Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-02-03
BLAME pNPlAcED
For the Dynamite Exp|o-
sion at Communipaw.
Dead and Missing Number &c.
Damage viii Reach 100000.
Laxnsss Alleged In Observance Of
Law Regarding Explosives.


Due pont De Nemours Powder Co..
the prosecutor of Hudson county, n.
j.. and inspectors in the bureau of ex-
plosves of the ordnance bureau of the
war department, started separate in
vestigations today into the frightful
explosion of dynamite yesterday at the
Communipaw piers of the Central
Railroad of New Jersey
No arrests have been made tonight
no cause for the explosion had been
fixed. and no additional bodies were
found. The list of dead and missing
still stands at about 33, and the prop
erty damage .ranges close to $1,000
900.
we have gone far enough now"
said Vice Presideat w. G. Beser of
the Jersey Central, ito know that
neither we nor the authorities will
ever know just what caused the ex-
plosion. We do know that the rail-
road cannot be held responsible. AS
a common carrier the law requires us
to accept explosives at the published
rates and under the supervision, regu-
lations of the ordnance bureau of the
war department, with which we COM
piled. Once we had delivered a car at
the terminal and the consignee had
come with his way bill to take posses
sion and had broken the seal of the
car as had been done in this case. it
was out of our control and our re-
sponsibility had ceased"
On the other hand, the authorities
point out that the statute regulating
explosives refers specifically to its
,,., fs,n nd -fa DO ii hot
freight car is adjudged to be a place
of storage the owners Of the car are
amenable under the law. Although no
arrests We're made today. Prosecutor
Garven said that THE finger of sus-
picion already pointed toward certain
persons and that they could not es-
cape If they We're so minded
James Healing, owner of the de-
stroyed lighter Katherine w, admitted
without hesitancy today that he had
no license to carry explosives and add
ed that all the city authorities knew it,
When he first went into the business
of transporting explosives four years
ago, he said. he inquired about d IL
cenSe and never could find that one
was required. -Four of my men,"
he said. qualified handlers of explo-
sives--had to take out licenses. and
they did from the United States bureau
of combustibles. l never knew and
nobody else handling explosives in this
harbor ever knew, that any other Ii
cense was required
The Whistler and two other powder
boats operated by the Dupont people
had no licenses, either"
The board of police commissioners
of Jersey City. and coroner's jury
of six will hold hearing on Wednes-
day next to consider all evidence then
in hand.
New York, Feb. Three separate in
vestigations We're started this morning
to fix the responsibility for the dynamite
explosion in New York Harbor yester-
day. One will be conducted by a coro-
ners jury in Jersey City, another by In
molly of Jersey City and a third by Pub
lie Prosecutor Pierre T. Garven of Hud-
son county, \. J.
The Jersey City police and the Federal
authorities will assist in all three inves-
LEGATIONS, The Federal authorities how
ever. have put the case squarely up to
New Jersey, although the transportation
of explosives about the harbor is under
the jurisdiction of the Treasury Depart
ment and under the direct supervision
of the Supervisor of Anchorages. an Off
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