The Monticellonian., 1916-08-03
EXPLOSION CAUSES
 S25,O00,0OO LOSS
AMMUNITION AWAITING SHIP MENT TO ALLIES DESTROYED
 FIVE STATES FELT SHOCK.
FIRE STARTED ih BARGE
Thirteen Brick Storage Houses and Six Piers Of National Storage Com panY Containing Ammunition
 Were Destroyed.

New Property loss estimated at $25,0ooc caa vas caused by series of terrific explosions Of ammu- milton awaiting shipment to the en- tente allies and stored on Black Tom Island. q small strip Of land jutting into New York Bay off Jersey City. The loss of lie still is problematieal. It will nof be determined definitely un- til there has beer opportunity 10 check up the workmeR employed on the is- land and on boats moored nearby
 Two are known To be dead and at least two more are missing Scores of persons were injured, some of them l probably mortally.
 The detonatens. which were felt in five states, began with continuous rapid fire of small shells, then the blowing up of great quantities of dyna- l mite. trintoltunine and other high ex- plosives, followed by the bursting of l thousands of shrapnel shells which showered the surrounding country and water for miles around
 Fire that started soon after the first great crash destroyed l3 of the huge warehouses Of the National Storage Company on Black Tom Island in which were stored merchandise valued at between s12.000000 and 15.000,00 The flames. shooting into the clouds. were reflected against New Yorks sky line" of towering office buildings. which only few moments before were shaken to their foundations as If by an earthquake. Miles of streets in Manhattan were strewn with broken glass and shattered signs
 Early reports of heavy loss of lifh were impossible Of verification. and the authorities asserted the number of deaths probably would be small It was said that, owing to Inc extent of the wreckage it might be several days before the exact figures could be ob- tained
 The cause of the disaster has not been determined Officials of the Ma tional Storage Company and the Be- high Valley Railway. which also sui fered heavily through loss of proper ty. declared that reports t~ them showed a fire started on barge be- longing to an independent towing com pany that had been moored alongside dock used by the railroad company to transfer ammunition shipments from trains to vessels in the harbor
 The barge, it was said was there without authority either of the rail- road or the storage company. The of ficials refused to disclose the name of the independent towing company. saying they were Investigating ito 1 ascertain whether the barge purposely had been set on fire as the result of a plot" statement issued by the Lehigh Valley Railway Company said:
 Thirteen brick storage houses out of the A owned and operated by the National Storage Company, and six piers owned by the storage company. and leased to the Lehigh Valley road. were destroyed Several others of th6 brick warehouses were badly damaged, and some minor damage was done to the Lehigh Valley grain elevators. In addition. as far as is known, 85 load ed cars were destroyed.
 According to the evidence obtain ed by officials of the railroad, the fire started in a barge belonging to an independent towing company which had been moored alongside the rail road eompany's dock expressly against orders.