known dead include: Mrs. Ar
thur Dumas. wife Of an employe OF the
plant, and her three children.
Miss Rockefeller and eighteen work