ast, termed the worst in the last |
|twenty-five years, it was recalled that notices |
|recently had been tacked on trees and fences near |
|the yards, and even on fences within the plant, |
|warning workmen to quit the mills by Jan. 1. At the |
|time, the posting of the notices was believed to be |
|an attempt by German sympathizers to intimidate the |
|men. Extra guards were ordered about the plants and |
|the United States Secret Service began an |
|investigation, it was reported. |
| |
|Du Pont Company officials have ordered a searching |
|investigation, and every employee who was near the |
|destroyed building will be put through an |
|examination in an effort to get some clue as to the |
|cause of the explosion....[21] |

[21] _New York World_, December 1, 1915.

It is worth noting, in this story, the shrewdness with which the
reporter plays up the probable cause of the accident, adding to the
actual facts and promising possible further developments in to-morrow's
paper.

=223. Stories of the Weather.=--The weather takes its place in the
accident division of news stories because of its frequent harmful
effects on life and property. Men's pursuits are all a gamble on the
weather. Usually a story about the weather depends for its value largely
on the felicity of its language, though when there has been severe
atmospheric disturbance, resulting in loss of life, destruction of
property, or delayed traffic, a simple narrative of events is sufficient
to hold the reader's attention. The following are different types of
weather story, the first being of the pure accident type, the second, of
the more commonplace daily routine.

| =TERRIFIC STORM KILLS 4= |
| |
|Rain, hail, snow, sleet, gales, thunder and |
|lightning combined in an extraordinary manner early |
|yesterday to give New York one of the most peculiar |
|storms the city ever experienced. Four persons died |
|and scores were injured. Unfinished buildings were |
|blown down, roofs were blown off, and signs |
|demolished. |
| |
|The stor