Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-07-31

New York. July 31.-Two men are
under arrest today on warrants, charg-
ed with manslaughter in the death of
!. one Of the victims OF the explosion on
Black Tom pier yesterday morning.
Estimates of the casualties early today
placed the number Of dead at four,
with three others mortally injured,
thifty-fvc suffering from lesser In
jiries and eleven to twenty missing. Z
Estimates Of the property loss ranxed
from s15.oooooo to ,4s.ooe.eoo. In
! some quarters 1t was believed the total
number Of dead would reach twelve.
Those under arrest are Alfred d.
Z Dickman, agent Of the Lehigh Valley
railroad. stationed at Black Tom pier
and Alexander Davidson, superintend-
en- OF the warehouses of the National
7 Storage Company. A warrant was is
sued for the arrest Of Theodore b.
Johnson. president Of lighting COM
pany, one of whose barges loaded with
ammunition is alleged to have been
moored at the pier.
DIamss One Of Three Firms.
Frank Hague, commissioner of pub
lie safety Of Jersey City, charged that
the blame OF the explosion lay either
with the Lehigh Valley railroad, the
storoge company or the lighterage com
pany. and that one of them had yio-
lated the laws Of New Jersey by per-
mitting barges loaded with ammunition
to lay at the piers over night.
tnS,
5 menced today to discover the origin Of
the fire which caused the explosion
that DESTROYED $5.o0o.0O0 worth Of
ammunition. eighty-five freight cars,
and set blazing barges adrift to bonn
bard the statue of Liberty and the Ell
liz island immigration station with
shrapnel and shells. One Of the inves-
LEGATIONS Is conducted by Col. B. w.
Dunn, chief inspector Of the bureau Of
explosives of they American Railway
( Association and the interstate com
merce commission.
May Have Been Incendiary,
It Is understood that agents of the
department of justice are making in.
quiries to learn II the explosion was
the work of incendiaries. Lehigh VAL
ley officials assert that an interlopinr
barge loaded with ammunition was
moored at their pier in defiance of
their orders and that the first explo.
sion took place on board that vessel.
The commissioner OF public safety saws
that four barges were at or near the
pier and It is feared their crews per-
ished.
The big pier today is mass of
smoking ruins, with the debris piled
hundreds OF feet high in places and
with the flre still burning.
Damage on Ellis Island.
The work of repairing the damage to
buildings on Bedloe's and Ellis islands
and IN New York and Jersey city be.
gan today The Ellis island immipra :.
ton station had every. appearance Of
a. war-racked village. Every window
was shattered, the roof of the hosnita,
cAsed IN. the main door blown away,
ana the dining and executive rooms
were wrecked, while the island was
strewn with bits OF shrapnel, broken
glass and three-inch shells thrown
ashore from drifting barges The dam
age was estimated at $4,000.
Heavy Loss on 6edioe's Island.
The buildings on Bedloe's island
witn doors blown in and windows shat
tered showed the marks of an eight
hour bombardment of sharpnel. iron
& Dolls and pieces of steel, while the
homes Of army officers are stripped OF
chimneys. The loss there is estimated
at 100000. The statue of Liberty vir1
.ually is undamaged. but the doors to
the pedestal are blown in. Stories told
~ those who narrowly escaped death
4 i Yerse on the miraculous. One man
IA blown OF u lighter and SWAN to
Bedloe's island. but had to swim back
again to the Jersey shore.
The air seemed to be full Of flames
and ! t1ousht the end of the world had