FUNERAL OF VICTIMS OF EXPLOSION TUESDAY 

John Phillips and William Walters killed at DuPont Mill Saturday. 

Fairchance, February 20, 1911

Funeral services for John Phillips and William Walters, who were killed in the DuPont Powder mill explosion Saturday afternoon, will be held from their home Tuesday afternoon.   Norman Collins, the survivor who was badly burned, is at the Uniontown hospital, and although conscious his condition is not very favorable.  Collins was blown through an open door and burned and stunned.  He is 26 years of age.  If Collins improves and is able to attend Deputy Coroner, Dr. S.E. Hibbs will set the date for the coroner’s inquest.  The explosion was in the corning mill, a 16 x 24 building, which was completely demolished.  The damage was confined to this mill and will not amount to more than $1000.  No cause is assigned and it will have to be developed at the inquest.  The corning mill will be rebuilt at once. 

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MONDAY IN FAIRCHANCE IS DAY OF FUNERALS
Fairchance, February 21^st, 1911

Monday was a day of funerals in Fairchance and four solemn, sorrowful processions wended their way to different cemeteries to lay loved ones at rest.  During the morning the funerals of the two victims of the DuPont powder mill explosion were held, bot at White Rocks church, with intement in the church cemetery.  Rev. W.G. Cole of the M.P. Church officiated at each service.  The funeral of John Phillips occurred at 9 O’Clock. 

Then at 11 O’Clock were the services for William Walters.  This was made more impressive by the presence of the Patriotic Sons of America, who attended in a body.  The pallbearers were Oliver Balley, E.F. Gribble, Jonathan Laughrey, Guy A. Wilson, Russell Humphreys and Harry Shananberger. 

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Three days after the eleventh anniversary of the explosion of the Rand powder plant when 19 men lost  their lives, the powder in the press mill, a small charge house, and the wheel mill of the DuPont Powder Company, near Oliphant, let go yesterday afternoon demolishing the buildings, tearing great holes in the ground,  and killing   all three of the work men employed at that time in the press mill.  In as much as these three men were the only ones in that part of the plant where the explosion occurred, the exact cause will probably never be known.  It is estimated that about 3,000 pounds of powder exploded.  The explosion occurred at 1:40 o’clock.

The dead are:

JAMES ROBINSON, aged 51 years, married, and a resident of Fairchance.
WILLIAM COX, aged 28 years, married, and a resident of Georges Township
JOHN BROCH. an Italian, aged about 35 years, single, and a resident of Georges township

Just at 1:40 a heavy explosion was heard, followed a few seconds later by one less heavy, and then by another heavy blast.  Windows were shaken   in Fairchance and also in Uniontown which is some six miles away.  Numberous panes were broken in Brownfield, about a mile away, while not a bit of glass was even cracked at the home of Miss Eva Laughead, about a half mile away. Smoke was seen to rise from the vicinity of the du­ Pont plant shortly after the explosions occurred. 

Although no information was obtain­able at the time, every one seemed to believe that the explosions had occured at the duPont mill, and automo­bile loads from Fairchance, Union­town and all the surrounding country were soon on their way to the scene. Chief of Police James Daugherty, of Fairchance, however, was one of the first to arrive at the plant, and with  the asslistance of employees of the company,  prevented the curious from gaining admittance, the road to the scene of the explosion being roped off and closely guarded.

Meanwhile, Superintendent  0. M. Dulany had taken active charge of the work that was to be done immediately after the explosion and systematic search was made for the bodies of the men who had been working in the press mill at the time the powder in that building went up, followed within a short time by that in the two adjoining structures.

At first there was nothing to be seem but the holes in the ground, and then there was found a foot, which later proved to have been that of Cox.   The body of Robinson was then
found about 150  ft  from the destroyed mill, and. the greater part of that of Cox was discovered about the same distance from the structure but in another direction.’ The remains of Broch were about 175 feet from the scene of  the.first explosion. The bodies were not found, however_,  until late in the afternoon. The three buildings, which were of sheet iron, were blown to bits.  The remains of the three  men were placed in charge of Undertaker  R. D. Nixon of Fairchance.

Immediately after the explosion occurred, physicians were hurried from
FaIrchaiice and from  Uniontown. Drs. 0 R.  Altman: A. E. Crow and J. D. Sturgeon
responding from here. There were, however, no injured men, the only ones harmed
being the three who were instantly killed. 

The men had been at work just about 40 minutes  when   the powder let go, hurling them to death, the shift having gone on duty at one o’clock. Superintendent Dulany, who was in charge at the plant when the explo­sion occurred, said that the cause will probably never be known, the only men who would be in a position to know having been instantly killed.  

No one is suspected of having inten­tionally destroyed the mills, there having been no suspicious person seen in the vicinity of the plant, and it is believed that it was nothing more than an accident such as might occur at any time. The damage had not been estimated last night; but it is believed certain that it will be less than $10,000. The plant has never manufactured any but black blasting powder.

Sam Cox, a brother of the William Cox, killed yesterday, was injured in an explosion at the du Pont plant about  six months ago, but has almost recovered from his injuries. William Cox was a brother-in-law of Everett Schrader. 

When the first explosion was heard in Uniontown, it was believed that an extra heavy blast had been set off somewhere in the city, but when the second was heard and smoke was seen rising from the vicinity of the du Pont plant, memories of the Rand explosion of 1905 were recalled and hundreds set out toward the du Pont plant.
 
The Rand explosion occurred shortly  after 9 o’clock the morning of Sat­urday, September 9, 1905, and was so violent that windows were broken and buildings rocked in Uniontown, while; the force was felt even as far as Brownsvtlle. At that time it was estimated that 375,000 pounds of powder and 150 pounds of dynamite let go, the entire plant, which was valued at approximately $200,000, being destroyed. There were 36 men on duty at the time, and 19 of these were killed, the majority of them being blown to bits. Great trees in the vi­cinity of the plant that had withstood heavy storms for years were stripped of their leaves and branches and many of them were uprooted by the violence.

Thousands of persons from all parts of Western Pennsylvania   went to the scene of the disaster later in the day and on the following days to see the enormous damage that had been done, there being several great cavities in the surface of the earth where the mills had once stood.

The plant at the time of the explosion consisted of mixing mill, glazing mill, two presses, corning mill, pan house. two magazines, soda beater, and dry pans, and in almost less time; than the twinkling of an eye the whole was wiped away.   …end 

FUNERALS OF THREE MILL VICTIMS  9/12/1916 

Funeral services for John Robinson, one of the victims of Tuesday’s explosion at the duPont powder plant, will be held from the home at 3 o’clock this afternoon instead of 2 o’clock as originally stated with interment in the White Rocks cemetery.  The Patriotic Order Sons of America will be in charge.  The services for John Broch will be held in the Fairchance Catholic church Friday morning at 9 o’clock with Rev. Father Trefy in charge.  Interment will be in the Brownsville Cemetery. 

The Body of William Cox, the third man killed, was sent to West Virginia for burial.    …end

NO CAUSE FOUND FOR EXPLOSION    9/12/1916.............................

Official investigation of the explosion at the Oliphant plant of the du Pont Powder company which claimed the lives of three men was made yesterday by W.L. Scott, of Wilmington, Del. Division superintendent for the company.  No cause, however, was found.  Superintendent Dulaney stating that doubtless note ever will become known.  Mr Scott commended Mr. Dulaney for the manner in which he handled the emergency. 

Virtually all of the bodies of the three vicitims was found, Superintendent  Dulaney said.  Employees of the plant worked diligently yesterday afternoon to collect the fragments of the three bodies, finding an arm here, then a hand, and a leg or foot there.  As the victims of the explosion were of different size identification was not difficult, the remains being assembled and removed to the R.D. Nixon morgue at Fairchance.

A mule, it developed yesterday, was killed in the explosion that in addition to claiming three lives wrecked the press mill, charge house and wheel mill.  The mule was used to haul a truck between the corning mill and the press mill, being hurled about 40 feet by the explosion.   

CORNING MILL LETS GO AT THE POWDER PLANT
Two men are instantly killed this morning
in Du pont mill, near Oliphant.
 But no one was injured

 Muffled detonation heard throughout section
gave notice that deadly explosive had again let go---
men killed were well known.

THE DEAD

Albert Walters, unmarried, aged 23,
son of James A Walters of Fairchance,
member of Camp 138 POS of A.

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At 7:52 o’clock this morning a muffled detonation, ominous sound to thousands of residents of this section. Followed by a long, high, white smoke spiral indicated to Uniontown that another powder explosion had just occurred and that the ever menacing explosive was again on a rampage.  The location was quickly ascertained (to be) in the Corning Mill of the Dupont Powder Company in the hollow between  Fairchance and Oliphant.

Young Walters and Garner were the only employees of the mill and (were) in the regular routine of their work when the vast quantity of powder stored there let go.  Superintendent Dulany went immediately to the scene of the explosion and did what was possible  under the circumstances.  His assistant in the Dupont office was unable to state either what quantity of powder was stored in the corning mill or what the amount of the damage was.

The dead men were both well known and popular in Fairchance and today there is sorrow in many homes.  The families of the ill fated 26 who were killed in the Rand holocost of October 1905 and the surviviors of other fatal explosions of both the DuPont and Rand factories all were sympathetic and as helpful as possible to the bereaved families.

Albert Walters was a life long resident of Fairchance, a member of the P O S of A and prominent and active in all civic life of the community.  

Arthur Garner was well known though not living in this section as long as Walters.  He was a brother-in-law of Isaac  McDonald of Fairchance and lived with his father, William Garner Sr at Oliphant. When living in Kittanning, he joined the Tenth Regiment being a member of Company K.  The fact that there were no other employees used in the corning mill is all that kept the fatalities to the size that they were as all who were in the mill would have likely been killed as were Walters and Garner.