Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 5-11-2025 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

— 14 New York Times. “Explosions at Du Pont Plants,” Jan 13, 1917, p. 1.

— 14 New York Times. “Many Explosions Since War Began,” July 31, 1916, p. 4.

— 14 Renwick Times, IA. “14 Killed by Powder Blast.” 5-25-1916.

— 14 Sylvestre. Finding aid for E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. Repauno Works Hist. File, p.2.

— 14 Warren, M. “The worst disaster in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties.” NJ.com, 2-25-2019.

— 11 Insurance Press. “Killed and Injured in Fires in 1916.” Jan 3, 1917, p. 14.

— 11 Safety Engineering, “Kingsland and Haskell Disasters,” V. 33, No. 1, Jan, 1917, p. 30.

Narrative Information

Sylvestre: “…After the TNT manufacturing process was refined, production moved from the Eastern Laboratory [see below] to Repauno. Despite following strict safety procedures, the Repauno Works experienced another devastating explosion on May 15, 1916. The explosion killed fourteen people and destroyed two buildings. The explosion stood for nearly fifty years as the worst in DuPont Company history. The TNT plant was not rebuilt at Repauno….

“The Repauno Chemical Company was incorporated in the Superior Court of Delaware on June 7, 1880, by Lammot and William du Pont for the purpose of manufacturing the new high explosive dynamite. Additional subscriptions were secured from E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, the Laflin & Rand Powder Company, and the Hazard Powder Company, the latter already controlled by DuPont. Initially, the Du Pont Company did not get involved in dynamite production directly; it felt the product too new and dangerous, but supported Lammot du Pont in his efforts. The company built its works at a remote site on the Delaware River near Gibbstown, N.J., taking its name from nearby Repauno Creek Explosions claimed a number of lives over the course of dynamite production, including Lammot du Pont’s in an explosion in 1884.

“The Eastern Dynamite Company was incorporated in New Jersey on June 28, 1895, for the purpose of acquiring the stocks of the Repauno Chemical Company, the Hercules Powder Company in California, and the Atlantic Dynamite Company and operating them in the interest of the big three gunpowder producers. In 1902, the cousins Alfred I., Pierre S. and T. Coleman du Pont acquired control of DuPont, Laflin & Rand and Hazard, and in the following year they vested all operations in the E.I. du Pont de Nemours Powder Company. The Repauno Chemical Company was merged into the Eastern Dynamite Company in May 1904. In 1902, the du Ponts built the Eastern Laboratory, one of their first research facilities, at the Repauno Works. In 1912, DuPont was ruled in violation of the antitrust laws, and to restore competition, parts of its assets were transferred to two new, independent firms, the Atlas Powder Company and the Hercules Powder Company. Under this plan, the Eastern Dynamite Company was dissolved, and its plants distributed among the new companies. The Repauno Works stayed with E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company as part of its Explosives Department.” (Sylvestre. Finding aid for E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. Repauno Works Hist. File, p. 2.)

Warren: “Gloucester County…Gibbstown TNT explosion – A Du Pont TNT plant exploded in Gibbstown on May 15, 1916, killing 14 workers and causing $250,000 in damage, according to the New York Times.” (Warren, M. “The worst disaster in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties.” NJ.com, 2-25-2019.)

Newspaper at the Time

May 17: “Gibbstown, N.J., May 17. – Fourteen men were killed and about thirty injured in a terrific explosion at the Repauno plant of the Du Pont Powder company, near here on Monday. The blast occurred in the building in which trinitrotoluene [TNT] is manufactured and wrecked that structure and three others. Among the identified dead are: W. F. Lawley of Woodbury, N.J., assistant superintendent of the trinitrotoluene plant, and George Marsh of Paulsboro, N.J., foreman.” (Renwick Times, IA. “14 Killed by Powder Blast.” 5-25-1916.)

Jan 13, 1917, New York Times: “On May 15, 1916, fourteen died in an explosion at the du Pont works at Gibbstown, N.J., when there was a property damage of $250,000. The 2,000 employes of the plant were thrown into a panic, in which several score were injured. It was said at the time that the cause would never be known, because those who were in the trinitrotuluol house, where the explosion started, were all killed.” (New York Times. “Explosions at Du Pont Plants,” Jan 13, 1917, p. 1.)

Sources

Insurance Press. “Killed and Injured in Fires in 1916.” 1-3-1917, p. 14. Google digitized at: http://books.google.com/books?id=PmFJAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

New York Times. “Explosions at Du Pont Plants,” 1-13-1917, p. 1. Accessed 5-11-2025 at: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9B01E0DF1538EE32A25750C1A9679C946696D6CF

New York Times. “Many Explosions Since War Began,” 7-31-1916, p. 4. Accessed 5-11-2025 at: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E07E1DC1E3FE233A25752C3A9619C946796D6CF

Renwick Times, IA. “14 Killed by Powder Blast.” 5-25-1916. Accessed 5-11-2025 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/renwick-times-may-25-1916-p-1/

Safety Engineering, Vol. 33, No’s. 1-6, January-June, 1917. New York: The Safety Press, Inc., 1917. Digitized by Google. Accessed 5-11-2025 at:

https://books.google.com/books?id=hR7OAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Sylvestre, Jason. Finding aid for E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company Repauno Works Historical File Accession 2387. Wilmington, DE: Hagley Museum and Library, undated, 4 p. At: http://www.hagley.org/library/collections/manuscripts/findingaids/repauno.ACC2387.pdf

Warren, Michael Sol. “The worst disaster in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties.” NJ.com, 2-25-2019. Accessed 5-11-2025 at:

https://www.nj.com/life-and-culture/g66l-2019/02/6c318b30e95860/the-worst-disaster-in-each-of-new-jerseys-21-counties-.html

1916 — May 15, TNT explosion, Repauno Plant/DuPont Powder Co., Gibbstown, NJ — 14