New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-03

Powder Company. issued to-nigh'
through Representative c. B. Lands
head of the publicity department
statement denying stories Of spies IN
connection with the explosion Of the
packing house at Hagley yards on Tues
day.
ain view of the many sensational aho
utterly groundless reports sent ou'
from Wilmington relative 70 the recent
explosion in one of the packing houses
of the Brandywine plant Of the du Pon'
company" says the statement, Il am
authorized by the company to say that
no fire or explosion has occurred IN
any one of oar factories in any part
of the country since the European war
began affording ground for charging
or believing that the same was the re-
suit of outside planning or interfer-
ence.
"The report that plscards were post
ed warning certain employees of an i'm
pending explosion and informing them
that if they remained at work they did
30 at their peril is entirely false. TINS
report was so startling that lmmeoi-
ately after IL was started the company's
guards hurried in automobiles along
all the roads within q wide radius oil
the plant. where these notices were al
legged to have been posted, examining
every tree and telegraph pole, fairly
combing the country. They not only
did not find any such placards, put
they were unable to discover any one
who had seen any such placards.
"The report that a man with sixty
FIVE feet Of fuse wound around his per-
son had been arrested at our largest
smokeless powder plant, at Carney's
Point. and was being detained was pure
invention. None Of our guards or en-
ployes ever heard Of any such man.
No Warning of Spies.
"The report that Great Pritain had
warned the company of the presence OF
German and Austrian spies in our
plants and that our secret service was
keeping under surveillance certain al
legged German and Austrian reservists
is absolutely untrue.
"The statement that the street car
track leading to one Of our plants was
dynamited yesterday near one OF the
company's gates, and street car loaded
with people kept from dashing down a
bank solely by the presence OF mind OF
the motorman, is without the shadow
of truth. The street car company re-
ports that It has never had an intima-
ton Of any such incident.
"The reports that the guards about
our plants have been tripled and orders
given 70 shoot any one who should at
tempt to force his way through; that
all roads leading to the companys
plants had been shut off one mile and
a half from the gates; that $1,000 re
ward had been offered for plot proof
of the explosions; that our employees
were being stampeded and their wages
advanced 900 per cent TO hold them;
that the government was honeycombing
our plants with Secret Service men;
that an electric wire had been discov-
cred leading across the Brandywine
from the opposite side Of the stream
and connecting with the plant that had
been destroyed; that we had reason to
believe that one of the men who had
been killed had sacrificed his life in
order TO destroy the plant and thus
render service to the Fatherland-ail
these statements and reports constitute
a mixture of speculation and invention
calculated TO arouse the interest OF the
casual reader, but utterly and absolute
" without foundation in fact, and the
du Pont company feels such stories
should not be repeatedly printed after
we have time and again given emphatic
assurance of their falsity.
Every Precaution Taken.
at is true that the du Pont COM
pany has taken every precaution
against outside interference with any
of the operations associated with the
manufacture of explosives. There is
nothing unusual about this.
"The company has guards about its
plants always in time of peace, not
only to protect its plants, but to pro-
tect outsiders from strolling into the
zone Of danger. It is to be expected
that this protection should be empha-
sized in the present crisis. During the
War Of the Rebellion and the Spanish
American war the government de-
tailed soldiers to protect our plants.
81 utter the plain, simple and unvar'
nished truth when | say that the cause
of Tuesdays explosion is wholly mys
terry, as has been nearly every powder
explosion that has occurred through
out the years, because those who may
have been acquainted with the facts
are. unfortunately, nearly always the
victims.
"The du Pont company desires it tC
be known that il briieves the recent
explosion TO have been one of those
unfortunate tragedies that could not
have been foreseen nor provided
against, as have been others that have
taken place ever since the manufact
signing outsider had anything to dc
with it."