New Britain herald., 1930-05-23
YOUTHLOSES AUTO
 IN FACTORY BLAST
EnployeS Describe Experiences at Fireworks Plant Explosion

-hompsonyille, May 23-Altholgh not marked by loss of life or serious injury, yesterdays explosion at the New England Fireworks Manutac- turing company will lons remain i'm i pressed in the mind Of Albert Ga boury Of Springfield, q young man . employed at the plant, Not only dll . he receive a severe nervous shoca out lost his new automobile through fire. He was standing in small wooden shed when the eNplosloH occurred and ran into the woods to seek shelter In telling of how n goncusston knocked him 70 th> ground and prevented further Alghc Gabourv sad;
 -"I just couldn't run any further said n describing ms ner1e-Traca- ing experlerce. "I was n the shsI furthest from the plnwheel stor- age house with Carablne when ws heard q deep rumble followed hv terrific blast. We both ran to- wards the woods without turning to look at the sheds. Almost as soon as I got out of the clearing I was thrown to the ground and couldn't rlse. Small burning pieces ot fire. works were falling about me al though most Of the wrecEaSe was blown in the opposite direction.
 Drove in New Car
 Gabourv came to work yesterda" morning ln his new automobile. t was the first time he had used lr 70 70 10 his work and he left sC parked outside the workshop- One fire a]on- remained on the front right wheel There vas TO trace of the other three, ro- even small sliyers Of rub Der. Although the cap remained oH his gas tank the previously tlle- tank was found to be perfectly dr2 when he examined f after iii. wreckage cooled of. The car, which IS a complete wreck. was burned 70 its frame even the soldering n thu radiator being melted.
 Scattered around the large clear ing m which the buildings were sln-- zted were twisted sheets of in. charred boards. and exploded fire works containers Grass and even small trees were burned by the scat tered pyrorechrlcs.
 AlthouEh lar of the man road spectators focked 10 the scene O. 1he explosion. An aIrplane win newspapermen landed In nearby field and state police prohibited pub lie entrance 10 the grounds. Th- road leading to the scene Uas lined with 2 score Of parked automobiles and at the noon hour autoists mad their way toward the ruins ln largs numbers,
 Lawrence Carabine Of Springfield vas also on the grounds when th- explosion occurred. He was stand ing in a small wooden shed with G1- boury and fled into the woods with him
 T am accustomed 10 fireworks and discharge bombs almost daily" he said, but I never heard anything like the explosion. Two Of our sheds were literally blown to bits" He in dicated an open space where the buildings had once stood. Clashes in the ground and earth thrown about indicated their former l0ca- ton.
 No Idea of Cause
 T have no idea what caused tho explosion" he said but just natural heat is sometimes sufficient to caus4 q blast
 4 Rockville resident said that his home, 18 miles away. vas shaken by the explosion and that every win dow in the nejghbo-hood rattled
 Empty powder cans dotted the lor while police and spectators examin- ed the ruins. Overhead a second airplane circled about the field a q low altitude, although no attempt vas made 10 land.
 Paper, frame work for fireworks displays. wire, and the wooden han dles attached 10 rockets Uttered thu landscape, some more than a squara away from the buildings,
 Only 8 short distance from fine workshop stands the dynamite stor. age house, 2 shed miraculously sav ed from destruction. Workers coull not explain why this building escan. cd when those about it were blowr 10 bits, but all agreed that had th. storage shed renttat 3 catastroph. with probable loss oe life would havt resulted.
 Inside inc workshop vas 2 smolI dering mass of supplies and equip ment all "racked beyond reeognf tion.