1928 — Apr 13, explosion, Bond Dance Hall building collapse, fire, West Plains, MO  —  39

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 2-18-2025 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–39  Blanchard number. After reviewing all that is noted below we choose to follow

         Herbolsheimer, who has named all the fatalities (see below). This number is also the number  

         of deaths reported in three Joplin Globe articles of April 17, 18, and 19.

–~50  Joplin News Herald, MO. “Disaster Spot at Westplains to be Marked,” Nov 23, 1928, 13.

—  40  Albany Evening News, NY. “Dance Hall Blast Seen Deliberate,” Apr 16, 1928.

—  40  DFS Quarterly, MA. “Deadliest Club Fires in US History,” Vol. 8, Is. 1, March 2003, 20.

—  40  Joplin Globe, MO. “Coroner not Satisfied with Westplains Probe,” Apr 26, 1928, p. 6

—  40  South Missourian News.  “Explosion in West Plains a Real Tragedy,” Aug 26, 2009.

—  39  Herbolsheimer. “The Tragedy of West Plains…Explosion.” West Plains Daily Quill, 2-16-2024.

—  39  Joplin Globe, MO. “Debris to be Cleared in Probe of Fatal Dance Hall Explos.,” 4/19/28.

—  39  Joplin Globe, MO. “Mystery Shrouds Cause of Fatal Dance Hall Blast,” Apr 17, 1928, 1.

—  39  Joplin Globe, MO. “Reward Offered for Person Causing Dance Hall Blast,” Apr 18, 1928

—  38  Joplin Globe, MO. “Death Toll in Dance Hall Explosion is 38,” Apr 15, 1928, p. 1.

—  38  National Fire Sprinkler Association. F.Y.I. 1999, p. 6.

—  38  National Fire Protection Assoc. Spreadsheet on Large Loss of Life Fires (as of Feb 2003).

—  37  Joplin News Herald, MO.  “37 Dancers Killed in Blast,” Apr 14, 1928, p. 1.

—  37  US Dept. Int., National Park Service. National Register of Historic Places…” Feb 2002.

Narrative Information

National Park Service: “On Friday, April 13, 1928 “the single most significant event in the history of West Plains” occurred.^[1]  An explosion in the Bond Dance Hall Building on East Main Street rocked downtown West Plains. The explosion killed thirty-seven, injured twenty-two, completely destroyed three brick buildings, and damaged almost all of the other buildings on Court Square. The brick courthouse was also damaged in the explosion and was deemed unusable. According to Terry Fuhrman Harnpton, author of “The History of West Plains: A Decade by Decade Account,”

The courthouse was vacated after the explosion and for a period of eight years Howell County’s offices were re-located in various buildings throughout West Plains in the old Methodist Church on Washington Avenue, in banks, the Catron Opera house and other businesses.^[2]

(US Dept. Interior, National Park Service. National Register of Historic Places…” Feb 2002,  23)

South Missourian News, Aug 26, 2009:  “The terrible echo of the greatest disaster to strike south Missouri is fading away. The tragedy, a dance hall explosion, struck Friday night, April 13, 1928, in West Plains. Called the West Plains explosion by people of my youth, a very small percentage of people are still around that could remember the event. But the story will no doubt be handed down because so many people were touched by the loss that evening.

“The explosion, felt and heard for miles (one report said it was heard in Thayer), took place in the second floor of Bond Hall on East Main Street. Forty persons died and a dozen others were injured, some seriously. Nineteen were so seriously burned their identity could not be established.

“A lively crowd had just reconvened following the intermission, while some still loitered outside the hall an hour before midnight. A three-piece dance orchestra with Dimple Martin at the piano played peppy fox trots and romantic waltzes among the gayety. Witnesses said that at first a rumbling sound was heard, followed by a loud thundering explosion which blew the entire building high into the air. Then fire broke out all over as shrieks of the dying penetrated the air in an unbelievable holocaust. Several buildings were destroyed and all the windows of the courthouse, a block away, were blown out and the building subsequently condemned.

“A coroner’s jury was called the following day. They sat for four days and heard the testimony of 62 witnesses, but adjourned without fixing the cause or blame. Dick Green was prosecuting attorney at that time. There were conflicting reports and stories of mystery men having been in the area and other testimony revealed that the owner of the garage situated underneath the dance hall was in financial trouble and tried to tie the explosion to his operations, but he died in the blast and could not tell why he was at the place of the explosion that night.

“A mass memorial service was held on April 17 with 20 gray caskets lined up in two rows. Burial was in Oak Lawn cemetery. The townspeople placed a marble monument on the lot in memoriam to the unidentified.

“Of all the stories that emanated about the explosion, Bob Neathery of West Plains may have come up with a plausible answer as to how the explosion could have been so powerful. Some years ago, he tracked down a man, living in Kansas, who worked in the garage (for the owner T. M. Wiser) at the time of the explosion.  According to what the man told Mr. Neathery, his friend was in town driving a truck and asked if he could park the vehicle inside in the dry that night and was permitted to do so. Somehow, conjecture is that someone set a fire and the truck was hauling dynamite and caps. The mechanic thinks that is what exploded.” (South Missourian News. “Explosion in West Plains a Real Tragedy,” Aug 26, 2009.)

Newspapers at the Time

April 14: “West Plains, Mo., April 14 (UP) — The toll of dead in an explosion which wrecked a crowded dance hall here last night mounted to 36 today as rescue workers recovered bodies from the smouldering ruins of the structure. Eighteen persons were injured, and property damage was estimated at $250,000.

“Bodies of all of the 36 known dead were recovered. Nineteen rested today in one morgue and 17 in another. Officials in charge at the scene of the explosion said they feared more bodies might be found in the ruins…

“Some were blown through the windows and survived. Three or four were able to crawl away from the hungry flames to safety. Others were blown free of the ruins of the street below, cut and mangled, burned and bleeding. The pianist was believed to have been killed instantly. Ball Allen, the trombone player who was sitting next to her, was blown through a window and lives. The third member of the orchestra is believed also to have perished….” (Syracuse Herald, NY. April 14, 1928.)

April 14: “Westplains, Mo., April. 14.—(AP)—Thirty-eight persons are known to have been killed and twenty injured in an explosion which demolished a dance hall here last night. Twenty bodies had been positively identified early tonight.  Friends and relatives crowded two morgues in an effort to identify the other charred and shattered bodies recovered from the ruins. Twenty-three persons were unaccounted for and were believed to be among the unidentified dead.

“A coroner’s jury, hastily summoned by Richard Green, prosecuting attorney, could not agree on the cause of the explosion and adjourned until Wednesday. A gasoline tank supposed to have exploded was found intact. 

“Property Damage $160,000….

“Thirty or forty couples attended the dance, but some were not in the hall at the time of the blast.

Whether all escaped who were sleeping in second-story apartments in the building adjoining the garage has not been determined.

“Searchers believed a few more bodies would be found in the ruins. “It was the most harrowing experience of my entire life,” said W. H. Evans, Chicago traveling salesman, who witnessed the tragedy. “The cries of victims who were buried under the blazing debris, people who knew we couldn’t do a thing for, will remain with me until I die. It was horrible.

“Hurled Into Furnace. “They didn’t have a chance.  The front of the building was blown out and the upper floor collapsed.  The dancers were hurled into a blazing furnace from which there was no escape.  Rescue work could not be carried on. The flames prevented our doing anything, but just standing by and listening to the cries.  “I was standing in front of the Commercial hotel, which is almost directly across the street from the Weiser building, when suddenly there came a tremendous blast like the explosion of a dynamite bomb. Plate glass along the street was shattered and the very ground trembled. “With my companions, we rushed across the street to the demolished building. Hanging from some kind of electric wires was a man. He had been blown from a second story window and had managed to grab hold of the wires. We called to him to drop and we could catch him. He did so, and was only slightly hurt. “We managed to save four other men, but after that we could do nothing more but wait for the firemen to extinguish the blaze so that work could be carried on in the ruins.”….

“Many sad stories of incidents following the blast that wrecked the dance hall were told today by

people who knew many of those killed and injured.

“R. G. Martin was a Ford automobile dealer here. Business was dull when the Ford company temporarily discontinued manufacturing cars. He and his wife decided to put on dances and their

daughter, Dimples, played the piano. Dimples intended to go to Memphis with an elder sister yesterday, but wanted to attend the dance so she remained over. She and her parents were killed

“Many of the bodies taken from the ruins were so badly burned that recognition was impossible. Others were blown into small bits. Perhaps most of those not already identified may never be identified positively….

“A. E, Sieberling, night marshal, was standing just across the street from the dance hall when the explosion occurred.  “There was a flash, a roar and I was sent sprawling on the sidewalk,” he said.  “I thought at first somebody had blown a safe. Then I heard the screams of the distressed and ran for the fire wagon. Almost as quickly as the debris settled in a pile it was enveloped in flames as though it had been saturated with oil.”

“Bishop W. F. McMurry of Fayette, Mo„ was in a hotel room just back of the dance hall. Windows of his room were shattered and the room disarranged, but he escaped injury.

“A continual stream of people kept moving through the morgues all day. This afternoon the town was crowded with curious spectators and people seeking relatives. The block adjacent to the wrecked building near the center of the town was roped off and only those who were helping search for bodies were permitted to enter the lines. “We do not need any outside help,” said Mayor J. P. Harlin. “Those injured are not believed to be in a serious condition. Most of the victims were members of well known and well-to-do families.”

“Coroner Tom Burns said “several important facts” were uncovered at the inquest today which might develop the real cause of the disaster when the inquest is resumed next Wednesday.

“While the coroner’s jury was unable to determine the cause of the explosion, the generally excepted theory was that it resulted from ignition of gasoline fumes which had seeped from a 500-gallon storage tank in the garage under the dance hall.

“It was learned that one of the dancers smelled gasoline fumes about 11 o’clock last night, a half

hour before the explosion, and telephoned Weiser at his home. A guest at the Arcade hotel, half a block from the building, saw Weiser enter through the front door of the garage and strike a match.  A deafening detonation followed.  The dance hall and garage building collapsed immediately and burst into flames, which spread to the two adjoining buildings and destroyed them.

People Ran Wildly.

“Rev. W. E. Brown of Poplar Bluff, presiding elder of the Methodist Episcopal church, South, an

eye-witness of the catastrophe, said he heard two explosions, with the first, a small one, followed by a terrific blast which tossed the second story of the brick building into the air and then allowed it to collapse Into the flames which started almost simultaneously. “I walked to the window to see the floor of the dance hall lurch like the deck of a ship in the ocean waves during a storm,” he said.  “Young people were running wildly. I could see them through the windows of the hall trying frantically to get out. Then flames shot to the roof and enveloped the dancers. I saw women clinging to men and screaming to be saved. Then there was a deafening crash and the entire building, roof and all, collapsed, pitching them into the fiery pit below.”

Woman Torn From Arms.

“Elbert White of Doniphan, swathed in bandages which covered more than half of his body, said at the hospital late today that, as he danced, Miss Frances Drago, his partner, was torn from his arms and the next thing he remembered was finding himself bleeding in the middle of the street, with only his belt and shreds of his trousers as clothing.

“C. A. Wright, publisher of the Times-Leader at Koshkonong, eighteen miles from here, said he heard the report distinctly.

“The body of Ben. Jolly, 68-year-old painter, was found in his bed. He was burned beyond recognition. He and Charles Murk, jr.. were the only ones living in rooms adjoining the building, who failed to escape the fire.” (Joplin Globe, MO. “Death Toll in Dance Hall Explosion is 38,” Apr 15, 1928, p. 1.)

April 14: Westplains, Mo., April 14.—(AP)—Thirty-seven persons were known to have been killed and twenty injured in an explosion and fire which destroyed a dance hall here last night.  Of the thirty-seven charred bodies which had been recovered at noon today, only thirteen had been positively identified. Twenty-four persons were reported missing but most of these were believed to be among the unidentified dead. Many bodies were burned almost beyond recognition. Digging in the ruins continued and searchers believed a few more bodies would be found.

“A coroner’s jury was empaneled and heard several witnesses, but was not able to determine the cause of the explosion. The prevalent theory is that J. W. Weiser, owner of a garage under the dance hall, struck a match, igniting gasoline fumes. Weiser was killed….

“Many of the injured victims were picked up on the streets far from the scene of the blast. H. C. Allen, prominent merchant, was blown fifty-five feet and found with both legs broken and an arm torn off.

The intense heat of the fire and total darkness caused when the power plant was damaged, hindered rescuers in their attempts to penetrate the ruins. Soon after the explosion the walls of the building collapsed on what had been the dance hall….

“The dance was being held on the second floor of a two-story building, the first floor being used as a garage and motor car sales room. Officers today are investigating a report that a large gasoline storage tank, thought to have been under the building, was the cause of the blast….

“Out-of-town residents who attended the dance were not included in the list of missing, but it was believed that many who attended from surrounding towns would be found in the number of buried beneath the debris.

“A rain early in the night had materially reduced the attendance at the dance, which was a weekly affair, sponsored by a local orchestra. All of the injured were picked up in the streets or were taken from the windows of the upper story of the destroyed building as the flames licked their way through the tottering walls….

“Westplains, the county seat of Howell county, is the largest town in south central Missouri, and is the shipping point for one of the largest peach districts in the middle west. It is located about twenty miles from the Arkansas line. 

“National guardsmen from the local unit were called out to assist in the rescue work and preserve order. 

“Some forty couples were dancing when the blast came. It was the regular Friday night dance of Westplains’ younger set. Among the merry-makers—and now among the dead—were many of the prominent young men and women of Westplains.

“At 11:30 o’clock the dance was at its height. The three-piece orchestra was nearing Home Sweet Home. Miss Dimples Martin, at the piano, was playing the strains of a popular melody. At that moment J. J. Weiser, owner of the building, opened the back door of the garage on the floor below.  A motorist had called him from his home to supply some gasoline. As the garage door swung open there was a thunder of a terrific explosion….

“The floor of the dance hall above was lifted almost to the ceiling. A moment of silence followed.  Then the floor crashed in fragments into a raging gasoline-fed furnace below. Into it went the forms of a score of humans who, a moment before, had been carefree dancers.

“Some were blown through the windows and survived. Three or four were able to crawl away from the flames to safety. Others were blown free of the ruins to the street and bleeding.

“The pianist was believed to have been killed instantly. Dail Allen, the trombone player was blown through a window, and lives. The third member of the orchestra is believed also to have perished. 

“The town lights went out with the blast. A score of special officers, quickly deputized, are patrolling the streets.

“The blast awoke sleeping farmers for a radius of three miles, and the leaping flames guided them to the scene of the disaster.

“An explosion of gasoline in the garage is generally blamed for the catastrophe. Weiser was found not far from the wreckage, his hand holding the doorknob of the shattered garage.  Nobody seems to know what happened to the motorist.

“The common belief prevails that Weiser must have lighted a match to the fumes of escaping gasoline.

“The dancers and the orchestra had been back in the hall only a few minutes after a ten-minute intermission. About a half score of the dancers had not returned, but had remained in a nearby cafe.

“Firemen were able to subdue the flames only after three other brick structures adjoining– the wrecked building, had been burned. The Westplains bank was saved, though considerably damaged. The flames which followed the blast swept through a confectionery, a shoe store, the Westplains bank, the Western Union office, the Weiser Motor Company, below the dance hall, the E. M. Laird Plumbing Company and the Ridgway Cleaning Company. The hotel Arcade was damaged to some extent. The structures destroyed were the Riley, Adams and Weiser buildings.  All were two-story brick buildings.

“Evans, whose body was the first taken out, is a son of Dr. Paul Evans, for many years director of the state fruit experiment station at Mountain Grove.

“Residents from Mountain Grove, Cabool, Willow Springs and other adjoining towns were caught in the explosion. Miss Ernestine Cunningham of Willow Springs, probably the most seriously injured of those rescued, was not expected to live.[3]

“Miss Martin, the pianist, who is missing, had been attending a secretarial, school at Memphis, Tenn., and was at home to spend the Easter vacation. A sister, Blanche, is the only member of the Martin family known to have escaped.

“It was impossible to determine just how many were in the dance hall at the time of the blast as

many were sitting in automobiles outside….

“Westplains…is a town of about 4,000 inhabitants. The building in which the explosion occurred is a two-story brick structure, forty feet wide and eighty feet long. The dance hall, in which weekly dances were given, is on the second floor. The first floor was occupied by the Weiser Motor Company.  It the rear…is a dry cleaning establishment.”  (Joplin News Herald, MO.  “37 Dancers Killed in Blast,” Apr 14, 1928, p. 1.)

April 16: “Westplains, Mo., April 16.—(AP)—Possible motives of suicide, revenge against dancers, or both, today were being investigated by Prosecuting Attorney H. D. Green, jr., in connection with a mysterious explosion that destroyed a dance hall here with a loss of forty lives.

“Green advanced the theory that J. M. Weiser, 47, who rented a garage below the dance hall, intentionally caused the blast. Weiser, he said was involved financially and probably was insolvent. The official understood Weiser, who was a devout church member, had made remarks against dancing at Alton, Mo., his former home, but had not remonstrated publicly here.

“The prosecutor also pointed out so far as direct evidence shows, that Weiser might have caused the explosion accidentally. He is confident, however, that it was not caused by gasoline fumes, as at first supposed. Weiser’s body, which was exhumed late yesterday shortly after burial, revealed burns on the face believed by physicians to have been caused by acid. These, said Green, might have been burned when handling acid.

“Green said he had witnesses ready to testily that Weiser was at the garage twenty minutes before the blast occurred, and that one man claims he saw a sputtering light there – a light that flickered for a few moments and went out just before the building was blown up. Weiser’s body was found after the fire twenty feet in the rear of the garage. 

“Coroner Tom Burns holds to the theory that Weiser went to the garage, opened the door and struck a match which ignited gasoline fumes….On the other hand, Prosecutor Green points out the 50-gallon tank in the garage was found intact and had not been leaking. Weiser, however, had purchased five gallons of gasoline to use in a ‘douser’ for washing automotive parts the day of the explosion.  No physical evidence of a dynamite explosion, such as a home in the ground had been discovered….” (Joplin News Herald, MO. “Suicide Theory in Blast,” 4-16-1928, p. 1.)

April 16: “Westplains, Mo., April 16.—(AP) — The scheduled convening of the coroner’s jury late today failed to materialize and the new leads to the solution of explosion mystery which shrouded this Ozark community in a cloak of mourning, tonight had failed to answer the question of what caused the blast. 

“The theory of a gasoline explosion was quite generally discounted tonight. Doctors A. H. Thornburg and L. B. Tony, who performed the autopsy over J. M. Wiser, automobile dealer who was at first linked with the blast, declined to make any report under orders of Justice of the Peace George Halstead.

“Thirty-Nine Lives Lost.

“The exact number of lives snuffed out by the sharp explosion was fixed today at thirty-nine. Of that number, eighteen have been positively identified, four others are believed to have been identified and the remaining seventeen will be buried tomorrow in one large grave.

“Charles R. Bohrer, foreman of the coroner’s jury, in making the statement that thirty-nine were dead, said a miscount had come about in the confusion of the removal of bodies to the two undertaking establishments here. Bones, thought to have represented victims of the disaster, were later found to be parts of other charred bodies removed earlier…. 

“In the morning a memorial service was held at the high school for the pupils of the school who were killed in the explosion. Tomorrow morning the unidentified dead will be the objects of a memorial service and in the afternoon the bodies will be placed together in a common grave.

“County Attorney H. D. Green, jr., said tonight he had no comment to make regarding the many current rumors as to the cause of the disaster. The coroner’s jury was going ahead with its investigation, but Foreman Charles R. Bohrer said he and the members of the jury had nothing definite to say regarding their investigation so far.” (Joplin Globe, MO. “Mystery Shrouds Cause of Fatal Dance Hall Blast,” Apr 17, 1928, 1.)

April 17: “Westplains, Mo., April 17.—(AP)—A reward of $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons who were guilty of willfully causing the explosion and fire which killed thirty-nine people was offered here tonight by the Howell county court and the city of Westplains. In making the announcement County Attorney H. D. Green, jr., said the coroner’s jury, which is considering the disaster, was not prepared to say whether the blast was accidental or otherwise. The jury adjourned for the night at 10:30 p. m. after holding sessions behind closed doors during the day. The county prosecutor and members of the jury refused to make any statements. There were indications, however, that pertinent facts might be told tomorrow. 

Wiser’s Name Mentioned.

“While the jury was weighing the facts, the street corner juries continued to discuss and draw conclusions concerning the blast. It was generally agreed that the one man who could untangle the maze of threads was dead. The name of J. M. Wiser who operated a garage beneath the dance hall and who was killed in the blast, was frequently mentioned. Just how it happened that Wiser, who was in his garage when the blast occurred and under what circumstances he met death, is the problem the coroner’s jury set out to solve.

Westplains, Mo., April 17.—(AP)— Simple funeral rites, in keeping with the manners of these quiet Ozark people, marked the burial this afternoon of the twenty unidentified bodies, which, along with nineteen other identified, were taken from the ruins of a dance hall here Saturday. On the wooded hillside of Oaklawn cemetery, 5,000 relatives and friends stood with bowed heads as

a few words were read and a prayer spoken….” (Joplin Globe, MO. “Reward Offered for Person Causing Dance Hall Blast,” Apr 18, 1928, p.1.)

April 18: “Westplains, Mo., April 18.—(AP)—The decision of the coroner’s jury, much delayed by prolonged investigations, was put off again today when the group adjourned until next Monday, after two days of delving into the circumstances of the disastrous explosion and fire which wrecked a dance hall and killed thirty-nine persons. The adjournment came at 6 p. m. The jury decided to await the result of the clearing away of the debris on the site of the two-story building which was destroyed Friday night. The work of removing the brick and twisted frames of automobiles which had been stored in the garage beneath the dance hall began today.

Wiser Linked With Blast.

“After the parade of witnesses before County Attorney H. D. Green, jr., and the jury, it was considered as an accepted fact that J. M. Wiser, owner of the cars in the garage, was directly or indirectly connected with the circumstances of the explosion. Green said at noon that the jury would in all probability return a verdict that the dead met their fate as a result of an explosion and fire of undetermined origin. However, the controversial point concerning the cause of the blast, was the reason for the clearing away of the debris in order to study the ground and the remaining walls, in hope of definitely ascertaining what kind of an explosion wrecked the structure. This work would not be completed until Monday, it was said. Charles R. Rohrer said at the close of the session that there was no evidence which “we can put our fingers on.” He also said the jury might reconvene before Monday should occasion warrant.

“It was pointed out by the witnesses at the inquest who were acquainted with explosives, that nitroglycerin or dynamite would leave a large crater in the ground torn up by the explosion, while gasoline would have gone upward, leaving no such crater. The fact that Wiser’s presence in the vicinity of the building at that hour of the night, has been unaccounted for, along with some leads gained from witnesses, has led Green and the jury members to believe that Wiser was responsible for the explosion. Whether it was a willful act which caused the blast, or accidental, or at the hands of someone working against him, is still a matter of discussion….

“Some of the new bits of evidence offered, Green said, was the fact that Wiser had received a telephone call by long distance. Just who sent this call and what the nature of it was, has not been divulged, but it is understood it was of a threatening nature. The efforts to connect reports that Wiser was seen with a woman on the evening of the explosion, and on several occasions before, came to naught as the investigation progressed. Those in the closed sessions held that there was a strong possibility of foul play. Some of the evidence, they said, tended to bring this out.

“Another clue followed in the inquest was the supposition that the garage may have been blown up and burned for business reasons. The one unaccountable fact is that Wiser, either unwittingly or through plots of others, was a victim of the disaster. The story that Wiser was seen in the garage on the night of the explosion with two or three other men, and another report that loud talking and cursing had been heard during the course of their conversation, seems to couple well with the long distance call, in the opinion of those who heard the witnesses. The coroner’s jury followed several clues involving outside parties who might have been connected with the deal either as accomplices or as being directly responsible, Wiser being their victim.” (Joplin Globe, MO. “Debris to be Cleared in Probe of Fatal Dance Hall Explos.,” 4-19-1928, 5.)

April 19: “Thirty-seven people are dead and about twenty injured, many of them seriously, as a result of a mysterious explosion which occurred at 11:05 o’clock last Friday night in the garage of the Wiser Motor Co. on East Main St. in West Plains. The Bond dance hall on the second floor of the building, where a dance was in progress at the time, was completely wrecked.  The blast came without an instant’s warning and people in nearby buildings who rushed out saw the bodies and debris flying high in the air.  Only three women escaped from the dance alive while sixteen men escaped.  Among the dead is Miss Beatrice Barker, 16 year old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. I. B. Barker of Mountain Grove. Among the injured are Olias Stockday, broken leg and burns, and Fred Archer, broken leg; both of Mountain Grove.” (Norwood Index.  April 19, 1928.)

April 25: “Willow Springs, MO., April 25. –(AP)—Coroner T. R. Bums is not satisfied with results obtained at the recent inquest he conducted at Westplains into the death of forty persons in a dance hall explosion and fire April 13.  In a letter to the Howell county court, Burns recommends that authority be given to Prosecuting Attorney H. D. Green “to go further with this case and determine, if humanly possible to do so, the cause of this terrible calamity.” The coroner’s jury was unable to determine the cause, of the blast.” (Joplin Globe, MO. “Coroner not Satisfied with Westplains Probe,” Apr 26, 1928, p. 6.)

Nov 23: “Westplains, Mo., Nov. 23.— (AP)—A granite memorial is to mark the plot where twenty unidentified victims of the dance hall explosion tragedy here last April 13, are buried…..

“The explosion which took the lives of nearly fifty merrymakers occurred on Friday, April 13, just as the orchestra in the dance hall above a garage was preparing to play “Home, Sweet Home.”  The blast was followed by fire which turned the wooden structure into a roaring furnace within a few minutes. Nearly everyone in the dance hall lost their lives, only those who were thrown clear the building by the explosion, escaping.  The blast was thought to have been caused by a spark setting off gasoline stored in the garage under the dance hall.” (Joplin News Herald, MO.  “Disaster Spot at Westplains to be Marked,” Nov 23, 1928, 13.)

Herbolsheimer: “The Identified Deceased:

1. Mary Katherine “Kitty” McFarland – 31, proprietor or McFarland Undertaking Company, widow of Ray McFarland, mother of 12-year-old Jack.
2. Robert G. Martin – 54, Ford dealer, Masonic leader, West Plains, husband of Soula Gaines Martin, cosponsor of the dance.
3. R.G. Martin – head of McFarland Undertaking Co.
4. Elbert White – 19, a singer, at the Presbyterian Church in Doniphan, member of the National Guard, died one week after explosion, son of Mrs. E.N. White of Doniphan.
5. Paul Evans, Jr. – 23, single, University of Missouri graduate, dairy farmer, son of Dr. Paul Evans (state horticulturist), West Plains.
6. Charles Fisher – 20, single, student at Kirksville Teachers College, only son of Mr. and Mrs. A.P. Fisher of Ava, Mo.
7. Major Bob Mullins – 34, overseas veteran of World War I, officer in 140th NGM, commission and storage man.
8. W. Wiser – 46, West Plains, owner of Wiser Motors Company, husband of Carla Wiser.
9. John Bates – 20, single, studied civil engineering, at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, son of Reverend J.F.E. Bates, Methodist minister, West Plains.
10. Naomi Reeves Mullins – 19, pregnant wife of Carl Mullins.
11. Charles Merk – 17, high school student, son of Arnold Merk, contractor, West Plains.
12. Jullius C. Jeffrey – single, Mammoth Spring, Ark.
13. Carl Jackson – 19, single, high school senior, Mtn. Grove, artistically gifted, buried in double funeral with friend Charles Fisher.
14. Soula “Dimple” Martin – 21, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R.G. Martin, crushed by the piano she had been playing.
15. Lev Reed – 26, head of legal department of Reed-Harlin Grocer Company, owned by his father John R. Reed.
16. Hazel Slusser – 23, single schoolteacher from Willow Springs, daughter of H.T. Slusser, retired newspaper editor.
17. Ben Jolly – 68, painter and employee of McFarland Undertaking Company.
18. Clinton Clemmons – 23, single, worked at Davis Grocery, son of Mr. and Mrs. T.D. Clemmons, secondhand dealers, West Plains.
19. Mabel Daum Riley – 25, wife of Esco Riley, Blythesville, Ark.

“The Unidentified Deceased:

1. Miss Mary Adair – 17, single, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Adair, West Plains.
2. Miss Frances Drago – 22, single, manager of Western Union, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Drago.
3. Susan Rogers – 19, wife of Wallace Rogers, Emporia, Kan., mother of 1-year-old, daughter Patricia, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C.H. Drago, West Plains.
4. Robert Murphy – 30, Springfield, owner of Murphy Tire Company, son of Mr. and Mrs. Steve Murphy, husband of Nellie Murphy.
5. Nellie Murphy – 24, wife of Robert Murphy. Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Pleas “Dutch” James, West Plains.
6. Miss Ruth Fisher – 18, single, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fred E. Fisher, West Plains. Ruth was attending her first public dance.
7. Marvin Hill – 19, member of National Guard, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ed Hill, West Plains.
8. Evelyn Conkin – 20, single, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Houston Conkin of Kansas City, sweetheart of Mo Ashley, cousin of Lev Reed, niece of Mayor Jim Harlin.
9. Esco Riley – 27, head of sales at Allen Grocery, son of Mr. and Mrs. E.L. Riley of West Plains, husband of Mabel Daum Riley.
10. Newton Riley – 20, single, member of the National Guard, worked at Allen Grocery, son of Mr. and Mrs. E.L. Riley of West Plains.
11. Miss Icy Risner – 23, single, elementary school teacher in Thayer, daughter of J. Willard Risner of Thayer.
12. Boyd Garner – 21, Mammoth Spring, Ark.
13. Carson McLelland – 25, single, state highway department employee, son of Mr. and Mrs. Wellington McLelland, Chapin.
14. Chester Holstein – 22, son of J.F. Holstein, Ava. Chester was playing the saxophone at the time of the explosion.
15. Miss Beatrice Barker – 17, single, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. I.B. Barker of Mtn. Grove.
16. Miss Juanita Laws – 27, single, Kansas City, visiting her parents in Cabool.
17. Miss Ruby Hodkinson – 22, Kansas City, married to Clifford Hodkinson, mother of a 3-year-old son, visiting her cousin in Cabool.
18. James Loven – 22, single, Mammoth Spring, Ark.
19. Hugh Sams – 19, member of National Guard, son of Mr. and Mrs. Sid J. Sams, West Plains.

“Deceased after fire:

1. Elbert White – 19, a singer, at the Presbyterian Church in Doniphan, member of the National Guard, died one week after explosion, son of Mrs. E.N. White of Doniphan.

Sources

Albany Evening News, NY. “Dance Hall Blast Seen Deliberate; Garage Man Suspected of Causing Explosion that Killed 40.” 4-16-1928. Accessed at:  http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&refid=store&item=370403687410

DFS Quarterly (Department of Fire Services), MA. “Deadliest Club Fires in US History,” Vol. 8, Issue. 1, March 2003, p. 20. At: http://www.mass.gov/Eeops/docs/dfs/news/quarterly/Q03_03.pdf

Herbolsheimer, Chris. “The Tragedy of West Plains: The Unsolved Mystery of the Bond Dance Hall Explosion.” West Plains Daily Quill, 2-16-2024. Accessed 2-27-2025 at: https://www.westplainsdailyquill.net/stories/the-tragedy-of-west-plains-the-unsolved-mystery-of-the-bond-dance-hall-explosion,163343

Joplin Globe, MO. “Coroner not Satisfied with Westplains Probe,” Apr 26, 1928, p. 6. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=147045482

Joplin Globe, MO. “Death Toll in Dance Hall Explosion is 38,” Apr 15, 1928, p. 1. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=166867619

Joplin Globe, MO.  “Debris to be Cleared in Probe of Fatal Dance Hall Explos.,” 4-19-1928. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com

Joplin Globe, MO. “Mystery Shrouds Cause of Fatal Dance Hall Blast,” 4-17-1928, 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=166867631

Joplin Globe, MO. “Reward Offered for Person Causing Dance Hall Blast,” Apr 18, 1928, p.1.  Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=166867636

Joplin News Herald, MO. “37 Dancers Killed in Blast,” 4-14-1928, p. 1.  Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=166777810

Joplin News Herald, MO. “Disaster Spot at Westplains to be Marked,” 11-23-1928, 13.  Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=147169300

Joplin News Herald, MO. “Suicide Theory in Blast,” 4-16-1928, p. 1. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=166777814

National Fire Protection Association. Spreadsheet on Large Loss of Life Fires (as of Feb 2003). (Email attachment to B. W. Blanchard from Jacob Ratliff, NFPA Archivist/Taxonomy Librarian, 7-8-2013.)

National Fire Sprinkler Association, Inc. F.Y.I. – Fire Sprinkler Facts. Patterson, NY: NFSA, November 1999, 8 pages. Accessed at: http://www.firemarshals.org/data/File/docs/College%20Dorm/Administrators/F1%20-%20FIRE%20SPRINKLER%20FACTS.pdf

South Missourian News (Max Evans). “Explosion in West Plains a Real Tragedy.” Aug 26, 2009.  Accessed at: http://www.areawidenews.com/story/1565300.html

Syracuse Herald, NY. “36 Killed, 18 Injured by Explosion and Fire in Dance Hall.” 4-14-1928, p. 1. Accessed 2-18-2025 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/syracuse-herald-apr-14-1928-p-1/

United States Department of Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form (OMB No. 10024-0018). “Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Century Commercial Development in West Plains, Missouri:  1839-1952.” Feb 2002.  Accessed at: http://www.dnr.missouri.gov/shpo/nps-nr/64500850.pdf

[1] Cites:  “The West Plains Explosion,” West Plains Gazette, Number 1, Spring and Summer, 1979, p. 11.

[2] Cites:  Hampton, p. 46.

[3] Listing as one of the injured survivors by Herbolsheimer.