Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1911-02-10
TONS OF DYNAMITE
LETGO, SCARE DEAD
ROCKS sKYscRAPERs,
TEARS AWAY WINDOW FRAMES
AND SMASHES GLASS.
FREIGHT CARS and Boats DEMOLISHED
Force of Blowup Sends Immense Wave
From River That Splashes High
Above Everything Nearby the
Scene of the Catastrophe.

New York City.-An explosion of 20
tons of dynamite at pier end close
by the Central Railroad of New Jer:
sey's passenger ferry slip at Communi-
paw killed at least SO persons,
injured more than $50 others and
wrecked everything in the vicinity,
including the Centrals big terminal.
At the time the terrific force of the
blowup reached through tho underly-
ing strata of rock not only Manhattan,
Brooklyn, Richmond and the Bronx,
but Ear away points in Long Island
and Connecticut, rocking skyscrapers,
smashing glass, tearing away win
dow frames and sending, panic strick-
en-, tens of thousands of men and
women into the streets, fearful that
an earthquake of some other vast
natural turmoil was upon them. AS in
all upheavals of tremendous force,
persons nearby escaped death; build
ings close at hand were not injured;
persons far away were killed; struc-
lures at great distances were almost
torn apart.
Two cars of dynamite containing 20
tons each from the Dupont Powder
works in Wilmington, Del, had arrived
on the tracks at the end of pier No.
almost adjoining the big Central
station at Communipaw, the explosive
being consigned to Palisades, on the
Hudson, for use in blasting out rock.
Two lighters, the Katherine w. and
the Whistler, had drawn up to the
pier end to receive cargoes Of the
dangerous stuff. They were to have
been towed up the river once it was
slowed aboard. On the former were
Caption John Healey and eight men;
on the latter four men. On the pier
end itself were II polish laborers,
some Ct being just noon) starting to
eat their dinners from their pals;
others engaged in transferring the dy-
namiate from the freight cars to the
| lighters. There were at least "a men,
therefore, within actual handling dis
tance of the dynamite. Next there
was an awful roar, a great cloud OF
haze and dust, tremble of earth and
structures above the earth within a
radius of 80 miles separated, an i'm
mense wave from the river that
| splashed high above everything near
by (even scattering mud upon the col.
lars of persons on the New York side
of the river, and then a vision OF
death, manning and wreckage.
Later the railroad officials in for.
NAL statement said that possibly the
steam or gasolene engines of one of
the two lighters had exploded and
set off the dynamite, though they
didn't state this positively. The Jer.
sey City police declared that one box
of dynamite had become stalled at the
bottom of a chute down which big
packages of the explosive were being
shot and that another had struck II
and gone off (Which was more likely
Exactly what happened is not known
except that certainly one carload, anC
perhaps two carloads of dynamite haC
| exploded. But this is known surely:
| OF the lighters Katherine W. anC
Whistler there was not trace at the
| pier end. OF the first freight car
which had held 20 tons of dynamite
nothing could be seen either OF the
second there was only a rear pair Of
trucks. Far out in the river fioatet
a mass of wreckage that might have
represented part of the woodwork ot
cars or boats; but their boilers
wheels, axles and metal parts hat
sunk with the receding of the great
wave. OF the "a men at the end Of
the pier not one survives.
AS an outcome of the explosion o.
dynamite, Justice of the Peace f. A
Ransom of Jersey City issued war
rants for the arrest of two official!
and two employees of the Central Rail
road of New Jersey, three officials O
the Dupont DeNemours Powder Co
and the owner of the lighter Rather
inc w. They are charged with Grim
| inal negligence and mansIauphter