The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-02-04
MAY |ND|CT SCORE
Of HIGH OFFICIALS
Grand Jury Probing to Place
Responsibility for Great
Explosion
EIGHT CHARGED WITH
Mans LAU
Permit Not Asked forb by Pow
der People Because They
Knew it Would be
Refused

JERSEY CITY, n. j.. Feb. flight
officials of the Jersey Central Railway
and the Dupont Powder Company. with
the owner of the Inflated tug Catherine
w, were arraigned before Judge Queen
in the Criminal Court to-day charged
with .manslaughter In connection with
Wednesdays explosion. They pleaded
not guilty but were held without bail
TO await the action of the grand jury.
the court not having power to fix ball
on this charge. All were at once taken
before Judge Robert Carey. in the court
of common pleas, who permitted them
TO GO on their own reeognizance pend
ing the returning OF indictments by the
grand Jury. That body is now investi-
eating the affair and 1t IL believed VIII
indict a score OF persons early next
week.
1t was made plain that the turtsdic-
ton of the Hudson county n
ties was To be questioned from the out
set.
Prosecutor Garven told the court he
was prepared to prove that the expio-
sIves which caused the disaster had
been in the city for six days without
The knowledge OF the authorities. lat
"A permit was not applied for in the
case. he said. was due to the fact That
the railroad and powder company off,
ciaIs knew that not only would such a
permit be refused bait that If the Off
cIats of the city knew that such a
quantity of explosives had been brought
inside the limits steps woald have
been taken to protect the community.
With the ~recovery OF the body of
Captain James A. Armstrong Of the
Lighter Whistler last night. making II
certain that bodies are hidden In the
wreckage Of that craft and the Gather
inc w. additional divers We're put 10
work to-day searching for these bodies,
That the explosive was black powder
aud not dynamite was the belief of the
Dupont officials to-day. They said
that there was no question but that
the dynamite on the pier was frozen
aud consequently eould rot have been
aetoned. However. they point out,
there was more Ia fo,0o pounds al
black gun powder on the dock and
that explosive will detone st any tenn
p@rature. This theory. however. will
he disputed by the county officials
IN court,
Divers to-day raised the hull of the
powder lighter Whistler IL was evil
Dent from her condition that her cargo.
as well as that of the Catherine W.
exploded at the time 81 the accident
The divers are still searching for the
bodies of the crews of both craft.
because Prosecutor Carver alleges
that he has received Information To
the effect that some mysterious In
f9uence was tampering with his Wit
nesseg he to-day had four members OF
the crew OF the bark Ingrid. which
Was badly damaged by the explosion.
sent to Jail for s~afekeeping. He ex-
planned to the court that these men
reside ont of the jurisdiction of the
State and that Il they, xxeraA permitted
their liberty he would probably not
be able TO ind them ssnan. waited
Judge Queen fixed bail for the men
at $500 each, which they could not
furnish. The court said that, al
Though he realized IL was a hardship
10 send men who had done nothing.
he was compelled to do SO at the re-
quest of the prosecutor.