The daily worker., 1926-06-17
fContinued from nage u


killed, while the official report was 2
or 3. only The DAILY WORKER at
that time carried the facts regarding
the actual number of dead.
The Disaster.
With a terrific roar that was heard
for miles the great slate and steel roof
and the second story of the giant
building was hurled into the air and
shattered into splinters, then the brick
walls seemed to sway inward and
second explosion threw brick, slate,
pieces Of steel and other particles Of
the building a distance OF $50 feet.
Workers crowded in the plant were
blown to fragments. Arms and legs
were torn from their sockets and scat
tered thru the air with the other ma
terial used to turn the by-products of
the coke plant into profits for the steel
trust. Blazing Goals from the $40
ovens added to the horror, while acid
watts at the sides OF the building burst
and the scalding fluid poured over
the men lying pinioned beneath the
wreckage or trying to escape.
Within a few seconds after the ex-
plosion in the main plant the flames
reached an Open-air section and
ignited by-product stills filed with hot
tar and creosote. This flaming liquid
poured in streams thru the holes in
the shattered walls of the main build
ing covering the wreckage with its
imprisoned victims in the basement
of the building to a depth of five feet.
Company Is Responsible.
Carelessness Of the company is
directly responsible for the frightful
disaster as workers in the plant had
complained for weeks Of the escaping
gas from pipe lines. 1t is not known
and probably never will be known
where the explosion started as the
entire by-products plant is devoted
to extracting highly inaammable and
explosive material from the residue
left over in the process of turning
coal into coke for the furnaces of the
steel mills. Benzol, napthalene and
toluene, crude material used for the
manufacture Of the high powered ex-
plosive. trinotrotoloul (TNT) are ex-
tracted as part Of the by-products.
The company declares that it will
not make any statement regarding the
probable cause Of the disaster until a
thoro investigation has been made.
Suppress Information.
As soon as the explosion occurred
orders were sent out to the company
police force, small sized army that
guard the plants night and day, not to
permit anyone to enter. Hundreds of
relatives of workers in the by-products
plant besieged the gates, but were all
refused admittance and in reply to
queries regarding the fate OF the work
ers were told that it was the affair of
the company and they would get in
formation when the company chose to
give It to them and not before.
Ambulances and undertakers
wagons rushed in and out the gates
at break-neck speed, carrying away
the dead and wounded.
Most Of the victims were taken to
the big brick company hospital that
SITS outside the gates and across the
railroad tracks Of the New York
Central where they were laid out in
rows in the halls on improvised cots
and many Of them on the floor when
cots were no longer available.
The groan of the victims could be
heard for a block. until the attendants
succeeded in administering ether and
other anaesthetics to quiet them.
After a few hours relatives were
permitted to enter the hospital, which
had the appearance of a slaughter
house. Many of the victims still alive
are doomed. The hospital authorities
state that at least twenty Of the sur
vivors will die Of their injuries. Most
Of them are Negro workers, who were
the majority employed in the plant
that for want Of another name, is
sometimes referred TO as a "1abora-
tory"
Onuertakers Terrorlzed.
At two undertaking establishments
in the Negro district that covers an
enormous territory, no information
could be obtained regarding the iden-
tity Of the dead men, altho Il was
possible to view the bodies. Within
a short time after the disaster The
DAILY WORKER representative was
on the scene and when he first viewed
the bodies OF the victims they we're
still in their working clothes. Seven
Negroes in all were in the two estab-
lishments-four in one and three in
the other.
The undertakers refused TO give the
names Of the victims and when press
ed for the reason for their refusal
said that 1t was orders from the com
pany. One OF them said, "They give
us business and we have to respect
their wishes"