Evening star., 1944-03-07
Woman Killed,
Five Injured in
Bureau Blast
Bride Is Victim;
Had Been on Job
Only Il Days


Hurled through a second
story window by an explosion Of
a gasoline mixture being used In
experiments at the Bureau Of
Standards, Mrs. Lorene B.
Chandler, 81, died early today at
Emergency Hospital.
Two of five persons injured ~
the blast, DR.. Frank L. Howard, 80.
Of 9702 Lawndale drive, Silver
Spring, and Mrs. Marie r. White.
sell, ~, Of 2207 K street NV, were
reported In fair condition today at
Providence Hospital.
Thomas Woods Mears, Is, Of 623
Oneida place NV. was discharged
from the same hospital after be-
ing treated for burns. Mrs. Roberta
Cleaton, AZ, Of 6504 Florida street,
Chevy Chase, Md, who was working
in the adjoining office and was cut
by flying glass, was discharged yes.
terday after being treated at the
bureaus dispensary.
Employed Only IL Days.
Mrs. Chandler, q bride of eight
months, had been employed at the
laboratory only IL days and had ac-
cepted the position against the
wishes of her husband, Ensign Law
renee F. Chandler, u. s. N. r. The
husband is on duty here, but friends
of the family said he had been ex.
pecting transfer.
Mrs. Chandler received several
blood transfusions last night, but
failed to rally. She died at 3:15 am.
today.
Details of the cause of the blast
were not given out by bureau ON
cials and none OF the victims could
explain 1t, although 1t Is believed
there were two explosions.
DR.. Lyman ]. Briggs, director Of
the Bureau of Standards, issued q
statement saying the group was
working on an urgent war project
to make our aviation gasoline bet-
ter. It was an explosion of one Of
the mixtures on which they were
working"
The accident, which occurred
about $3.50 pm, brought three am
balances and large amount OF IRE
fighting apparatus to the scene, but
not until the emergency equipment
appeared at the guarded entrance
to the grounds was any one aware
that anything was amiss. Army ON
lcials Immediately took command Of
the situation and barred reporters
and photographers from the scene.
The Army also carefully guarded
details Of the experiment which waS
being made at the time.
Blown Through Doorway.
Mr.. Mears, a graduate Of the Uni
versity of Maryland who had been
employed at the bureau since 1889,
told reporters he didn't know what
caused the explosion, but that 1t
blew him through q doorway into
the corridor. He said Miss Whltesell
ran past him rs he lay on the floor,
screaming and with her clothes
abalze. He jumped UP and with q
co-worker, G. S. Bruce, ran after her
and dragged her into shower to
extinguish the fire.
Mrs. Cleaton told reporters she
went to the door to investigate the
first blast and believes that second
shattered the glass in the door. She
saw Mrs. Chandler lying on the
ground as she ran to the medical
ofiice to summon help.
DR.. Howard, who received q bro.
ken leg as well as severe burns, was
blown through the same window a.
Mrs. Chandler. A native of Pueblo.
Colo, he moved to Hyattsville as q
boy. attended high school there and
later graduated from the University
Of Maryland. He was awarded his
Phi. D. degree at Maryland in 1898.
He is married and has an 18-month-
old daughter.
Was Native of Nebraska.
Mrs. Chandler and her husband
were natives of Bellevue, Nebr.,
where her parents and one sister
still live. After their marriage last
June, Mrs. Chandler returned to
Washington with her husband, re-
naming here until September, when
she returned to the University Of
Nebraska, where she was in her
senior year. In November she de-
cided to come to Washington to
remain with her husband while he
was on duty here.
Ensign Chandler also is a grad.
uate Of the University Of Nebraska,
according to Mrs. Mae Turner, in
whose home he had lived since
coming here. His brother, Herbert
G.. Chandler, also is in the Navy
and had been on duty in Washing
ton until January /, when he was
transferred to Chicago.
Miss Whitesen, a graduate Of
Dunbarton College, where she ma
jored in chemistry, had been EN-.
ployed at the bureau about a year.
according to her mother, and was
working with DR.. Howard on one
phase of the experiment.