Joseph "Joe" Bates

Birth:

Death:

Apr. 23, 1888

Winslow
Washington County
Arkansas, USA
Aug. 16, 1940
Webb City
Jasper County
Missouri, USA

Husband of Bird (Frost) Bates.

Son of William R. Bates & Mary K. (Bond)
Bates,
Joe was a Foreman at Atlas Powder Co. He
lived at Lakeside, MO. He was killed at 8:20
a.m. from an Explosion at Atlas Powder Co.
Family links:
Spouse:
Bird Frost Bates (1893 - 1942)*

Children:

Robert DeWitt Bates (1922 - 1922)*

*Calculated relationship

Burial:
Park Cemetery
Carthage
Jasper County
Missouri, USA
Plot: Park Lawn Bl 31 Lot 169 Sp 9

Full Leased Wire of the Associated Press FINAL EDITION Full Leased Wire of
the United Press VOL.73, NO. 339 JEFFERSON GITY, MISSOURI, FRIDAY,
AUGUST 16, 1940 FIIBIIMIN BIJSTITJOPLIN POWER CO. All Men Working In
Small J Unit Are Victims of Terrific Explosion .* " r~ir~.~~ ~~^~ FBI MAY
INVESTIGATE IFSABATOGE FOUND Atlas Company Engaged In Making
Powder For British Army JOPLIN, Mo.,; Aug. 16--(AP)-Five men were killed today
in an explosion which wrecked a .small unit, of the. : Alias powder plant six miles
east of Joplin. . A careful check of the plant which employs approximately .400
persons was being made for further casualties but best immediate information

was that no others . were killed cr injured. The:blast demolished the "No. 2
punch-, house" in which the five .victims wer. working. Each unit of the plant is
built in the center of, a dirt retaining wall designed to direct the force o
explosions away from other, units. A "punch house", in powder plant parlance ! is
a unit in which gelatin-mix or "jelly" is :puhched into.the dynamite sticks. The
explosion .did not touch the recently completed T. N. T. .unit of the plant, built to
help fill British orders. . - ' State,of Emergency : The blast occurred at shortly
after 8 a. m. Sheriff's deputies were rushed from .Carthage, Jasper county seat,,
informed t h a t ' a "state of emergency'' existed. At Kansas City, Dwight Brantley,
chief of the area office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 'said he had been
informed of the explosion but "unless there is evidence of sabotage we will hot
investigate." .. . . He : added:-!hat he'.'hadi,received rip information : ~jet
ihdicbJLng sabotage. "'. : ' . ' The dead: Joseph Bates, 52, Joplin, east powder
line supervisor. , Leroy Crampton, 34, Carterviile, machine operator. - . . Harold
Gallagher, 32,. Webb . City, powder line helper. Sidney O. Deitz, 43, Carthage
Route 4, powder helper. Lloyd S. Brown, 34, Carterviile, powaer tucker. The
bodies of the 'men were blown to bits. The force of the explosion rattled windows
in Joplin, Carthage, Carterviile, Carl Junction and other communities over a wide
area. Cause Unknown Cause of the explosion was not -learned and some said it
migfyt never be because of the thorougn destruction of the small building and
-the fact that all. iive men ent were killed. Estimates of amount of powder' lost in
the st ranged from 1,000 to 2,000 pounds. No estimate of property damage was
made but it was not believed heavy since the destroyed building was small. Harry
O. Rogers, Jasper county sheriff, and Dempsey Southard, chief guard. at the
plant, said there was.no indication of sabotage. The heavy guard around the
plant was increased to 30 after the explosion" and all outsiders were barred
pending outcome of an investigation. Authorities' disclosed that a construction
cre\v employee swallowed poison in an unsuccessful suicide attempt just outside
the plant gate about an hour before the explosion. A careful investigation
convinced Jasper county authorities, however, that his act had no connection
with the blast. Three men normally were employed in the unit where the ex-plosion occurred. Bates had just stopped there on a round of inspection. Brown,
the trucker, was bringing supplies into the building at the time. Only a small fife
followed the explosion.
Jefferson City Post-Tribune Page1, August 16,1940.

Bird Frost Bates

Birth:
Death:

Jan. 26, 1893

Jasper County
Missouri, USA
Aug. 23, 1942
Webb City
Jasper County
Missouri, USA

CARTHAGE EVENING PRESS

August 23, 1942
MRS. BIRD BATES, 42 DIES
Burial of Lakeside Woman Here
Tomorrow
Widow of Atlas Plant Blast Victim
Succumbs to Cancer-- Member of Frost
Family
Mrs. Bird Bates, 49 a resident of the Lakeside
district for 23 years died this morning at Jane
Chinn Hospital in Webb City, where she had
been a patient for the last three days.
Death was caused by cancer.
Mrs. Bates was a member of the prominent
Frost family of Preston. She was an ardent
Republican and a member of the Presbyterian
church in Webb City. Her husband, Joe Bates,
was killed in the Atlas Powder Company
explosion two years ago.
Surviving Mrs. Bates are a son, Joe Bates at
home and daughter, Mrs. Elmo Webb of Joplin
and four sisters, one of who is Mrs. George
Case of Carthage and four brothers Walter Frost, Arthur Frost, Frank Frost and George Frost, all
of northwest of Carthage.
Funeral Services will be conducted at 2:30 o'clock tomorrow at the Hedge-Nelson funeral home
in Webb City. Burial in Park Cemetery.
Family links:
Parents:
Orville F. Frost (1844 - 1934)
Catharine Amanda Worman Frost (1848 - 1911)

Spouse:
Joseph "Joe" Bates (1888 - 1940)

Children:

Robert DeWitt Bates (1922 - 1922)*

Siblings:
Eva Lizzie Frost Conway (1869 - 1934)*
Ada Mary Frost Plummer (1871 - 1949)*
Annie Catherine Frost Knight (1873 - 1942)*
George Wilbur Frost (1874 - 1956)*
Clarence Elmer Frost (1877 - 1952) *
Edith May Frost Case (1879 - 1951)*
Myrtle Clara Frost Harbison (1881 - 1970)*
Orville Frank Frost (1884 - 1967)*
Nellie Pearl Frost (1886 - 1886)*
Arthur M Frost (1887 - 1966)*
Walter Dewitt Frost (1890 - 1998)*

Bird Frost Bates (1893 - 1942)

*Calculated relationship

Burial:
Park Cemetery
Carthage
Jasper County
Missouri, USA
Plot: Park Lawn Bl 31 Lot 169 Sp 7