Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1916-08-03
War Mutions Explode In New
York Harbor.
Loss of Property Estimated at
$25.OOO.OOO.
I.iharfu StafuA IniurAd
Liberty Statue Injured

An unknown number of dead andinjur-
ed, $25, 10000 IN property loss. five
States shaken, and millions of persons
within radius of 100 miles badly frigh-
tened to distraction. is the partial toll of
the damage wrought by an explosion of
war materials in New York Bay early
Sunday morning, July Both.
While only two persons are known
definitely to be dead, the loss of life is
believed 70 have been considerable, and
scores of persons were injured.
Black Tom Island, an area of reclaim
ed land. which projects into the bay
from the Jersey shore, Immediately be-
hind the Statue of Liberty, was the
scene of the explosion.
Six Lehigh Valley railroad piers and
the National Storage Warehouse COM
prising "a 3 story, brick buildings, about
100 feet deep, bore the brunt of the ex-
plosion.
Thirteen storage warehouses and their
entire contents were blown up, IS loaded
freight cars were burned, dozen barges
and their contents burned or blown up,
and probably three tug boats sunk.
The New Jersey Central Railroad pier,
half mile from the source of the ex-
plosion, also was damaged.
The detonations, which were felt in
five states, began with a continuous
rapid fire of small shells, then the blow
ing up of great quantities of dynamite,
trinitrotoluene and other high explosives,
followed by the bursting of thousands of
shrapnel shell, which literally showered
the surrounding country and waters for
many miles around.
Fire that started soon after the first
great crash. which spread death and des-
olation in its wake, destroyed l3 of the
huge warehouses of the National Storage
Company on Black Tom Island, in which
were stored merchandise valued between
$1,000, 900 and SIS, OOO,O 900. The flames,
shooting into the clouds, were reflected
against New York's sky line of towering
Office buildings. which only few mo-
ments before were shaken to their foun-
dations as if by an earthquake. Miles
of streets in Manhattan alone were
strewn with broken glass and shattered
signs.
Great havoc was wrought on Bedloe's
Island by the explosion at Black Tom
Island. Damage to the Statue of Liberty
has been estimated at several hundred
thousand dollars. The figures are the
guess of Captain Clifton, in charge of
Liberty Island. The exact injury can
not be ascertained until experts have
made careful examination of the ped
estal and base of the statue.
Bedloe's Island, almost on a direct
line with Black Tom, bore the brunt of
the shock. A warehouse recently COM
pleted there is practically in ruins.
The first thought of the officers and
men who comprise the little army post
was for Miss Liberty; though an ava
lanche of dirt and pieces of flying shrap-
mel detail of three men with nom
commissioned officer ran to the statue
after the first blast. They found it bad
ly damaged. The light on the statue
was found to have been completely flick
ering when the successive blasts ratified
the monument to its foundation.
1t has not yet been definitely deter
mined just what the money loss will be.
Some 40, 900 tons of raw sugar, valued
at approximately So, 400, 600, is known to
be lost. 1t is believed that the other
contents of the warehouses destroyed
will greatly increase this amount. There
were no explosives stored in the ware
houses. Two of the cars de stroyed were
loaded with shrapnel, which would not
have been source of danger but for out
side fire. The other cars destroyed were
loaded principally with salt and pork.