My father was working at the Hercules Powder Plant when the explosion happened. He brought home a melted piece of concrete to show us what happened in the explosion. I was very young at the time & did not know how many people were injured or died. I was just happy to see my father. I knew that he worked with the dynamite. Phyllis > From the Stanhope Eagle, Thursday, September 19, 1940 - > > KENVIL POWDER EXPLOSION > > The multiple explosions at the Hercules Powder plant near Kenvil about > 1:30 > last Thursday afternoon have so far resulted in the loss of forty-nine > lives; > serious injuries to possibly fifteen more, and slight injuries and shock > to > about 200. > Apparently the two large explosions were preceded by a fire in the new > "solvents recovery" plant, and these were followed by a series of > explosions > in the isolated buildings of the "B-line" group. The cause of any such > fire > is unknown, as there was a "match" search by officials only an hour before > the > blast. The fire which followed the explosions continued well in Friday. > Immediate calls were sent out for all doctors, nurses, ambulances, > rescue > squads and fire departments in this area. All other persons were kept out > of > the plant grounds. Uninjured employees were used in aiding the rescue > work, > which was performed amid danger as there was still many tons of explosives > untouched and not far from the fire. Many tons of nitro-glycerin were > buried > underground in an adjacent hill, but this did not go off. > The plant manufactures nitro-glycerin, dynamite and smokeless powder, > and > it was the latter section which went up. The first two were not injured > to a > great extent, and their production will go on, while new smokeless powder > units are being built. > There has been much speculation as to whether the blast was accidental > or > the resulf of sabotage. Investigations are being conducted by plant > officials, the FBI, State Police, the Dies Committee of Congress and > intelligence officers of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps, but none of > their > findings have been given out to the public. > Particular praise should be given to the State Police, local police, > doctors, ambulance men and uninjured employees for their untiring work in > getting the injured out of the fallen and burning buildings and on their > way > to hospitals. Dover General Hospital treated well over 200 persons (their > capacity is only 104 beds.) and others were taken to the two Morristown > hospitals. Washinton. The suffering >> > passengers were riding practically in open air with a keen wind blowing >> > > > Posted by Kirsten in MD, with thanks to Thea Dunkle for sending me this > article. > > I wonder what, if anything, the investigations turned up. Sabotage? > Or > did they still not have needed safety procedures? I wonder if the > upcoming > war caused production pressures that contributed to this tragedy. > > There are obituaries for six men who died as a result of the blast > immediately below the article. They were Harold E. OBDYKE, Edward E. > ALLEN, > Ralph A. GRANATO, Nicholas PISANO, John ANDICO, and Natalino J. > FERRANIALO. > > Here is a list of the dead; SURNAMES on the following lists are not all > CAPS. > > IT IS DIFFICULT TO TELL THE NUMBERS 3 AND 8 APART on my copy; so be > warned > that some ages may be incorrectly transcribed! > > Edward E. Allen, 20, Budd Lake > John P. Andico, 27, Netcong > Harold A. Baker, 28, Dover > J. F. Barnish, Dover > Harry L. Beck, 29, Patchogue, L. I. > Jesse E. Bennett, 67, Dover > William T. Black, 32 or 82, Flanders > Stewart Carroll, 26, Morristown > Vernon A. Cocking, 33, Kenvil > Raymond T. Corby, 50, Rockaway > Wiley Dejong, 35, Mendham > Evart J. Dunn, Kenvil > Edward Extrom, Kenvil > R. H. Ethan Fancher, 22, Succasunna > Natalino Ferranialo, 26, Port Morris > Ralph A. Granato, 22, Port Morris > Elijah Greer, 20, Andrews, N. C. > John B. Griffith, 20, Budd Lake > Raymond Gulick, 32, Wharton > Willard Halkyard, 40, Catawissa, Pa. > Elmer Hildebrant, 30, Kenvil > Willard S. Jordan, 38, Syracuse, N. Y. > Peter Knott, 27, Kenvil > James G. List, 34, Kenvil > Frederick McConnell Jr., 20, Kenvil > Raymond Moore, 44, Landing > Charles [middle initial D?] Mosser, 45, Pequannock > Wayne Nielson, 26, Ferndale, Mich. > Robert Nolan, 64, Kenvil > Harold E. Obdyke, 48, Netcong > Reuben Parks, 51, Dover > Edward H. Payne, 20, Randolph twp. > Nicholas Pisano, 23 or 28, Netcong > William Quackenbush, 18, Kenvil > Harry J. Reed Jr., 22, Kenvil > John Savko, 20, Mt. Hope > Richard Scott, 25, Dover > Walter D. Sisco, 31, Branchville > Jack W Smith, 18, Shonghum > Russell S. Sossong, 28, Ledgewood > Paul W. Stalcup, 33, Mt. Arlington > William H. Stephens, Succasunna > Alvin Stout, West Belmar > Charles Swan, Kenvil > Charles Tice, 47, Mine Hill > George C. Tobier, 27, Bartley > Warren Waldron, Mt. Arlington > Raymond A. Woods, 18, Kenvil > > "Among the more seriously injured, the following local names appear: > William Bell, Netcong > Charles Damelio, Netcong > Roy S. Hull, Jr., Stanhope > Daniel Keegan, Netcong > Sam Oliva, Netcong > John Sansevero, Netcong > > The following local persons were treated for minor cuts or burns: > Fordyoe Boyer, Robert Brewster, Willard Masker and Frank Parns, all of > Netcong; Frank Frenenski and Chas. Platt of Stanhope; Elroy Chapman and > Gordon > Hildebrant of Flanders; Henry C. Crawn, and Anthony Valentino of Port > Morris."