The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1916-08-04
EXPLOSION CAUSES
S25,OOO,O0O LOSS
AMMUNITION AWAITING SHIP
MENf TO ALLIES DESTROYED
FIVE STATES FELT SHOCK.

New York.-Property loss estimated
at S25,000,000 was caused by a
series of terrific explosions of ammu
milton awaiting shipment to the, en-
tente. allies and stored on Black Tom
Island, a small strip of land jutting
into New York Bay off Jersey City
The loss of life still is problematical
1t will not be determined definitely un-
til there has been opportunity to check
up the workmen 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 .pessons were injured, some of them
probably mostally,
Me AetQnatl0ns, which were felt in
tsfrey ~ bAsan with q continuous
RAPID HE Of smair shells. then the
blowing up of great quantities of dyna-
mite, trintoltunine and other high ex-
plosives,, followed by the bursting Of
thousands of shrapnel shells which
showered the surrounding country and
water for miles around. .. .
Fire that started soon after the first
great crash destroyed IS of the huge
warehouses of the National Storage
Company on Black Tom Island, in
which were stored merchandise valued
at between 100000 and 15,000,0O0
The flames, shooting into the clouds,
were reflected against New York's
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 life
were Impossible OF verification, and
the authorities asserted the number
Of deaths probably would be small. It
was said that, owing to the extent OF
the wreckage, it might be several days
before the exact figures, could be OBJ
tanned. ak. ., ... ... b.. ana,
The cause of the disaster has not
been determined. Officials of the Ma.
tional Storage Company and the Le-
high Valley Railway, which also sAf-
fered heavily through loss of proper
ty, declared that reports to them
showed fire started on barge be-
longing to an Independent towing COM
pany that had been moored alongside
"a 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
ascertain whether the barge purposely
had been set on fire as the result OF
a plet" A statement issued by the
Lehigh Valley Railway Company said:
" Thirteen brick storage houses out
tof 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,
weredestroyed. Several others of the
brick warehouses were badly damaged,
land some minor damage was done to
the Leehigh Valley grain elevators In
addition, as far as is known, IS load
ed cars were destroyed. ...."i l-
b 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 company's dock expressly against
orders. ~ y - ',.1'>' '''.' No -
- ylEI ~ 80 ,3G "'