New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-02

yards within half a mile Of Black Tom
eight carloads of guncotton and picric
acid we're found. He also discovered,
he reported. two tons of dynamite in
the Weehawken yards Of the West
Shore.
A report transmitted 20 the office Of
Prosecutor Robert s. Hudspeth said
that dynamite, guncotton and other
high explosives in sufficient quantities
TO demolish lower Manhattan, parts of
Brooklyn and towns on the Jersey
shore were daily in bsrges in New York
Harbor and in Gravesend Bay. II was
said steamers did not arrive rapidly
enough to take the great accumulations
away.
The body Of Cornelius J. Leyden,
chief of the Lehigh Valley police, was
found yesterday afternoon beneath
tons of debris on Black Tom.
Patrolman James Doherty, who was
standing near Leyden at the time OF
the explosion, died yesterday in the
City Hospital.
Storage Head Surrenders.
Edmund l.. Mckenzie. of Plainheld,
y. j., president of the National Stor-
sge Company. surrendered 10 the Hud-
son County authorities yesterday. The
warrant for his arrest. as in the cases
Of the three men previously arrested,
charged manslaughter. Bail of $4,000
was furnished. and Mckenzie was re-
leased for hearing Friday.
Roger b. Wood, assistant United
States Attorney for the Southern Dis
| trict of New York. and Andrew j. Steel
man, assistant United States Attorney
for New Jersey. took part in confer
ence with the Jersey City and Hudson
/ County officials, which failed to result
/ in any plan for the cooperation Of the
/ Federal and local authorities. The Jer-
/ sey City commissioners were dissatis-
| fed with what they termed the Federal
attorneys "lukewarmness" in the in
vestigation.
Ii was announced after the confer
ence tina tif any investigation was made
/ by the Federal authorities 1t would be
made Independently and that the
county would 60 ahead. 1t will press
manslaughter charges against the -four
men already named as defendants anC
NAV issue additional warrants fol-
other persons believed to share the re
sponsibility for the disaster. An eff
fort will also be made to invoke the
old common law in preventing storage
of large quantities of munitions.
Four Now Arrested.
The four men arrested are Mr. Nc
Kenzie, arraigned yesterday; Theodore
B. Johnson, 1856 Seventy Street
Brooklyn, president of the johnson
Lighterage and Towing Company; Alex
ander Davidson, 233 Stegman Street
Jersey City, superintendent of the Ma
tional Storage Company piers, and Al
/ bert NJ Dickman, of Jersey City, agent
at the Black Tom piers of the johnson
. lighterage company
The five city commissioners left the
conference with the government attor
news vowing to take action that woulc
accomplish something. One member
suggested tearing up the railroads
/ tracks, but when the commission re-
convened in the afternoon this plan
was not mentioned. 1t gave way to the
Brensinger resolution, which follows:
Whereas, The report OF detectives
who have examined into the matter
concerning the amount of explosives
now in Jersey City, passing through ;he
/ city and to be passing through daily
demonstrates to this board that the
/ high explosive munitions Of war being
/ shipped through Jersey City constitute
!
to our own city but to neighborine
cities; and,
Hague Ordered to Act.
( Whereas. Procedure through the
/ Federal authorities taken by the Di-
rector of Public Safety heretofore
shows this board that the result Of the
ordinary legal course will afford nc
remedy; therefore, be il
Resolved, That the Director Of Pub
/ lie Safety be directed to prevent the
/ storage and shipment of high explo-
/ sives within the confines Of Jersey City
and that he use all the means in his
power and command to accomplish this
/ end"
II was apparent as soon as the reso-
/ luton was introduced that the commits
sioners were not going to let any ques-
ton Of their authority and jurisdiction
stand in he way. Mayor Mark NJ
Pagan am Commissioners Brensinger
Hague and A. Harry Moore were de-
termined and earnest in their Intention
to stop the railroads at any cost from
bringing further shipments of explo'
I sives into the city. Byrne. a wealthy
contractor, was disposed. as he said, "a
"pass the buck to the Federal author
tiles, where it rightfully belongs"
Grows More Emphatic.
"Our laws are ineffective" said Mr.
Rrensinger. at is up to this commits
sion to take the law in its own hands
The railroads are bringing huge guam
titles of high explosives into the city
and we have found no way to prevent
them"
Here he grew more emphatic.
"I'm a law-abiding citizen" he ex
claimed, "but I'll be damned if In
going to have them shipping tons o.
dynamite in here to blow UP my chill
dren"
Director Hague spoke for the reso
luton and related the difficulties HI
had encountered in his efforts to d.
away with the menace TO lives ant
property.
It was suggested that he could cal
on the sheriff TO assist him.
81 don't think III need the sheriff,
Hague retorted az can use the polio
power of the city to stop every ship