Evening star., 1956-03-29
Blast Leaves
Scores Injured
In Philadelphia
3 Still Missing;
So Million Explosion
jars 10-Block Area

PHILADELPHIA, Mar. 20 up.
Weary f1remen today poured
tons of water on the shoulder
ing wreckage of a demolished
granary where three men were
missing and feared dead from a
blast that cut a 10-block path
of damage through Philadel-
phia's 30th and Market streets
section last night.
Property damage was esti-
mated at SO million.
Equally weary police con-
tinued their emergency alert in
the area rocked by the tremen-
douS blast.
Four persons remained on the
critical list in hospitals.
The actual number of those
injured could not be pinpointed.
Eleven hospitals listed more than
100 treated for injuries ranging
from scratches to fractures.
Other persons were treated at
the scene.
The blast occurred shortly
before $40 o'clock last night.
Debris Over Wide Area
Not until the cold morning air
cleared away the pail of black
smoke today was the extent of
the destruction fully revealed.
AS far as the eye could see there
were broken windows, smashed
automobiles, scattered debris.
The scene of the explosion is
two blocks west Of the Schuyl-
kill River, which separates the
downtown portion of the city
from West Philadelphia.
Windows were shattered in the
massive stone Thirtieth street
station of the Pennsylvania
Railroad and the city's main post
Office building, both a block from
the blast.
Across the street from the
four-story blasted building-the
milling plant of the Tidewater
Mill & Elevator Co.-the new
Philadelphia Bulletin four-story
building took the full fury Of
the blast.
Windows were reduced to glass
powder, ceilings fell, partitions
were hammered out of shape
and Office furniture was over
turned.
Express Building Hard Hit
The Railway Express Building
adjoining the milling firm was
hard hit.
The force of the blast tore
down communications lines on
Market street, blasted away elec-
trio signs on nearby buildings
and showered the area with frag-|
ments of metal and wood.
Wilfred P. Sutton, general su-
perintendent of the milling firm.
said a million dollars might
cover the damage to his firm.
George Barrett, building su-
perintendent for the Bulletin,
said damage to that six-month-
old structure certainly would run
into "the many thousands of
dollars" and there were scores
of other buildings with lesser
damage.
The explosion was felt Is miles
away. The City Hall switch
board reported an estimated 25,-
900 telephone calls we're received
in a four-hour period.
Those closer to the scene gave
vivid accounts of their expert
ence.
Workmen in the demolished
plants warehouse said they were
alive "by miracle" An en-
ploye of nearby business place
said "it seemed as if a train
roared at us and then burst with
hellish fury"
Students Among Injured
Twenty-Five of the injured
were students at Drexel'S In
stitute's night college, less than
a block from the rear of the
granary.
The three missing were listed
as:
Edward johnson, a new en-
ploye of the grain firm, of Phila-
delphia.
Vyron Whilden, Dorchester,
N. j.
Arthur Harrell, Malaga, N. j.,
another driver employed by a
grain hauling company.
The explosion was blamed by
the milling company's night
superintendent, Samuel Purdy,
on collected dust.
Mr.. Purdy said he was at
See BLAST, Page AS