New-York tribune., 1916-07-31
New York, Jersey City,
Suburbs and Harbor ISL
ands Suffer Damage.
WINDOW BREAKAGE
GREATEST ON RECORD
Warehouse Goods Valued at
S35,00O,000 DeStroyed-Muni-
tions Worth S7,OOO,OOO Gone.

The total financial loss caused by
tho Black Tom explosions and fire was
estimated last night az approximately
$4,000 600 The havoc covered a radius
OF about twenty-five miles about the
island. Most Of the loss fell on Black
Tom. but the entire City Of New York,
Jersey City and many outlying suburbs
o. New York and New Jersey suffered
damage that amounts 70 almost
100000.
The terrific conclusion caused by the
two heavy explosions and the inter
mittent artillery-like rattle lasting for
more than six hours resulted in window
damage in New York City greater than
ever before experienced in the memory
o. glass insurance men. Jersey City was
Die even harder in this respect. Office
structures. public and private build
irrs. churches and houses rained a
vcritablc shower Of broken glass, shat
tered teamwork and ceilings.
Damage on Harbor Islands.
The harbor islands Staten Island.
Bedloe's Island. Ellis Island and Gov
errors Island-shaken 10 their founda-
tons by the two main blasts. suffered
almost 100000 in damage TO windows.
building walls and foundations. Not
onlv the concussion affected these
nearby parts Of the hsrbor. but rain
o. shrapnel from the shells exploding
on Black Tom fell on them. Ellis ISL
and also suffered damage caused by
contact with blazing barges laden with
death-dealing cargoes drifting about
the harbor.
The heaviest loser was the National
Storage Company. Thirteen Of its eigh-
teen warehouses on Black Tom and -four
piers are in ruins. The warehouse dam
age was estimated by Edmund l.
Mackenzie, president of the company
al S7,O00,000 Munition supplies that
we're being loaded on lighters for trans
Terrence to steamers in other parts OF
the bay, and worth about s7,50o,O0O'
were destroyed completely.
Raw sugar valued at ABOUT $4,000, 900
was lost in the nre that followed the
explosions. Mr.. Mackenzie figured that
the total loss in warehouse goods, in
Guiding the sugar, 24,000 barrels of to-
bacco, china and mating and other mer-
chandise, would amount TO about $685.
100000.
IL was impossible last night to get an
estimate of the loss in railroad stock
and merchandise stored in about eighty
FIVE cars that occupied the trackage on
Black Tom, leased from the National
Storage Company by the Lehigh Valley
Railroad.
almost $4,000. The railroad company
also operated q grain elevator in con-
nection with the terminal facilities
leased from the storage company. The
rolling stock was a total loss.
Insurance companies will suffer al
most as severely as the property own
ers on Black Tom Island Most Of the
National Storage Company's property is
said 10 be covered by insurance pooled
by several companies. The other in
surance losers are the plate glass in
surance companies in New York and
New Jersey officials of the leading
companies hesitated TO estimate the
window damage, but it was stated con-
servatively that most of the $4,000
property damage in New York City was
window breakage.
The plate glass insurance is divided
about equally among the Lloyds Plate