Explosion at Lake City...

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

How about the one they had a Frankford Arsenal in 1917... Philadelphia, PA Frankford Arsenal Explosions, Sep 1917 | GenDisasters ... Genealogy in Tragedy, Disasters, Fires, Floods

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Jim -- There was another incident in WWII at the Frankford Arsenal. The incident was smaller in nature but just as deadly. I believe I indicated that I had investigated several of these incident over the years. I remember as part my training an incident that took place in WWII. I believe everyone knows that the Frankford Arsenal (Northern Philadelphia) in WWII manufactured many different types of munitions for the US government. Especially .30-06 Springfield ammo, one of the workers on the production line duties was to take buckets of rifle primers and feed the primers into the primer seating machine. While carrying two buckets of loose primers, one of the buckets detonated which in turn set off the other bucket. It appears the worker was jostling the buckets as he walked to and from the primer seating machine. Of course he was killed and several others seriously injuried.

--fjruple

---------- Post added at 06:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:39 PM ----------

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Originally Posted by browningautorifle

That was the one I sought first but forgot the location...I knew there was a particularly bad one.

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This property was next to the Eddystone Rifle manufacturing facilities which was leased from Baldwin. In fact the Eddystone munitions company where the explosion took place was owned and operated by the Baldwin Locomotive works. I bet it blew a lot of the glass windows out the Rifle factory.

--fjruple

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Originally Posted by fjruple

another incident in WWII at the Frankford Arsenal

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Yes, I was aware but this one was the one I think I first heard about years ago in a discussion.

Wern't primers made of picric acid or was that eons ago as that stuff did not take much to detonate it.

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Originally Posted by fjruple

This property was next to the Eddystone Rifle manufacturing facilities which was leased from Baldwin. In fact the Eddystone munitions company where the explosion took place was owned and operated by the Baldwin Locomotive works. I bet it blew a lot of the glass windows out the Rifle factory.

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This is a common misconception!! Baldwin was the landlord, period. There was a convoluted corporate deal between Baldwin and a fellow named Marcellus Hartley a big time investor in Remington and a new company was formed called Remington Arms of Delaware.
When Baldwin agreed to build the new building they where constructed in such a way as to be easily converted to train sheds. All the tooling was Remington's, the employees where employed by Remington of Delaware. There's even more to the story but the bottom line is, not a single Eddystone or ERA "Eddystone Remington Arms" marked rifle was built by Baldwin.
Sorry for the rant but I live here so it interests me. :)

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Originally Posted by CINDERS

picric acid

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Mercury fulminate...

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Originally Posted by WarPig1976

This is a common misconception!! Baldwin was the landlord, period. There was a convoluted corporate deal between Baldwin and a fellow named Marcellus Hartley a big time investor in Remington and a new company was formed called Remington Arms of Delaware.
When Baldwin agreed to build the new building they where constructed in such a way as to be easily converted to train sheds. All the tooling was Remington's, the employees where employed by Remington of Delaware. There's even more to the story but the bottom line is, not a single Eddystone or ERA "Eddystone Remington Arms" marked rifle was built by Baldwin.
Sorry for the rant but I live here so it interests me. :)

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WarPig1976-- I understand. I live just across the river from Eddystone and have been on the property many times over the years before they built the "Wally World" on the location of the old rifle factory. I believe the only parts still left is the first set of buildings just off of the railroad tracks up from Rt.291. I have the same type pet peeve when someone tells me all Eddystone M1917 rifles were made by Remington of Delaware when in fact the company changed hands in January 2, 1918 and was then owned by Midvale Steel and Ordnance Company. Point of fact is that all of the machinery for Eddystone Rifle Company was bought and paid for by the British government. The US government then bought the machinery and tooling to build the m1917 .30-06 at give away prices. When they closed the plant at the end of WWI, they estimated it took a freight train about 16 miles long to remove all of the machinery, tools and leftover spare parts. I guess in war there is always an opportunity to save a little money.

Cheers

--fjruple

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Originally Posted by CINDERS

Wern't primers made of picric acid

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Yes sort of, it was used in the detonators of WW2 German bombs

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Originally Posted by fjruple

WarPig1976-- I understand. I live just across the river from Eddystone and have been on the property many times over the years before they built the "Wally World" on the location of the old rifle factory. I believe the only parts still left is the first set of buildings just off of the railroad tracks up from Rt.291. I have the same type pet peeve when someone tells me all Eddystone M1917 rifles were made by Remington of Delaware when in fact the company changed hands in January 2, 1918 and was then owned by Midvale Steel and Ordnance Company. Point of fact is that all of the machinery for Eddystone Rifle Company was bought and paid for by the British government. The US government then bought the machinery and tooling to build the m1917 .30-06 at give away prices. When they closed the plant at the end of WWI, they estimated it took a freight train about 16 miles long to remove all of the machinery, tools and leftover spare parts. I guess in war there is always an opportunity to save a little money.

Cheers

--fjruple

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Yup, like I said there's more to the story. I had pics I posted a few years back I can't seem to find of the three original buildings that remain. The Kimberly Clarke paper company occupies the site today. Wally World is about a mile N.E on Chester Pike.
We're so far in the weeds now I can't see out..:surrender:

Mike ~ that is what pricked up in my mind probably from reading Softly Tread The Brave I think it was used in the Gaine in the Aerial mines

Folks
I apologize for hi-jacking this thread but I thought I would post a picture of what today remains of the Eddystone Rifle Plant which produced the Eddystone Pattern 1914 and Model of 1917 Rifles. The long series of buildings in the foreground are all that remains of the plant area. The road on the left side of the picture is Simpson Street. To the right of Simpson Street in the upper section of the picture in the parking lot is where most of the main production and assembly buildings were located. The large building down from the parking is "Wally World". The art deco building in the upper right of the picture that looks like a prison is now the headquarters for the local office of the Federal Railroad Administration.

--fjruple

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