1912 — Nov 25, corn starch dust explosion, Corn Products Company, Waukegan, IL–14-15

–14-15 Blanchard estimated death toll:

While we could locate the names of but 12 of the 14 men reported killed by the explosion
or fire, we accept that fourteen men were killed at the time or died from their injuries the
next several days.

We make a death toll range for the reason that a young woman, who was told that her
brother or cousin [conflicting reports] had died [incorrectly reported] fainted from shock
at an undertaking house, was taken home and later to a hospital where she died on Dec 7.

Thus the explosion accounts directly for 14 deaths and indirectly for a 15th, if one accepts
the woman’s death as an indirectly related death, as we are willing to consider.

–14 Highland Park Press, IL. “Explosion Dead Number Fourteen.” 12-5-1912, p. 1.
–14 Lake County Independent, Libertyville, IL. ”Death Toll Reaches 14.” 12-6-1912, p. 1.
–14 Marion Weekly Star, OH. “Many Killed in Terrific Blast, November 30, 1912, p. 1.
–14 National Fire Protection Association. Report of Important Dust Explosions. 1957. p. 66.
–14 Price, David James. Dust Explosions: Causes and Methods of Prevention. 1922, p. 79.
–14 Sterling Daily Standard, IL. “Exonerated of Death of 14.” 12-9-1912, p. 2.]

Narrative Information

Price: “This plant [reference to a photo] at Waukegan, Ill., was completely wrecked by an explosion of dextrin dust on November 25, 1912. Fourteen employees were killed, 19 injured and considerable property damage done.” (Price. Dust Explosions. 1922, 79.)

Newspapers

Nov 25: “Waukegan, Ills., Nov. 25. – From twenty-five to thirty girls and men were killed in a terrific explosion this afternoon in the big plant of the Corn Products company in Market street, near the lake. The detonation was terrific and shocked the entire city. Both sides of the building were blown out and the walls fell. There were between 800 and 1,000 employees in the plant at the time. Many of them are women and girls.

“A squad of policemen was hurried to the scene and all the city’s fire-fighting apparatus followed. Flames broke out in the wreckage and spread so rapidly that rescue parties could make no progress in their first attempts to explore the wrecked building. The wind, which was almost blowing a gale, made the work of rescue doubly dangerous.

“The explosion occurred in the dry starch mill. Whether it was caused by dust, or whether one of the large boilers ‘let go’ cannot be learned. At 2:30 o’clock fourteen bodies had been taken out.” (Marion Weekly Star, OH. “Many Killed in Terrific Blast, November 30, 1912, p. 1.)

Nov 25: “Waukegan, Ill., Nov. 25. – An explosion which wrecked the dry starch house of the Corn Products company’s plant this afternoon killed between four and twelve workmen, injured 27 others, several of whom will die and caused about $100,000 property damage.

‘The list of the dead includes: [We put into alphabetical order, last name followed by first.]

1. Adams, John, 32, laborer.
2. Dougela, Peter, 36, laborer.
3. Grabowsky, John, laborer.
4. [Kowlowski, Joseph. Died Dec 6 in a hospital. ]
5. [Oblique, Alexander. Died in hospital on Nov 27.]
6. Seleneck, Joseph, laborer.
7. Slater, Martin, 34, Peoria, Ill., assistant superintendent of the plant.
8. Stanley, Frank, 27, laborer.
9. Tomalis, Charles, 35, laborer.
10. [Trobitz, Frank. Died Dec 6 in the hospital. ]
11. [Valis, Miss Antosa. Apparent heart attack at morgue, after being told brother was dead. ]
12. [Wetowsky {Wotowski? }, Tony. Noted as 12th death, he died in a hospital Dec 2. ]
13. [Zalenak, Joseph. Blown from 2nd-floor across RR tracks into cemetery; died at hospital.]
14. Unidentified laborer.
15. [Could not locate the names of the 13th and 14th fatalities.]

“Four other laborers late tonight were reported missing. These were Martin Matachutuk, Louis Monday, Michael Bunch, and Joseph Pedroski….

“Uncertainty as to the number of dead was caused b inability of firemen to search the burning ruins after the explosion because of continued explosions. Edward Conrad, deputy in the Lake county coroner’s office was authority for the statement that twelve men at least had been trapped in the wrecked building. Charles Ebert, superintendent of the Corn Products company’s Waukegan plant said that only three men had been killed and twenty-seven injured by the explosion. ‘Only thirty men had business in the starch house at the time of the explosion,’ Mr. Eberts said. ‘We have twenty-seven of these at the Jane McAlister hospital and three bodies, or portions of bodies, have been recovered. That checks the list and I think this will be found to be absolutely correct.’ Mr. Ebert admitted it was possible that additional workmen not employed in the starch house might have been caught in the explosion but said that this was improbable.

“Nearly all of the workmen killed or injured were Polish, Lithuanian or Austrian and they were on the company’s payroll by numbers and not by names. This further increased the difficulties met by the coroner in his efforts to arrive at a correct death list.

“The explosion tore the two story frame top house from the five story building and scattered it in all directions. The body of one man was blown across the Chicago and Northwestern railroad right-of-way onto the hillside in Oakwood Cemetery.

“Firemen from North Chicago, the National Envelope’s plant and the American Steel and Wire company’s plant aided the Waukegan department in preventing spread of the fire to other portions of the big plant. Although the fire appeared to be under control tonight the firemen said they expected it would continue to burn tomorrow with the possibility that new explosions would start afresh.

“Officials of the company tonight said they had been unable to arrive at a decision as to the cause of the explosion. Workmen at the plant gave as their opinion that the overheating of the product in the large starch kilns had caused the explosion.

“Crowds waited about the plant until a late hour believing that more bodies would be discovered in the burning wreckage.” (Jacksonville Daily Journal, IL. “Explosions Wreck Waukegan Plant. Dry Starch House of Corn Products Co. Destroyed.” 11-26-1912, p. 1.

Nov 27: “Waukegan, Ill. Nov 27 – The seventh body has been taken from the ruins of the Corn Products mill here. Searchers found an arm about three feet from where the corpse was unearthed. The body was terribly charred beyond recognition. It is believed to be one of three missing men who are Louis Moenopick, Martin Mapuhuick and Mike Bunch. This makes a total of nine dead as admitted by the superintendent. There are 24 men in the hospital, some of whom may die.” (Sterling Evening Gazette, IL. “Ninth Body Is Found. Victim of Corn Products Mill Blast Badly Charred.” 11-27-1912, p. 2.)

Nov 27: “Waukegan, Ill., Nov. 27. – The ninth victim of the dust explosion Monday in the Waukegan plant of the Corn Products Refining company, Alexander Oblique, died in the hospital here today. Three others of the injured are near death.” (Jacksonville Daily Journal, IL. “Ninth Victim Dies.” 11-28-1912, p. 10.)

Nov 29: “Last Monday at 1:30 Waukegan and the surrounding district were startled by a tremendous explosion that blew up a portion of the Corn Products Refining company’s plant, notably the starch house, blowing out the walls and wrecking the building….The grinding machines [in the starch house] create a fine dust which has great explosive properties, and much care always has to be exercised that no sparks or light come in contact with it. This is the third explosion that has happened at the refinery, and the most disastrous.

“The building that was blown up was three stories high and 125 feet square, a two-story frame cupola surmounting the roof. The men who are injured and dead were at work either in the building or in close proximity. One man who was wheeling a wheelbarrow fifty feet away literally had the walls blown right on him and was buried in the ruins and killed. It was shipping day, and the regular force had been doubled to hasten the filling of the box cars. At about 1:25 or 1:30, when the afternoon’s work was well under way, every cubic inch of air in the building blazed red. Had the starch been dynamite the destruction could not have been more disastrous. Either the starch became overheated or a spark was struck in the machinery. The dry air, laden with particles of starch, is an explosive as gunpowder.

“The roof went up, the walls went out and down. The freight cars were blown on their sides and then everything burst into flames.

“Some of the experiences of the men that were saved were extraordinary. Joseph Zalenak was blown from a second-story window up over a high railroad embankment, across the tracks and into Oakwood cemetery 150 feet away. He died later at the hospital with a fractured skull….” (Zion City Independent, IL. “Big Explosion in Waukegan.” 11-29-1912, p. 1.)

Dec 2: “Chicago, Dec. 2. – The William J Burns Detective agency which solved the mystery of the dynamiting of the Los Angeles Times and brought the perpetrators to justice, has been retained to investigate the explosion of the starch mill at Waukegan. The plant belongs to the Corn Products Refining company. As a result of the explosion last Monday eleven men lost their lives and twenty-two were injured.

“An inquest to determine the cause of the fatalities was opened by Coroner J. L. Taylor. A separate investigation probably will be made by the Austrian consulate, as many of the victims were Austrian subjects. The insurance companies, holding policies aggregating more than $100,000 on the plant also are conducting an inquiry.

“The report was current that a number of fulminate of mercury caps such as are commonly used in detonating dynamite were found in the vicinity of the plant following the explosion.

“Superintendent Ebert announced that the destroyed building will not be rebuilt, as there is a duplicate in another part of the yards. The superintendent said the company has not had troubles with labor.” (Sterling Daily Standard, IL. “Tackle Blast Mystery.” 12-2-1912, p, 1.)

Dec 3: “Waukegan, Dec. 3. – Tony Wetowsky, one of the victims of the dust explosion in the Corn Product Refining company’s Waukegan plant last Monday, died in a hospital, making the twelfth death from the blast. J. Kalowsky, another victim, is believed to be near death.” (Dixon Evening Telegraph, IL. “News of Illinois…Explosion Killed 12 Men.” 12-3-1912, p. 7.)

Dec 4: “Waukegan, Ill., Dec. 4. – Investigation of the explosion in the starch plant of the Corn Product Refining Co. was started today before Coroner J. L. Lewis. The only witness today was Charles Ebert, superintendent of the plant. His testimony dwelt largely with the blower system in the starch plant which he said was the best possible arrangement for safeguarding the life of the workers. Ebert said he believed the explosion was caused by a spark from one of the machines caused by the lodgment of some foreign substance in a conveyer.” (Moline Evening Mail and Journal, IL. “Spark Causes The Explosion.” 12-4-1912, p. 1.)

Dec 5: “Latest reports of the Starch House explosion give the total list of dead as fourteen, eleven bodies having been taken from the ruins and three injured men having died at the Jane McAlister hospital. Authorities at the hospital state that three more men may be added to the death list and that many of the men who are being cared for will be disfigured for life….

“General Manager Moffet of the company has asked that the fund raised by the Waukegan Sun for the relief of the sufferers be returned to the givers as he believes it is the duty of the company to care for all.

“The explosion in the Corn Products Refining company is the first serious accident accompanied by wholesale fatalities in the state since the compensation law of Illinois went into force. As the Corn Products had a similar explosion at the plant nine years ago, an effective contrast will be given of the effect before and after the passage of a compensation law. The first explosion also was caused by dust but the company escaped liability on the ground that the workmen had accepted employment knowing the hazards of the business and that it therefore had no legal liability. Under the new law the compensation is fixed and as the company has accepted its provisions, having in fact already paid several claims under it, there will be no question of law and no suits to be brought before settlement is made.” (Highland Park Press, IL. “Explosion Dead Number Fourteen. Eleven Victims Taken From Ruins.” 12-5-1912, p. 1.)

Dec 9: “Waukegan, Ill. Dec 9 – The coroner’s jury investigating the death of the fourteen men in the sugar refinery explosion Nov 25 rendered its verdict. It did not censure the company explaining that the dust collectors in use seemed similar to those used elsewhere. However, the body indorsed the suggestion of State Factory Inspector Fitzsimmons in regard to the installation of vacuum cleaners and also the substitution of iron cars instead of using wooden trays in carrying dry starch as was the plan before. The jury conclude that the initial explosion took place from a spark of unknown origin in one of the conveyors.” (Sterling Daily Standard, IL. “Exonerated of Death of 14.” 12-9-1912, p. 2.)

Dec 13: “Mrs. Anna Valis, 24 years old, wife of John Valis of South Park avenue, died in the Jane McAlister hospital this morning at 6 o’clock, her death being attributed to the shock she received when she viewed the remains of the sugar refinery victims in an effort to identify the body of her cousin, John Dadasicisis, whom she had been told had perished in the blast. Mrs. Valis was soon to have become a mother and in this critical condition, the shock of seeing the horribly mutilated and charred bodies was too much for her. As a matter of fact the cousin did not succumb to his burns. Mrs. Valis lives quite near the refinery and when the blast took place she was one of the first to reach the scene. She knew that her cousin was employed in the destroyed plant and she wanted to find out whether he had been one of the victims or whether by any possible chance he might have escaped.

“In the evening she made every attempt to find if he had been one of the victims but her efforts were futile. Then, against the advice of her relatives and friends who warned her against it, she went to the undertaking rooms where the bodies of the victims had been laid out. She hoped that if her cousin had been burned to death hat she might identify his body and put an end to the awful suspense. The sight she witnessed was a hundred times worst than she had expected and she closed her eyes in horror and reeled back when the awful sight was unfolded to her gaze. She was assisted to her home and at once began to show signs of the awful ordeal she had been through. Her condition became worst rapidly and on Tuesday evening last [10th? Article printed on Friday 13th, but it is not clear when it was written] she was removed to the Jane McAlister hospital. Despite all that could be done for her she grew worse, and passed away this morning….Besides a husband she leaves a child less than a year old.

“Meanwhile, the cousin who was burned in the fire, still lies in the hospital and seems to be on the road to recovery. His burns were serious but it is thought that they will not prove fatal. Even the knowledge that her cousin was in the hospital was not enough to undo the shock Mrs. Valis had suffered.” (Lake County Independent, Libertyville, IL. “Dies After Shock From The Sight.” 12-13-1912, p. 8.)
Sources

Chicago Day Book. 12-2-1912, p. 30. Accessed 3-14-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/chicago-day-book-dec-02-1912-p-30/

Dixon Evening Telegraph, IL. “News of Illinois…Explosion Killed 12 Men.” 12-3-1912, p. 7. Accessed 3-14-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/dixon-evening-telegraph-dec-03-1912-p-7/

Highland Park Press, IL. “Explosion Dead Number Fourteen. Eleven Victims Taken From Ruins.” 12-5-1912, p. 1. Accessed 3-14-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/highland-park-press-dec-05-1912-p-1/

Jacksonville Daily Journal, IL. “Explosions Wreck Waukegan Plant. Dry Starch House of Corn Products Co. Destroyed.” 11-26-1912, p. 1. Accessed 3-14-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/jacksonville-daily-journal-nov-26-1912-p-1/

Jacksonville Daily Journal, IL. “Ninth Victim Dies.” 11-28-1912, p. 10. Accessed 3-14-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/jacksonville-daily-journal-nov-28-1912-p-10/

Lake County Independent, Libertyville, IL. ”Death Toll Reaches 14.” 12-6-1912, p. 1. Accessed 3-14-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/libertyville-lake-county-independent-and-waukegan-weekly-sun-dec-06-1912-p-1/

Lake County Independent, Libertyville, IL. “Dies After Shock From The Sight.” 12-13-1912, p. 8. Accessed 3-14-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/libertyville-lake-county-independent-and-waukegan-weekly-sun-dec-13-1912-p-8/

Marion Weekly Star, OH. “Many Killed in Terrific Blast,” November 30, 1912, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=4213142

Moline Evening Mail and Journal, IL. “Spark Causes The Explosion.” 12-4-1912, p. 1. Accessed 3-14-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/moline-evening-mail-and-journal-dec-04-1912-p-1/

National Fire Protection Association. Report of Important Dust Explosions: A Record of Dust Explosions in the United States and Canada Since 1860. Boston: NFPA, 1957.

Price, David James. Dust Explosions: Causes and Methods of Prevention. Boston, MA: National Fire Protection Association, with permission of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. 1922.

Sterling Daily Standard, IL. “Exonerated of Death of 14.” 12-9-1912, p. 2. Accessed 3-14-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sterling-daily-standard-dec-09-1912-p-2/

Sterling Daily Standard, IL. “Tackle Blast Mystery.” 12-2-1912, p, 1. Accessed 3-14-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sterling-daily-standard-dec-02-1912-p-2/

Sterling Evening Gazette, IL. “Ninth Body Is Found. Victim of Corn Products Mill Blast Badly Charred.” 11-27-1912, p. 2. Accessed 3-14-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sterling-evening-gazette-nov-27-1912-p-2/

Zion City Independent, IL. “Big Explosion in Waukegan.” 11-29-1912, p. 1. Accessed 3-14-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/zion-independant-nov-29-1912-p-1/