The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-07-31
Barge Loaded with Ammu-
milton First Caught Fire,
and Flames Were Com
municated to Explosives in
Cars-All New York Was
Shaken, and the Explosion
Was Heard in Five States
Sunday

New York, July 3l.-Two men are un
der arrest to-day on warrants charging
them with manslaughter in indirectly
causing the death Of one of the victims OF
the terrific explosion OF ammunition on
Black Tom pier yesterday. The estimate
of the casualties places the dead at four,
with three mortally injured, 35 less Sc.
riously injured and / missing. The
/ property loss is estimated from S25,0O0,-
coo to $4,000, 900
Those under arrest were Albert Dick
man, agent of the Lehigh Valley railroad
at the pier, and Alexander Davidson, SUI
pcyinteudent of warehouses OF the Ma
tional Storage company A warrant was
issued for the arrest OF Theodore b. John
son, president of the Johnson Lighterage
& Towing company, one of whose barges,
loaded with ammunition, is alleged to
have been moored at the pier Frank
Hague. commissioner of public safety,
charged that the blame for the explosion
lay either with the railroad. the storage
or the lighterage company for violation
of the laws by permitting ammunition
barges to remain moored at piers over
night
Several Investigations were commenced
to-day to discover the origin Of the fire
which caused the awful explosion that
destroyed S5,000000 worth of ammuni-
tion in IS freight cars, set blazing am
munition barges adrift to lombard the
Statue of Liberty and Ellis island immi
grafton station with shells and shrapnel
and shattered 100000 worth of windows
in this city.
The big pier west of the Statue of Lib
erty is to-day mass of smoking ruins,
with the fire still burning. The immigra-
ton station had the appearance of war
swept village with every window shat
tered, the roof of the hospital caved in,
the main door blown away and the din
ing rooms wrecked The doors to the
Statue of Liberty pedestal were blown in.
Shells Exploded First
The detonations, which were felt in
FIVE states, began with continuous rap |
id fire of small Shells then the blowing |
up of great quantities of dynamite, trini- !
trotoluol and other high explosives, fol-
lowed by the bursting of thousands Of
shells 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 desc
luton in its wake, destroyed l3 of the
huge warehouses of the National Storage
on Black Tom island, in which
we're stored merchandise valued at be
.ween Sl2000,000 and Sl5,000,000. The
lanes, shooting into the Clouds were re-
lected against New York's sky line" of
owering office buildings, which only a
ew moments before were shaken to their
oundations as by an earthquake. Miles
If streets in Manhattan alone were
trewn with broken glass. shattered
igns.
Crews on the big ocean liners anchored
nut in the harbor, or docked along the :
eclared that when the first two great ex-
losions occurred it appeared as if their :
essels were literally picked up out of the
rater and then hurled back.
All New York and cities within ra- I
ius of 25 miles were awakened by the !
xplosions. Within an hour 5000 tele-
hone calls went over the police wires I
rom excited inquirers. Hundreds of Z
of persons many of them d
,antily clad ran excitedly through the Q
treets, while automobiles, containing po- I
cemen. firemen and others, dashed mad c
T about. Detectives were rushed to
laden lane, the home of the jewelry in z
lstry. to guard against thieves.
Scarcely an office building from the c.
artery to 50th street escaped damage.
-ore than a score of persons. according <
the police, were injured in Manhattan Is
I'd Brooklyn from flying glass. t
Thousands of persons in Jersey City Il
d TO the parks after the first explosion. el
snic stricken women wheeled baby car w
ages about, some Of them praying and N
hers screaming as they went. Not un- Z
after dawn Sunday was the scene X
anged from one Of intense excitement %
"a fear TO calm and apparent self as
rance. oi
thirteen Great Warehouses Destroyed. y
A statement issued By the Lehigh Val ea