Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-08-03
Rifle EXPLOSION Of AMMUNITION
/ Jersey CITY IN EARLY MORNING
CAUSES PROPERTY Loss Of S25,OOO,0OO

of the vast warehouse system through
a haze of smoke and cinders.
Many of the visitors carried away
shrapnel shells as souvenirs In some
instances they had dug them from the
earth two or three miles away from the
scene Of the explosions. In the railroad
Yards huge pieces of steel were found
which apparently had been shot through
the air by the force of the explosion
WARRANTS ISSUED.
Warrants charging manslaushter
we're issued late tonight by Judge
Mark A. sullivan Of the Hudson county
court Of common pleas Tor the arrest
Of Albert NJ. Dickman. agent at the
Black Tom island docks for the Lehigh
Valley Railroad company; Theodore II.
johnson, head of tho Johnson Light
erage and Towing company, and Alex
ander Davidson. superintendent of the
National Storage company. They are
accused Of having illegally permitted
explosives to be stored where human
life was endangered.
Johnson's company had been en-
gagged, it was said. in Tightening NUM-
lions from the docks to ships in the
harbor.
ENGINEER KILLED.
C. w. Leyden. chief of tho Lohigh
Valley railroad police. was killed
while aiding an engine crew in at
tempting to save a number Of freight
cars from the fire. a quantity Of dy-
Mantle exploded near where he was
standing it was said. and blew his
| body to atoms. The members of the
car crew escaped with decorations and
burns.
Three army officers and n detail of
| soldiers, who started from Governors
| island, headquarters of the department
| of the East, for the scene in a small
open boat, had a narrow escape from
bursting shells and flaming missiles
which fell upon the water as torches
! from an inferno.
| INVESTIGATION STARTED.
The Lehigh Valley railroad tonight
sent a telegram to the bureau of
! safety of the interstate commerce COM
mission inviting cooperation in the
Investigation as to the cause of the
explosions and fire. 1t also was an
nounccd that Lieut.-Col Beverly W.
Dunn. L. S. A., retired. said to be an
authority on explosives, had been re-
tanned to aid in the investigation.
A tugboat tonight encountered a
schooner, laden with shrapnel adrtft
in the outer bay. The craft, badly
burned apparently had broken away
from one of the docks at Black Ton
island. 1t was taken in tow by the
tugboat and moored in South Brook
Ign.
NO EVIDENCE OF PLOT YET.
Washington, July 30.-No special in
vestigation of the explosion of BLACK
Tom island in New York bay will b'
undertaken by the department of jus
tice unless evidence is developed b,
the police or by New York agents O
the departments bureau of investiga
ton that it was a plot aimed at the
, destruction of munitions of war. n.
Bielaski. chief of the bureau, received
, word to-day from New York that So
, far no facts had been developed t
show that the explosion was the rcsul
of a plot. He said tonight that n
! special agents had been detailed to in
, vestigate but that his New York ofic
will keep in touch with developments
, WAKES UP BINGHAMPTON.
Binghampton, y. Y. July 30.-Hun
! dreds of persons in every part of thi
t city claim to have been reused fror
sleep by the explosion on Black Tom
island this morning. Long before tn
report of the explosion reached thi
!, city, residents spoke of two reports an
vibrations of the earth. some wen
. scurrying from their beds. Patrolme
report that the shock shook the limb
of trees on the courthouse square.
I MARYLAND HEARS EXPLOSION.
: Baltimore. Md, July 30.7-Telephon
= inquiries were made here this mornn
e from towns in tho northern and castor
:. sections of Maryland as to the caus
: of earthshoCks felt in those places.
was thought there had been an eA
n plosion on the eastern peninsula