Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-07-31

slaughter Indirectly causing the
death OF one OF the victims OF the
terrific explosion of ammunition
on Black Tom pier early yester-
day morning.
Estimates of the casualties early
today placed the number of dead
at four, with three others mortalIy
injured, 35 suffering from less
serious injuries and eleven to
twenty missing. Estimates of the
property loss range from $25,00O,-
900 TO Si5,OOO,OOO.
Many persons who were on board
barges moored at the burned piers are,
missing and it is feared that they have.
persisted. In some quarters it was be-
lieved the number of dead would
reach IL. =
Those under arrest were Albert M.
Dickman, agent of the Lehigh Valley
railroad, station at Black Tom pier;
and Alexander Davidson, superintend-
ent of the warehouses of the National
Storage company, 10 of which were,
destroyed by the fire which followed
the explosions. warrant was issued
for the arrest of Theodore b. John
son, president of a Tightening company.
one of whose barges loaded with am
munition is alleged to have been
moored at the pier.
Places Blame.
Frank Hague, commissioner of pub
lie safety of Jersey City charged that
the blame of the explosion lay with
either the Lehigh Valley railroad
company, the storage company or the
lighterage 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 load
ed with explosives to remain moored
at the piers overnight. These barges
were being used to transport the am
munition to steamers lying in Grave
send bay.
Several Investigations were conf
menced today to discover the origin
of the fire which caused the awful e1
plosion that destroyed SIS 900 900
worth of ammunition, IS freight cars,
set blazing ammunition barges adrift
to lombard the Statue of Liberty and
the Ellis island immigration station
with shells and shrapnel and shattered
100000 worth of windows in this city
The big pier just west of the Statue
Of Liberty is today a mass of smoking
ruins. Work of repairing the damage
to the buildings on Bedloes and Ellis
islands and in New York and Jersey
City began this morning The imnai-
grafton station at Ellis island had the
appearance of a war swept village
with every window shattered, the roof
of the hospital caved in, the main door
blown away and the dining and execu-
tive 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 esti-
mated at SIS 900.
The buildings on Bedloe's island,
with doors blown in and windows
shattered, showed the marks of an
eight-hour bombardment of shrapnel,
iron bolts and spikes, pieces OF steel
and chains. The loss there is esti-
mated at 100000. The Statue OF Lib
erty virtually is unchanged but the
doors to the pedestal are blown in.
Have Miraculous Escapes.
Stories told by those who narrowly
escaped death verged on the mirac-
ulous. One man says he was blown
off lighter into the bay and swan to
Bedloe's island, but had TO swim back
again TO the Jersey shore when the
flaming barges bombarded the island.
THE air seemed to be full OF flame and
/ thought the end of the world had
come" said another survivor. A third
was blown so feet from the top OF a
freight car and landed near a building
which fell upon him.
The Jersey City police today added
to the list of dead Cornelius j. Ley
den, chief of the Lehigh Valley rail
road police, who has been missing
since the explosion occurred.
Warehouses Destroyed.
At least $4,000. 900, probably $I5,-
600 900 damage was caused by the de-
struction of - OF the Is warehouses
of the National Storage company in
Jersey City, Edmund l.. Mackenzie
stated today. This loss is amply in
sured.
On consignment OF munitions and
other supplies going to France. loss
will fall on insurance companies be-
cause policies issued TO the French
government cover shipments from the
beginning of the trip until delivery.
English shipments are insured only
lin waterside" in New York. while in
the case of shipments to Russia, poll
Cies are written both AaYA