TNT Unit Destroyed; Fairfield, Ollie & Oskaloosa Men Victims

CARVER, DAVIS, DAY, EDGERLY, ENGLAND, GILES, GODDARD, GREINER, HANSELL, HUGHES, KEITH, KLONTZ, MIKELS, MURRAY, POPEJOY, VANSICKLE, VOORHEES, WYATT, ZIMMERMAN

Posted By: Volunteer: Sherri
Date: 3/9/2014 at 18:35:54

TNT Unite Destroyed; Fairfield, Ollie and Oskaloosa Men Victims.

By Paul Hansell.

Burlington. - (AP) - An earth-rocking blast that jarred the countryside for 20 miles around killed at least 16 workman and injured 42 others shortly before midnight last night at the Iowa ordnance plant.

The explosion, which demolished a TNT melt unit in the shell-loading plant, was the second in less than three months for the sprawling 20,000-acre munitions factory. A similar blast December 12 claimed the lives of 13 workman.

Maj. J.H. Edgerly, chief of production control, said the disaster was due to an explosion of amatol, a mixture of ammounium nitrate and TNT.

Coroner R.O. Giles said an exact count of the dead was difficult, partly because of the mangled condition of some of the bodies.

He asserted 15 and possibly 16 bodies had been removed and he
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BLAST FAILS TO DETER JOB HUNTERS
Burlington.-(AP)-The second deadly blast within three months at the Iowa ordnance plant appeared today to have had little effect on the desire for employment there.

A long double line of job seekers extended this morning along the sidewalk outside the downtown office of Day & Zimmerman, Inc., operators of the plant.
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had a report two more had been found, but a crane would be required to free them.

11 Bodies Identified.

Day & Zimmerman, Inc., operators of the plant, listed the following identified as dead:

PEARL CLIFFORD CARVER, 37, Mt. Pleasant
HARTZELL POPEJOY, 36, Fairfield
HAROLD KLONTZ, 22, Ollie
KENNETH N. VAN SICKLE, 34, Rock Island, Ill.
ANDREW JACQUES VOORHEES, 33, Rariton, Ill.
WILLIAM BUFORD ENGLAND, 23, Colusa, Ill.
HERSCHEL H. GODDARD, 30, Oskaloosa
HAROLD R. WYATT, 27, Keosauqua
R.L. MURRAY, 41, East Moline, Ill.
GROVER C. KEITH, 45, Cedar Rapids
LAWRENCE G. GREINER, 29, Keota

Those critically hurt included:
Clyde Hughes, Cincinnati, iowa
Wilbur Davis, Bloomfield; eye injury, burns
Carl E. Mikels, Ft. Madison; serious burns

Popejoy and Kloontz died at hospitals here from injuries suffered in the explosion. The former's wife was at his bedside.

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