Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-08-01
New York and Jersey City
Police Arresting Men
Who May Be Guilty
BURNING MUNITIONS
BOMBARD HARBOR
Millions in Damages Done
When Dynamite Barges
" at Pier Blow Up


New York, July 31.-WhlIe fed
eral and county prosecutors and
the Interstate commerce commits
sion were conducting Investiga-
tlons to determine the cause Of
and fix the responsibility for the
great ammunition explosion In
Jersey City yesterday morning
with tts heavy toll Of death, Injury
and destruction, Mayor Mark
Fasan, Of Jersey City, announced
that he would demand oonsres-
sIonal Investigation. He said that
such an Investigation was neces-
sary In order to enact more string
ent laws for the transportation and
storage Of high explosives than
are provided In the present regu-
Iaticns Of the interstate commerce
commission.
Not much stock was taken by
authorities today In the charges
made last night and this morning
that the explosion was due to tho
activities Of people in this coun-
try whose sympathies are with
the foes Of the allied governments
to whom the munitions cargoes
were consigned.
+ L Latest estimates.-plaessth the -total-ll
monetary damage at $20,0o0, 900. x
New York, July 31-Two men are
under arrest today on warrants
charging them with manslaughter, in
directly causing the death of one OF
the victims of the terrific explosion
of ammunition on Black Tom piel
early yesterday morning. Estimates
of the casualties early today placed
the number of dead at three, with
three others mortally injured, thirty
five suffering from less serious in
juries and eleven to twenty missing
Estimates of the property loss range
from $25,OoO,OOO to $45,000,00O.
Many persons who were on board
barges moored at the burned piers are
missing and it is feared that they have
perished. In some quarters it was
believed the number Of dead would
reach twelve. .-... ..
Those under arrest we're Albert M
Dickman, agent of the Lehigh Valley
railroad, stationed at Black Tom pier;
and Alexander Davidson, superintend.
ent of the warehouses Of the National
Storage Co., thirteen of which were
destroyed by the fire which followed
the explosions. A warrant was issued
for the arrest Of Theodore B. John.
son, president of lightering COM
pany, one of whose barges loaded with
ammunition is alleged to have been
moored at the pier.
Laws Violated. ~.
Frank Hague, commissioner of pub
lie safety of Jersey City, charged that
the blame of the explosion lay with
either the Lehfgh Valley railroad COM
pany, the storage company or the
company, and that some of
them had violated the laws of New
Jersey, the Jersey City ordinances, and
the rules of the interstate commerce
commission by permitting barges
loaded with explosives to remain
snoored at the piers over night. These
barges were being used to transport
the ammunition to steamers lying In
Gravesend bay.
Several Investigations were COM
menced today to discover the origin
of the fire which caused the awful ex-
plosion that destroyed $5,600,O00 worth
of ammunition, eighty-five freight
cars, set blazing ammunition barges
adrift to lombard the statue of liberty
and the Ellis Island immigration sta
tion with shells and shrapnel, and shat
tered 100000 worth of windows in
this city. &c.. x.
Islands Bombarded.
The big pier just west of the statue
of liberty is today mass of smoking
ruins Work of repairing the damage
to the buildings on Bedloe's and Ellis
islands and in New York and Jersey
City began this morning. The immi-
grafton station at Ellis Island had the
of war swept village
with every window shattered, the roof
of the hospital caved in, the main door
blown away and the dining and
executive rooms wrecked, while the
island was strewn with bits Of
shrapnel, broken glass and three-inch
shells thrown ashore from drifting
barges which had bombarded the
island as they burned. The damage
was estimated at $4,000.
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