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

fire in the cars, tried to call Lehigf
Valley watchmen and then telephonec
to the Johnson Offices in order TO gel
aid. There were no railroad watch
men there at the time. although tn,
yards were full Of explosives
Inccndlarism Suspected
Further information given out at Tho
Offices Of Johnson's counsel was 10 tho
effect that when the case against John.
son. charging manslaughter, comes "a
trial, August II, the facts about barge
"a and others will cxoneratc him OF
all blame. They expect also TO present
evidence tending toward incendiarism
as the johnson watchmen saw a boat
rowing from Black Tom toward Bed
loe's Island between midnight and
o'clock and discovered the ire soon
afterward.
The first assertion Of the Bureau OF
Explosives, that the fire originated or
Johnson's Barge %, has now been
toned down to either another barge OF
the pier"
Johnson's counsel says that this is
absurd for the reason that the wharf
is uninjured except for slight burning
and adds that the scene of the explo-
sion is several hundred feet away.
Car Delivery Custom.
W. s. Topping, of the Bureau Of Ex'
plosives, said yesterday that the custom
of the railroad is to regard its deliy-
cry as completed when the cars are
placed on a track near Bulkhead Is
where the seals were broken by the
railroad officials and the barge men
began unloading. This does not in
clude those cars standing near the
great hole marking the scene Of the
explosion, as the Lehigh Valley still
had to move them in order to COM
plete their share of transportation.
The Department of Justice and the
District Attorneys Office are no. push
ing their inquiries. SO far there has
been no proof Of incendiarism OF
breach of neutrality, and they will not
act until some such proof has been
brought forth.
The railroads that have their term
iDals in or near Jersey City are pre-
pairing TO use every power at their
command TO break down the city
recently enacted rule which lays an
embargo on oil explosives.
The Lackawanna Railroad. il was an
nounced yesterday. will carry the
fight into the Federal court. The
Lehigh Valley system will seek @
more immediate means of relief this
afternoon, when its attorneys appear
before the Jersey City Commissioners
to plead that the embargo be lifted
Since the morning of the explosion al
Black Tom Island, the Lehigh has not
shipped En- ounce of munitions or other
high explosives through Jersey City
In view OF the fire, which only the
night before last swept the Lehigh s
Claremont yards. 1t is thought un-
likely that the commissioners will in
any way modify their rigid ruling
at least, not at the present time.
The Claremont fire, officials OF the
Lehigh contended yesterday, was OF
undoubted incendiary origin. Two OF
the railroads employees are ready to
swear that they saw two strangers
wandering about the yard shortly be-
fore the fire broke out, and that they
saw these men fleeing just as smoke
began to rise from the blaze. A de-
scription of the providers has beer
furnished to Jersey City detectives.
The Jersey City Bureau Of Ex-
plosives records the Claremont fire as
due 70 spontaneous combustion, after
nitric acid had escaped from its con
tainers and had come in contact with
the wood OF the box cars IN which 1t
was stored.