Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1916-01-26
.OU POINT SECRET SERVICE
FORCE IS STRENGTHENED
COMPANY BELIEVES ALL EXPLO-
SIONS WERE DUE TO ACCIDENT

Citizens Fear Work of For
eign Spies and Discount Statements
They Are the Result of Accidents
Determined to rid the big powder
plants Of plotters believed 10 be respon-
sible for many explosions and fires.
Of the dupont Powder Co..
Wednesday decided to augment their
secret service force by several hun
bred men. While these men will
serve in the capacity of plain clothes
detectives, they will work among the
men in the New Jersey and Delaware
plants and be so distributed that
every ten workers will constantly he
under Obsery alton. The detectives |
will not report minor faults OF the |
workers. but are to detect plOtters
who may be at work in the various
plants.
Explosions Due To Accidents
AS a matter of fact, the duPonts
do not attribute a SINCE explosion at
any Of the plants. as far as can be
ascertained to plotters. The com
pany's secret service anA police sys-
TEN has been such all along that it
would have been next TO impossible
to have caused any of them. and so
far 50 known, no evidence has
been found to indicate that any of
the explosions or fires were due to
causes other than unay oidable acct
dents. Really the proportion of ex-
plosions as compared with the volume
of business, is not remarkable. The
working force is probably 100 times
as great as when the European war
broke out, with the trade in explosions
proportional ely larger and it is also
true that nearly all of the work
is on hurry" orders. which means
/ quick work. The fact that there are
not more explosions is the result of
the company's policy to do everything
possible to protect its employees.
Every safeguard known has been
adopted. while it is practically impos-
sible for a stranger TO get into any
of dupont reservations where explo-
sives are made or handled The
regulations are so strict that officers
of the company who do not have
regular business at the plants must
have entrance permits and must be
able to fully establish their identity.
Spies Have Hard Road
1t is not beyond belief that men il
the employ of the Central Powers Of
Europe have tried to spy upon all Of
the munitions works in the country.
the DUPONT plant included. even hav-
ing obtained employment in disguise
but is not believed that they have
done more than obtain information
which they considered valuable t
their governments. Some suspicion
characters have been found prowlinl
about the outside of the reservation
and some of these men have been ar
rested, while early in the war perio
evidence was found in some of tn
plants which indicated that person
with ulteTior motives had been there
but the guard arrangements have bee
such in the past few months that any
thing of the kind has beer impossible
Early in November, it is said
plotters tied up shipments to Russi
and Italy by tampering with the seal
that are affixed to powder cans. br
since that time the shipping has bee
watched not only by the company
men, but also Russian and ltalis
army Officers, and there has been Z
further trouble.
While a large number of pow6'
workers have quit the company's en-
ploy in the past few days. most of the
being frightened by explosions, il
said there is no difficulty in filliI
places and no plants are handieapp
on account of a shortage of help.