Kenvil, Sept. 13.
IFFY men were killed and 300 were injured yes terday when four terrific blasts rocked the Kenvil plant of the Hercules Powder Company, in which 1,500 men are employed.
The blasts caused incalculable damage by indefinitely delaying the progress of national defence contracts totalling almost US$17 000,000. At least nine power houses, in which British and Amer ican Government orde: s were being filled, were blown up.
Damage was estimated at hundreds of thousands of della Ambulances and fre apparatus from dozens of communities in the orca were rushed to the scene of the explosions, which were heard for 50 miles. Smoke and flames w visible for many miles more and windows throughout the area were shattered. Residents in Duchess and Westchester Counties believed there was an earthquake.
Experts thought it possible that a can of dry powder had detonated as a result of spontaneous combustion, starting the chain of explosions. Nevertheless, the Federal Bureau of Invastigation announced at its Net ork field office that it would investiga ate the blast.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.