BIG T N T. EXPLOSION

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14647, 3 July 1918, Page 5

BIG T N T. EXPLOSION

TWO PERSON^ PERISH ; . : • f PITTSBUfeG'H (ItS.); May 18:.:. A seKies. of explosions of "T.N.T." m the Oakdale plant ;of the Aetna Ohemi'cal. Company,- lo'"' miles . west, of here, ab,out noon to-day, cost .the lives proibably. of : .2QP- persons, injured 150, and did propettek ; damage , ; . estimated ' , at £30C[,000. . The . ;. explosion ' filled the debrisji which is -.stilt' burniligi. • Officers of the company say tliat-da^s may pass I before thes exapt, loss -of life will be knqwn. . . first > explosion^ occurred jat upon , and ' was so slight that . nbj one was hurt.. It> caused ....little damage, but it: gave; the r! f employees ...warning, ■ and t : he,y. ;frdm .the building. . Many of them, howe.v.er;..w.ere: : .caiight m the next explosion, which' occurred a few minutes later,! and' immediately the plant burst • into flames. Three other explosions- follqwed, each., one. .scattering the ' burning r debris'. ; 'Some. .' of ' it 'fell among tthe .crpw.ds.that^had.gatheredfOn tih,evneigiib'or^ig.,hiilsides:Va^ of 'persons, svere.',h'uft.:; -ij^optionSj' bf^jthe wracked, b'uilding; : iffill tlje-f.)Panh£jodle railroad r;trac|cs) v ,^d^V!cmplflye^ .'o| the Qompanyj - fastened 'from Oak^ale to ,Carnegiej six > mites ay/ay, for'^elp, as jthe wires along the line, had ' : seen ' t blQ.wn down- by. ..the explosion.. ", A . wreck' ltraih was, made up.and s.^nt to ( th^ scene, ''^pj-' lowed quickly (by v re.lief;:traipi sent.ou.t by officers ol the Aetna • Company.. /.••■A detail of State troopers fi'om. &&. Cp&r stabulary -station; " near ,-: OakdTaler y/qs ordered to. ;.the-< place; .to >cofltrpl: the CEoi,yds, ! ;.and^ the/, S^heriffi of County tsent^a ;large. , fpr.ee. .p|.. deputies.- , TJh&vdriver, of a .grbcery^^aggbn," 1 hati a mile. f from',, the ,sjce"ne :p} jibe explosion, picked: up^ one bajdly' iiyui;ed:V vyorkman aiid thurried with\ him' .to . the' nearest hospital. .. ....... ,, X ■■„;;.' '.;..,. w ;;. ' Miss.' Meryl AschetmanJ.of NeW:Phila. delphia, 0., a. nurse,, had a°leg blown off by. one ai the explosions. In company with others, she was carrying an injured man on a stretcher, when she was knocked down by the force of the blast. The patient . Vas = killed. Other (persons were injured when a .quantity of sulphuric, acid, which : had' escaped ' from; the , plant and found, its wivy.ijitb 'a iriiall stream, $as . fired: . by ;spa!rl^ from, the burning, buildings. Qri a hilftop,: fully 'half a t'lnile, fi'bm ; , .thei acerie of the explosion ? two pil derricks were flaming high, "having 1 been fired by sparks.