New Britain herald., 1927-04-23
Fire Follows Explosion in Paint Shop of Briggs Manufacturing Com- pany Early This Morn- ing.
Checkup Shows 26 Victims Taken to Various City Hospitals-One Man Is Blown Through Plate Glass Window.


 Detroit, April g tP}-At least a score of men are believer to have | henn killed and 50 or more others burned and injured, some probably | fatally, in a fire that swept the main buildings Of the Briggs Nanu- !, featuring Company plant after an explosion i'll the paint shop this | morning.
 Many In Hospitals. Ambulances took q dozen or more loads of injured 10 various hospitals. At Receiving hospital, where 2G in iured were brought. pr. Thomas k. Gruber, superintendent. said that probably t~ o-thirds Of them would die. The dead were believed to be buried under the wreckage of the building. More than an hour after the explosion search still was being made for victims.
 
 the plant contained large quantities of paints and varnishes, used in au- omobile body finishing, hampered efforts at rescue work. More than 2,o0o persons were at work in the building at the time of the oxplo- sion.
 Flames Spread Rapidly.
 nst ,,5 ;,,i cd in the plants first aid station, but this had to be abandoned when the flames spread to that part of the building
 Most of the injured were victims of the heavy smoke and fumes that spread soon after the explosion.
 As the fire continued more than an hour and a half after the eXplo- sions, occupants Of nearby houses and stores were directed 10 vacate immediately. Police lines were es- tablishei 500 feet around the plant. The cause of the explosion was not determined but workman ex- pressed the belief Q short circuited motor was responsible.
 Adolph Hussoy. truck driver. described the detouation as follows: T had just delivered an order to s store across the street from the plant and was coming out of the store when l heard the explosions. There Were two of them, one after the other. The whole wall seemed to crunple up and fall into the street. and bricks and stones were everywhere.
 "A man was blown through the glass of one of the large windows alonr the street. Another man and I helped to pick him up and sent him to the hospital. He was in jurcd seriously.
 At 10:2O o'clock the walls on the Harper avenue side of the building collapsed and the fire spread 10 the opposite side of the street. Resi- dents of the house and shops there began to yacate the buildings.
 story of Survivor
 Floyd King. 20. checker working on the third floor of the building, who escaped with slight burns, said "It was like standing in the mouth of 8 cannon, while it was being eX- pIoded''
 The first explosion. he said, came without warning and was followed 2 second later by a soaring sheet o' fame that engulfed a spraying room v-her, 50 men were working.
 Ut came like q clap of thunder King said. Then everything be- came fire. The fire passed over m, head like a. wave and burned my hair. I started running for m! clothes 10 get my money and m. street car tickets.
 "I mad taken no more than half dozen steps when some one bumped against mo and knocked me down felt to the floor. While I wa struggling to get up the floor leape( into flames and I was burned on th' shoulder and arms.
 T was lncky." he said. "1 don know what happened to the othe men. know that their clothe seemed to shrivel into rags whel the sheet of fire hit them. Tn room was like a furnace. Flame and cries and shouts. ] got out quick as I could
 Abraham Mayors, 3S. one of si men working in a sanding room o' inc third floor, described the bias as follows:
 "I was working behind a bod when all of a sudden there came a awful crash and the next minut everything was flame. The fam didn't touch me. due to the body protection. I backed against wal and burned my arm. The wall wa in famcs.'
 Alphonse Roulette. 40, of Sand wich. Ont. working in an assemblin room on the fifth floor, said that frs thero was a i-lfcning crash an that then the floor raised up unde me like an earthquake. I was throw into the air"
 Scenes at Receiving hospital, cit institution where many of the vic tins were taken. resembled dress ing station during the world war.
 All available surgeons were rush