Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-07-31
to be stretched.

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grew beyond their control. Probabl.
more than 100 fully loaded freigh
cars. about dozen or so containing
! nitrocellulose, shrapnel and high OK
plosive three-inch shells. were stalled
in tho range OF the spreading blaze
Though several engines were available
only one could be used at time &c
, haul the cars TO safety.
FLAMES LEAP TO CARS
LOADED WITH NITROCELLULOSE
Suddenly the flames leaped to five
car loaded Nith nitrocellulose, n high
explosive.
At exactly eight minutes after 9
o'clock the entire five carloads ex-
ploded almost simultaneously. More
than half dozen OF the warehouses
were wiped out. and the flames leaped
hundreds of feet In the air. The
shock rocked thousands OF homes
within n several mile radius. The
lower part of Manhattan and Brooklyn,
both directly across the water from
Black Tom Island were heavily shak en-.
Thousands OF panes of glass fell
into tho streets. Hundreds OF thous-
ands of dollars worth of stock was
cNPoSeu IN SlOTCS.
Hundreds OF thousands Of the sleep
ing population were awakened. Many
were hurled from their beds.
The fro spread to four heavily load
cd munition bargcs moorcd TO the pier
The freight consisted OF shrapnel and
black powder. Half an hour later the
bargcload OF black powder became
ignited and blew up This explosion
was scarcely less violent than It's pre-
decessor. -Four of the munition load
ed barEes were the Paulina, johnson
81, Johnson II and Dauntless. They
broke from their mornings and drifted
into the hay. In few minutes they
We're ablaze from stem to stern They
furnished one of the most spectacular
sights ever witnessed by the millions
who cast their eyes toward the Jersey
shores,
Two OF the barges were loaded with
hundreds of thousands OF three-inch
shells One floated north and ran
aground 200 feet from shore. Another
barge drifted perilously close TO Bed
loc'S Island and then struck some
abandoned piles. Held fast by the
submerged piles, for four hours II fired
its exploding shrapnel in all directions.
Like hailstorm the shrapncl bullets
rained on Bcdloc's Island
The wives aud children OF the armv
Officers on the reservation shricked
t'mucd. Police boats and other craft
took them off as the shot and she'll
rsuncd among them and transported
them To Governors Island
Blazing and exploding. barge after
barge OF three inch shells drifteL three
quarters Of mile and landed against
the New Jersey Central freight pier.
1t ignitcd the pier and other boats.
MANY SHELLS SHOOT
TOWARD OPEN BAY
Many Of the shells sho, toward tho
open DAY !, was a wonderful sight
the early morning watchers behcld a,
the shells ricochctcd several hundred
feet along tho surface OF the water.
How the onlookcrs who swarmcd the
bay front escaped injury cannot he
explained.
About o'clock one would have
imagined that the blazing bargcs were
IN charge of trained guuncrs. Scvcra,
hundred shells exploded almost stimuli.
'"h"oHsiy ana Scnt their mighty
charges Directly al the crowd score,
dropped I" their stomachs others
rushed panic-atrickcn behind 4. string
Of dirt cars, whirh they used as q bar
ricadc until tho homhardmcnt subsi,l.l
Then Their" was q mad rush OF the spec.
'ai"rS for the freight cars "A half milo
To the rear.
Expensive memorial windows wor.
into thousands or pieces and
Statnary was knocked from podcs,,ls
and wrecked
handsome St Peters church. on
ErHmhali Avenue, one "f the oos,li.s,
IN Jersey City. WAS badly damaged
When the early morning worshin.rs
arrived they found Rev. Father Me.
Donald TO say his regular sunday
mass
After the explosion the I.chiuh VAL
Icy Eni'r"al Company established 4,
dead line where the network of -,l.
road tracks upon which munition.la
zen cars were stored began This limo
was Al the western Of tho main yyoup
o' hniId'nrS Of the National Storage
Company which were destroyed
!" the east of thr dead line 10 a
point with the Statue OF Liberty vv,a
tho wreckagc OF the shell and dvn..
mite laden cars. At The extreme c,1
of the territory 10 the eastward NOR,
three hoa, docks, from which Tho
cars were transferred TO float. far
transportation around the harbor.
HOLE ~ iEt"r CLEAN