T.N.T. Explosion At Burlington Ordnance Plant

CUMMINGS, DAVIS, DONNELLY, ELMORE, GORE, HAGELSTANGE, HAINLINE, HOEFLE, HOPKINS, MCKAY, PERRY, PETTIT, PRATT, ROBBINS, SHILLERSTROM, STUTEVILLE, TEAL, WEHRLE, WEIHER

Posted By: Volunteer: Sherri
Date: 9/28/2014 at 08:56:45

**Handwritten: Rec-Rep. 18 Dec. 1941

T.N.T. Explosion At Burlington Ordnance Plant

A terrific T.N.T. explosion in unite No. 1, a melting unit of the Iowa ordnance plant near Burlington brought death to at least seven men and brought much damage to the three story building.

Among the blast victims was Lyle M. Teal of Keosauqua who died of head injuries on Saturday morning. He is 27 years old, a son of Mrs. Dana Teal of Keosauqua, and had been employed at the ordnance plant since selling the Sugar Bowl Café at Keosauqua which he had operated for several years.

Lyle Teal, William Lloyd Pratt of Stockport and Charles Elmore of Fairfield were working around a cooling vat when the explosion came in the room above them, Pratt was injured on the head, also bruised and at this writing is still in the hospital. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Pratt of Stockport and the husband of Garnet Hainline formerly of Bonaparte. Elmore was also taken to a hospital, but was released Saturday.

Louis Robbins, 33, did not return as usual to his home at Pittsburg and was reported missing.

He is a son of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Robbins of Martinsburg, Iowa. Surviving are one daughter, Joan; his wife, formerly Fern Reed of Pittsburg, and two brothers, Norris of Grandview and Harry of Burlington.

He is also a nephew of Mrs. James Hagelstange and Charles Davis of Bonaparte.

Twenty-one men were taken to Burlington and Mercy hospitals in Burlington. Several were treated at the field hospital of the plant.

This building was the first of 12 in this shell loading line. Robert Weiher of Bonaparte is employed in the shipping department in the last building about a quarter of a mile from the building which was wrecked from the building was wrecked by the explosion.

Mr. Weiher said that he and other men from building No. 12 ran to a bomb shelter where they remained about two hours according to instructions.

Aaron V. Donnelly of Bonaparte is employed as inspector in the third building of line No. 1 but he was not on duty at the time of the accident.

The identified dead are Lyle M. Teal, Keosauqua; E.S. Shillerstrom, Agency; Pearly J. Pettit, Lansing; John K. Cummings, Bunch; Woodrow Wehrle, Rome; and J.D. Stuteville, Chariton.

The six who are missing and believed to be dead are L.E. Robbins, Keosauqua; Wayne P. Hoefle, Ft. Madison; Tracy A. Perry, West Burlington; Virgil Hopkins, Middletown; Gora Gore, Bloomfield; and R.I. McKay, Washington, Iowa.

Source: Van Buren Co. Genealogical Society Obituary Book D, Page 143, Keosauqua Public Library, Keosauqua, IA