1892 factory explosion

The 1892 factory explosion was a fatal explosion at the Sterling Dynamite Factory in Bessemer on April 1, 1892. Reports say the explosion was felt by most of the town. It was the first fatal accident in the plant's two-and-a-half years of operation.

The explosion occurred around 2:45 p.m. on a Friday in the factory's packing house. Though the cause is unknown, the Iowa Daily Leader reported "the presumption is that [Walter] Lake, who was engaged in packing, struck too hard a blow." Lake, George Hartley, and Ed Boykin were blown to pieces, dying instantly. Also in the building and killed was 14-year-old Frank Boykin, the only intact body found. The Weekly Age-Herald reported that the plant's manager, Mr. Hobbs, "said everything that could be done to alleviate the grief of relatives would unhesitatingly be done." Although some workers at the dynamite plant were thrown by the explosion or buried by fallen buildings, no other serious injuries were reported, however, an employee at the Harrison-Howard Pipe Works ¼-mile away "was severely cut by glass".

A 15-foot wide by 7-foot deep crater marked the location of the blast in the factory's packing room. The only building not demolished or severely damaged on the plant's grounds was the storage house. Property losses were estimated at $10,000.

Reference

• "Blown to Fragments by Dynamite". (April 2, 1892) Davenport, Iowa Daily Leader. Transcribed by Jenni Lanham and republished at GenDisasters.com - accessed January 28, 2007
• "Four Men Killed". (April 6, 1892). Weekly Age-Herald. Page 8. Accessed via the Birmingham Public Library Digial Collections on May 7, 2012.