Name/Title
Men at Dynamite Plant, 1933 or '34Entry/Object ID
TIN-0067.3Description
Men at Dynamite Plant, 1933 or '34. This image shows two men working in one of the buildings of the J.A. Denn Powder Company dynamite plant in Hawks Prairie near Lacey, Washington in either 1933 or 1934. The men are working in a room with wood walls and a wood floor. The wall at the left-hand side of the image has three windows in it. These windows open inward from the top, and are hinged at the bottom. The two windows nearest to the camera are open. One of the men is standing immediately at the left-hand edge of the image. His left foot is cocked backward slightly, with only the toe touching the floor. In his left hand he is grasping a rope which hangs from somewhere above the upper edge of the image. He is wearing a long-sleeved, button-up work shirt. His face is very blurred. In front of this man is an approximately four foot tall weight scale. To the right of and partially behind this scale is a woodeen barrel laying on its side in a metal framework. Several wooden boxes are partially visible beyond this barrel. A wooden box with a light-colored powder in it is visible in the image foreground near the bottom-right corner of the image. A second man is visible in the background standing near a box which is supported on thin wooden legs. The top edge of the box is at eye level with the man standing next to it. This man is looking in the general direction of the camera, and his head and body are both blurred. He is wearing a v-neck sweater over a button-up, collared shirt. Visible on the wall behind this man is a sign which reads "When you are through using tools put them back where they belong." Approximately three feet to the right of this sign is a large wooden cabinet. The right-hand door of this cabinet is open, and inside are visible are twelve wide, flat boxes. Several ropes hang from the ceiling.
The reverse side of this photograph is blank.
The J.A. Denn Powder Company was owned by Joseph A. Denn, with its headquarters located in Portland, Oregon. The Hawk's Prairie dynamite plant was built in 1933. On June 27, 1934, two consecutive explosions occurred at the plant, killing ten and leveling all but two of the eight buildings which made up the plant. One additional person died from their injuries the following day. The specifc cause of the explosions remains a mystery. ("Explosions at the J. A. Denn Powder Company, in Hawk's Prairie near Lacey, kill 10 and injure seven on June 27, 1934,” Historylink.com, posted July 8, 2007, http://www.historylink.org/File/8155.)Made/Created
Date made
1933 - 1934Place
Neighborhood
Hawk's PrairieCity
LaceyCounty
ThurstonState/Province
WashingtonCountry
United StatesContinent
North AmericaNotes
Medium: Photographic Paper/Photographic EmulsionLexicon
Search Terms
People, Industry, J.A. Denn Powder CompanyDimensions
Height
2-3/4 inWidth
4-1/4 inDimension Notes
The print size indicated above pertains to the image itself, not including the white backing paper. tag
