Here’s one for you history buffs about “The Rock”.
When an explosives plant blew up the night of July 2, 1918, it sent shock waves across the county.
Some echoes are still heard today in the questions and conspiracy theories that linger about the explosion at Split Rock stone quarry that killed 50 men and injured hundreds of others. It was the worst man-made disaster in Onondaga County history. The United States was embroiled in World War 1, and the Solvay Process Co. was manufacturing TNT at its Sement-Solvay plant in the town of Onondaga.
The disaster began when a fire broke out in a TNT processing building. Workers battled the blaze for 30 minutes. Then the water dropped off, and the plant exploded. The blast sent shock waves through the area. The ground shook in Camillus. Nearby homes, occupied by workers and their families, were leveled. Miles away, windows and automobile windshields were shattered.
The explosion has intrigued and baffled researchers and conspiracy theorists for years. Some suspect the plant was secretly making poison gas for the war. Others believe the fire may have been the work of German spies and saboteurs. And still others believe the U.S. government may have somehow been involved with the disaster.
The mystery: How did it start? The official cause was listed as an overheated gear in the grinding machine. Some say the possibility of sabotage by German agents can't be dismissed. It is a possibility that generates disagreement even among historians.
Was Solvay making poison gas as well as TNT at The Rock? Rich, a librarian who works as a computer programmer, found contemporary accounts indicating it was.
Was it a coincidence that the explosion happened the day after the U.S. Army Chemical Corps took over control of Split Rock's Department of Special Manufacturing? Or that other plants making ammunition for the war effort in the United States blew up about the same time? One explosion, in Pennsylvania, killed 150 workers two months before Split Rock.
Who was the stranger a Syracuse detective claimed to have arrested right after the explosion and turned over to federal officers?
Why did the skins of workers and animals at The Rock turn yellow and green?
The quarry: Stone was removed from the Split Rock quarry from 1880 to 1911. The stone was used to build parts of the Erie Canal in the 1820s. That stone can be seen today at the Camillus Erie Canal Park and in many downtown buildings.
The immigration: Pre-famine Irish laborers came to this area in the early 1800s to work at the quarry. Many lived near the quarry. Later, in the early 1900s, the first large influx of blacks and Latinos moved to Onondaga County and found work at the munitions factory. At its peak, 3,200 people worked there in 24-hour shifts.
The scenery: At twilight, the Rock has an eerie quality. Local lore says Rod Serling visited it as inspiration for Twilight Zone in the days before New York destroyed many of the munitions-making buildings. The Rock is riddled with caves and fissures. A piece of the property was turned over to the state in the early '90s because it contains the endangered hart's tongue fern.
This information was taken from the Herald Company archives.
All that’s left is part of the stone crusher that rises 75 feet against the quarry wall. Bring a flashlight to explore the insides.
This is state land and there are no posted signs, but there are “no parking” signs.
The starting point is a bit of a challenge, if you need help look to the decrypted hints.