In the autumn of 1907, the quiet oil-field village of Bradner, Ohio was rocked by one of the most violent industrial accidents in Wood County history. Just over a mile east of town stood the Hercules nitroglycerin factory, part of the explosive industry that supplied “shots” for nearby oil and gas wells. On November 13, 1907, that plant suddenly exploded with terrifying force. Newspaper accounts reported that the nitroglycerin works were demolished in an instant. Two men were killed outright and