TEN GIRLS BURNT TO DEATH

Evening Star, Issue 17954, 27 April 1922, Page 5

TEN GIRLS BURNT TO DEATH

DUDLEY CARTRIDGE EXPLOSION. Ten girls are dead and thirteen others are lying seriously injured in the Guest Hospital at Dudley as the result of an explosion which occurred to-day in a small workshop at Dudley Port (wrote a correspondent of ‘ The Times ’ on March 6). The accident occurred at the works of Air L. K. Knolcs, a metal dealer, and I at the time of the explosion the girls were engaged in dismantling rifle cartridges, of which tho firm recently bought 160 tons from the Government. ! Tho explosion occurred shortly before midday, when about fifty women and girls were at work. One of the cartridges, it is stated, exploded, and dis- i charged others which were lying about. It seems certain, too, that a quantity of loose powder, which had been emptied from the cartridges, also exploded. The roof of the building was blown away, and all the windows were wrecked. Afore than half the girls in the shop received terrible injuries. Their clothing was torn from their bodies by the shock of the explosion, their skins scorched, and their hair was burned by the flames. Some of them fell unconscious to the ground ; others, in agony of pain, ran out into the adjoining yard, shrieking and panic-stricken. Mr Chadwick, the manager of tho : works, had left the shop just before tho explosion. Ho returned at once, and ho and others pushed into the room and tried with such means as they had at their disposal to smother the ilames. They afterwards dragged the helpless and unconscious women out of the building. Vehicles of all kinds wore requisitioned to take the girls to hospital. When they arrived there all the beds were found to be occupied, and convalescent cases had to be discharged in baste and a male ward commandeered. Many of the girls on admission were so scorched as to bo almost unrecognisable. Tho number of deaths from the explosion had increased by the following day to thirteen. Eleven others were said to be in a precarious condition. Among tho girts who were in tho factory was a four-teen-year-old child named Gladys Williams, whose hands, eyes, and legs were injured, but not seriously. Describing the explosion, she said : “ I heard a fizzing sound and then a loud report. I ran to the door to get out, but tho stove was blown up and tho falling piping struck me across the nose and blocked up tho door. I had to wait until someone piuhed the door open. My pal, who was standing by me, was killed instantly.” It was then possible to give a rrore connected theory as to the cause of the explosion. It was stated that in the rush to got through as much work as possible the factory floor had become strewn with gunpowder intermixed with live cartridges, and it was bdlieved one of these was detonated by a kick from a boot with a nail projecting. The explosion was so violent that not one of the injured girls was recognisable except when she spoke. Their bodies were badly mutilated. Public funds were opened, the relatives being too poor, owing to unemployment, to bury their dead.