12 DEAD IN CEDAR RAPIDS
New York Times
But Searchers Still Hunt for 20 More Missing
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CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, May 23---With twelve bodies recovered from the ruins of the Douglas Starch Company's plant, wrecking crews today and tonight searched the debris for the bodies of twenty more employes believed buried. Of the forty workmen injured and taken to hospitals all but a few are out of danger.
The Cedar Rapids' Red Cross Chapter and the Chamber of Commerce today appealed to all citizens to contribute to a fund to be used in relieving the needs of the large families of some of the victims.
Coroner King, who empanelled a jury today to investigate and fix the blame for the explosion, said tonight that the death list would total thirty-two.
Two unidentified men died in a hospital last night. The list of seriously injured who are in the hospitals numbers fourteen, and it is believed many of them will die.
The fire burned all night, but a heavy rain set in shortly before daylight and the flames were got under control by 7 o'clock.
At the plant the officials would advance no theory as to the cause of the explosion, but workmen insist that it was caused by dust.
The monetary loss is estimated at $3,000.000.
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