North Arlington, NJ Plant Explosion, June 1933

9 KNOWN DEAD IN N. J. BLAST.

CELLULOID EXPLODES AT RECLAIMING PLANT; MANY ARE INJURED.

North Arlington, N. J., June 10 -- (UP) -- An explosion in the celluloid reclaiming plant of the American Pyroloxion Waste Company, which showered flaming bits of celluloid over several hundred bathers in the Passaic River and over a residential section, left a toll of nine known dead and 175 persons injured today.
Fire destroyed the plant. The cause of the blast was not known.
Flaming particles shot upward with terrific force to a height of about 500 feet, according to witnesses, then mushroomed and showered down in a radius of 250 feet. Four nearby dwellings caught fire and burned to the ground, three others were badly damaged by fire, and a garage was destroyed.
The known dead:
MRS. JOSEPH KLITCH, 53.
MILDRED KLITCH, 17, her daughter.
LILLIAN APPLEYARD, 4 years old.
MRS. SUSAN APPLEYARD, her mother.
GEORGE DALE, father of MRS. APPLEYARD.
MRS. ESTHER DALE, his wife.
MRS. JOSEPHINE LATONE, 54.
THOMAS MOILLINOWSKI, 22.
R. P. KELLY.
The KLITCH and DALE families were burned to death in their homes. MRS. LATONE was drowned after her clothes caught fire as she was watching her children swim. She leaped into the river. Her body was recovered.
Scores of persons were treated for burns at the scene by ambulance surgeons and druggists.

Chester Times Pennsylvania 1933-06-10
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!