General view of employee James (Jay) Fiore transferring dry powder from the dry house to the mix house at the Hercules Powder Company plant in Port Ewen, New York. Notably, the powder, which was used in the manufacture of electric blasting caps, was always transferred and rested in rubber in order to avoid the hazard of metal, which might cause a spark or a shock.

Formed in 1912 as part of an anti-trust settlement with DuPont, the Hercules Powder Company (later Hercules Inc.) specialized in the manufacture of explosives and smokeless powders. The company's Port Ewen plant produced a range of special detonators designed for military use, as well as construction jobs that required blasts of dynamite, such as the clearing of quarries, mines, and tunnels.