Evening star., 1916-08-01
Representatives Eagan and
HamiII Want Shipments From
Atlantic Ports Prohibited.
COMING TO WASHINGTON
TO MAKE THE DEMAND
Announce Decision After Conference
With City, State ard Federal
Officials in Jersey City.

NEW YORK. August Rep
resentatives John ]. Eagan and
James a. Hamill of New Jersey
announced this afternoon, at the
close of a conference of CITY,
county, state and federal officials
on the Black Tom munitions ex-
plosion Sunday morning, that
they would go to Washington
tomorrow, accompanied by Mayor
Pagan of Jersey City, to demand
an embargo on the export of
munitions from Atlantic coast
ports.
Representative Eagan said that he
would introduce resolution in the
House asking for an immediate en-
barge, and Representative Hamiu said
that he was framing a bill of similar
design. but refused to disclose its ex-
act nature.
The three men also will go before the
interstate commerce commission in
Washlngton tomorrow. they said. and
demand the adoption by the commits
sion of stringent regulations pending
remedlal legislation for the removal of
Immediate danger from the storage of
nigh explosives at this port.
representatives of the federal dis
srict attorneys office of New York and
New Jersey attended the conference.
but said that there was nothing to
show that federal laws had been vio-
lated In the transportation or storage
OF the explosives which caused Sun
days disaster.
E. L. Mackenzie Arrested.
The fourth arrest growing out of the
separate inquiries under way was made
today when E. L. Mackenzie, preside MT
of the National Dock and Storage Com
pany. the scene Of the explosion. was
taken into custody at his home in
Plainfield, N. j.. and released on SIS, 900
bail for examination Friday.
There is no question that I am re-
sponsible for the warehouses owned by
the company said Mr.. Mackenzie, but
l can state positively that there was no
infringement of the law in any re-
spect."
President E. B. Thomas of the Lehigh
Valley railroad and President w. q.
Besler Of the Central Railroad of New
Jersey probably will be arrested on
charges of manslaughter in connection
with the explosion on Black Tom Is
land early Sunday morning, it was an
nounced last night by Frank Hague.
commissioner of public safety of Jersey
City. Three officials of companies sit
uated on Black Tom already are under
arrest, and warrant is out for a
fourth. The same charge has been pre-
ferred against all
To Make Second Disaster Impossible.
The Jersey City authorities have an
nounced their determination to make
impossible a repetition of the disaster.
They declared large quantities of ex-
plosives should not be handled in such
densely populated district as sur
rounds New York harbor.
The theory that the fire which caused
the disastrous explosion started on a
munitions barge tied up at the island
was combated by Robert S. Hudspeth,
prosecutor for Hudson county, and
Theodore B. Johnson. president of the
Johnson Lighterage Company, owner of
the munitions barge. Both declared the
fire originated in two Lehigh Valley
railroad freight cars laden with explo-
sives.
johnson, who was arrested on a war
rant charging manslaughter. as were AL
bert M. Dickman, Black Tom agent of
the Lehigh Valley, and Alexander David
son. superintendent of the National Stor-
age Company. denied all responsibility
for the confiagration. He intimated
that the fire was Of incendiary origin.
Prosecutor Hudspeth corroborated
Johnson's story. He said he had obtained
an affidavit from the commander Of the
tug Geneva" which gave a comprehen-
sive story OF the disaster.
Fire Spread to Freight Cars.
According to the affidavit and other
evidence" said the prosecutor, ''the fire
started two hours before the Johnson
barge was destroyed. and 1t was not this
barge that caused the great explosion.
The fire spread from freight cars to
warehouses and the barge.
THE captain Of the Geneva was tow
ing away another barge said to have
been loaded with a tremendously high
explosive. acting upon orders of a
LehiRh valley official when the barge.
which had shown no sign Of being
afire, exploded. This WAS tho first ex-
severe
The second great explosion OCCUR
red" the prosecutor said. when the
nre reached a number of freight cars
loaded with dynamite and another tre-
mendously high explosive. tho char
mined"
Mr.. Hudspeth declared fully three
fifths of the explosives shipped to the
entente allies passed through Jersey
City.