The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1916-07-31
Twenty Three Persons Are Missing
and Sixteen Are Injured
PROPERTY Loss, S1S,OOO,O
Detonations of Munitions Awaiting
Shipment to Allies Distinctly
Felt In Five States.

dead number four, the missing % and
the injured 16. The property loss is
now placed at $19,OOO,O00 and includes
II buildings, 6 piers, barges l tug
boat and SO freight cars.
Albert M. Dickman, the Lehigh Val
ley Railroad station agent on Black
Tom island, Alexander Davidson, sup
erintendent of the National Storage
company, and Thomas b. Johnson,
president of the Johnson LiteraSe
company, were arrested today charged
with manslaughter. The hearings in
the cases we're continued to Friday at
the request Of the prosecution and the
three officials were released under
bonds of $4,000.
New York, July 31.-Property loss
In the vicinity of this city estimated
at $25 100000 was caused early yester
day by a series Of terrific explosions
of ammunition awaiting shipment to
the entente allies and stored on Black
Tom island, small strip of land Jut-
o ting into New York bay off Jersey
City.
The loss of life still was problemati-
cal last night. II will not be deter
mined definitely until there has been
opportunity to check up the workmen
employed on the island and on boats
moored nearby. Two are known to be
dead and at least two more are known
to be missing Scores of persons were
injured, some Of them probably
fatally.
The detonations, which were felt
in five states, began with continuous
rapid fire of small shells. then the
blowing up of great quantities of dy-
namiee, trinitrotoluene and other high
explosives, followed b ythe bursting
of thousands of shrapnel shell, which
literally showered the surrounding
country and waters for many miles
around
Fire that started soon after the iirst
great crash, which spread death and
desolation in its wake, destroyed IL
of the huge warehouses of the Ma
tional storage company on Black Tom
island. in which were stored mer'
chandise valued between $l2,OO0,OOO
and $l5,OOO,000. The flames, shooting
into the clouds, were reflected against
New York's sky line of towering Office
buildings, which only few mo-
ments before had been shaken to
their foundation as by an earthquake
Miles of streets in Manhattan alone
were strewn with broken glass and
shattered signs
Early reports OF heavy loss of life
were impossible of veriication, and
the authorities asserted the number
of deaths probably would be small
1t was said that owing to the eX
of the wreckage it might be severa
days before the exact figures coulC
be obtained.
The cause OF the disaster had no
been determined last night. O0icial
of the National storage company an,
the Lehigh Valley railroad, which ais,
suffered heavily through loss of proT
erty, declared, however, that report
to them showed fire started shortl
after o'clock yesterday morning o.
barge belonging to an independen
towing company which had bee
moored alongside n dock used by tn
railroad company to transfer amml
milton shipments from trains to yes
sells inthe harbor. The barge.
was said. was there without authorit
of either the railroad or the storag
company Officials refused to dis
close the name of tho Independent
towing company, saying they were IN
vestigating ito ascertain whether IN
barge purposely had been set on fir
as the result of plot"