The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-07-31
Three Are Mortally Wound
ed and 35 Suffering
from Injuries
ARRESTS MADE TODAY
BY NEW YORK POLICE
Charged with Causing Explosion which
Destroyed Property Valued at $685.
100000 to S45,00O,00o = Munitions
Intended for Allies.

NEW YORK. July 3I.-Two men are
under arrest today on warrants charging
them with manslaughter in indirectly caus
ing the death OF one OF the victims OF the
terrible explosions of ammunition at Black
Tom Pier early yesterday morning. This
ammunition was in storage awaiting ship
ment To the entente allies.
Estimates of the casualties early today
placed the number OF dead at tour with
three others mortally injured. 35 suffering
from less serious injuries and II to %
missing. Estimates OF property loss range
from So, 600 TO $4,000, 600
| The detonations. which were felt in five
states, began with a continuous rapid fire
| OF small shells, then the blowing mp OF
great quantities OF dynamite. trnitroto-
| luene and other high explosives. followed
| by the bursting OF thousands of shrapnel
shells. which literally showered the sur
rounding country and waters for many
miles around.
| Out OF the night came the boom of
shells and shrapnel Over on Bcdloe's Is
| land, where the Statue of Liberty hits her
/ light. the shells were raining down. Ellis
| Island seemed doomed to those who saw a
| flaming barge drift that way. Governor :
Island felt the shock, and when bits OF
steel penetrated the buildings there Gen
| Wood sent ont members of his staff to
cross the bay and offer aid to any who
might need it,
| Brooklyn was shaken from one end to
the other Windows crashed in and
in many sections the excitement bordered
on panic. HUNDREDS Of police reserves
were sent to quiet the people who came
tumbling ont Of their homes in the beiiei
that the end of the world was at hand
J 1t was estimated that the damage to prop
erty there would reach S250,000
In Manhattan it was estimated that the
damage to windows alone would tota
nearly 100000 Foundations and walls
throughout the city were shaken as by al
earthquake. Excitement prevailed in hos
pitfalls and prisons, and in the poore,
neighborhoods thousands of men. womeI
and children rushed to the streets in ter
ror.
Thirteen brick storage warehouses ou
of the "A owned and operated by the Ma
tional Storage company and six pier
owned by the storage company and LEASED
to the Lehigh Valley road were destroyed
Several others of the brick warehouse
We're badly damaged and some minor dam
age was done to the Lehigh Valley grail
elevators In addition. as far as is known
IS loaded cars were destroyed
The cause of the disaster had not hecl
determined. Officials of the Nationa
storage company and the Lehigh Vale,
railroad, which also suffered heavi
through loss of property, declared how
ever, that reports to them showed a fir
started shortly after / O'Clock ycstcrda
: morning on a barge belonging to an indc
t pendent towing company which had bee
moored alongside a dock used by the rail
road company to transfer ammunitio
I shipments from trains to vessels in til
e harbor. The barge, it was said. was ther
without authority Of either the railroa
e or the storage company. Officials refuse
+ to disclose the name of the independen
D towing company, saying they We're invest
: eating ''to ascertain whether the barg
I purposely had been set on fire as the rc
t suit of a plot"