The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-09-13
Smouldering RuinsO
 Powder Plant Probed
Continued From Page D

, the scene. The toll had grown short- ly after a. m. when the two in- jured workmen taken to the Memo rial hospital at Morristown, died. There were 69 seriously injured in the General Hospital at Dover and IA in the All Souls hospital at Morristown.
 Ten of the dead were found on wooded hill about 300 feet from the solvent recovery building where the first explosion occurred. Sur 1 vivors said they heard a faint blast and saw flashes of fire through the windows of that building before the first big explosion, and rescue work CTS believed that the 10 men had run to the hill when the fire started and had been caught by the full force of the big explosion before they reached the summit. Their deaths prevented investigators learning what had happened at the origin of the disaster.
 One rescue worker who had helped remove the 10 bodies from the hill side said, When we quit work at dark we still saw the twisted bodies of more dead farther on in the black underbrush. don't know how many more bodies will be found in the underbrush but my guess is 1t will be considerable number"
 The investigators sought any shred of evidence that this was an- other "Black Tom" case.
 Didn't Look Good
 Mai. Charles H. Schleffel of the state police said, Some of the peo- pie employed in that (Hercules) plant did not look so good" Hunt said, we checked very thoroughly the lists of German American Bund members supplied by Sheriff Denton J. Quick of Sussex county Qocation of Camp NordlanO and we failed to find a single Bund member on our payrolls. am satisfied that there is no sign of sabotage"
 The disaster began in a unit com pleted only last week, the solvent recovery building. It was 8 one story brick structure. 150 by 40 feet with a corrugated iron roof, where 16000 pounds of smokeless powder was being subjected to a drying out" process. Survivors from nearby buildings said there was first a dull roar, followed by flames from the windows of the solvent recovery building, then an earth-shaking blast that tore the building to pieces. A few seconds later there was another terrific blast as seven more build- ings in the production line, con- taining 34,000 pounds of explosive were touched of.
 The two great explosions, at 1:3( D. m. yesterday, were heard for 5( miles and shook buildings in New York and Connecticut, 75 miles away I Many townspeople here were injured by glass flying from shattered win dow paneS.
 A puzzling feature was reported at New York,s Fordham University where the Seismologist, Father Jos eph Lynch, said his instruments re- corded a minor explosion at 12:08 p m. approximately 34 miles away = the distance of Kenvil-and the big explosion at 1:29.30 p. m. He be- Ieved the 12:08 blast was fairly deep underground. possibly in one oi the Hercules plant vaults where nitroglycerine is stored. Investigator. here said the nitroglycerine tank l buried beneath A hill near the nlant had not exploded.
 Casualty List May Grow
 Rescue workers believed that tht casualty list would grow all day Some of the ruins, covering more than a square mile, had not beer explored for bodies, and several o1 the injured were near death. Smal dynamite drums lay on the grounds a peril to the rescuers. One of then exploded early this morning with { rear heard several miles away.