The Savannah morning news., 1903-11-05
EXPLODING SHELLS
COST THE LIVES OF SIX MEN AT A
NAVAL ARSENAL.
AN ISLAND IN THE HUDSON
WAS THE SCENE OF DEATH AND
DESTRUCTION.

Men Were Drawing the Explosive
Charges from Old Shells Sent from
the BattIeship Massachusetts
When the Explosion Occurred.
Many More Explosions Followed.
Bursting Shells Made the Work of
Marines Dangerous.
Iona Island, N. Y, Nov. 4.-Six men
this afternoon by an explosion at the
United States naval arsenal one OF
the largest magazines in the United
States, which is located here.
The explosion occurred while men
were drawing the explosive charges
from a consignment of old shells re-
Gently sent here from the battleship
Massachusetts.
Three massive shell houses were COM
pletely destroyed, and a rain Of frag-
ments of projectiles of all sizes was
scattered in every direction.
The force of the explosion, or series
of explosions. broke windows at Peeks-
Kill. three miles below, on the opposite
side of the Hudson, and the detonation
was heard for many miles. Adjacent
buildings, Including two storehouses
for fixed ammunition. were riddled with
the fragments, and the quarters of the
eleven marines composing the garri-
son were completely demolished.
The dead, all of whom were work.
men employed by the naval ordnance
department, are Fred Ward, Stony
Point; George Moorhead, Tomkins
Cove; Fred o. Locke, Peekskill; Pat
rick Curran, West Haverstraw; Fred
Brown, Haverstraw; James Connolly,
Peekskill.
Were FriGhtfuIIy Mangled.
The bodies were frightfully mangled,
fragments being hurled for hundreds
of feet.
The island. which has been used as
an arsenal for a year, is in the Hud-
son river forty miles from New York,
and shells and ammunition of all kinds
were stored there. The defamation Of
part of the charge of shell being I'M
loaded in shell house No. l, exploded
all the other shells in the house, and
| the fragments of shells driven into the
adjoining houses exploded their con-
tents.
There were two main explosions,
with an interval of several minutes
between. and a succession of minor
ones as individual shells went off.
Fire followed, and for several hours
the marines fought the flames, in i'm
minent danger from constantly explod-
ing shells. Physicians and nurses
from West Point, Peekskill and Hayer-
straw hurried to the island and at
tended to the injured, one Of whom was
seriously hurt
A large amount of fixed ammunition
stored in two buildings, from which the
roofs were blown, did not explode. and
the two main powder magazines were
at the other end of the island, out
of danger.
Were Narrow Escapes.
The force of the main explosion is
shown by the fact that a fragment Of
stone Intel, three feet long, was found
about 300 yards from the doorway to
which 1t belonged. Some smaller pieces
were hurled clear across the Hudson.
Clocks for several miles were stopped
by the shock.
Besides Gunner Otto Fries and the
guard of marines, ten or twelve maya
zine tenoers ana attendants lived on
the island with their families. The
hundred or more workmen resided in
adjacent towns. Gunner Fries was
standing near the shell house when the
first explosion occurred but his in
juries, like those OF the others, consist
only of cuts and bruises.
One workman had a miraculous es-
cape. He was inside the shell house
when the first explosion occurred, and
although dazed and almost senseless,
managed to get out of the building.