The sun., 1916-08-22
FIRST BLACK tom
EXPLOSION ON LAND
Witnesses at Inquest Into
Death Of PatrOlman Deny
Water Story.
200 CARS OFTEN AT PIER
Dynamite and Munitions
MOored There Beyond I. G.
G. Time Allowance.

Witnesses testifying before Coroner
Charles Hoffman In Jersey City yester-
day afternoon at the inquest Into the
death Of Patrolman Henry Doherty. who
died from injuries received at the time
OF the Black Tom explosion three weeks
ago. all agreed that the first blowup
occurred on land and not on water as
asserted by some officials Of the Lehigh
Valley Railroad.
These witnesses were detectives en-
pioycd to guard the ammunition OH she
peninsula which was being shipped to
the Allies n a colored couple who
with their children lived In "a shack
near the scene Of the explosion.
Testimony was adduced under the
States examination conducted by Sec
ond Assistant Prosecutor James W. Nc
Carthy intended to prove that there
were at times as many as 200 cars and
many barges filled with high explosives
which were kept moored at the Black
Tom piers at night instead OF going to
Gravesend hay.
Lieut.. Ebene.er Clostermann of the
Jersey City Police Department testified
to finding Doherty In an unconscious
condition Immediately following the
first explosion. Lieut.. Martin gave SINH
lar testimony. Drs. Joseph Bindc and
John Botti OF the City Hospital. Jersey
City. internes' stan explained in detail
the extent OF the policeman's injuries
and testified to his death four days
after the explosion.
James Gibson. n detective In the en-
ploy of the Dougherty Detective Agency
- $500 ~ --.e nalIaA
He said that there were Ave barges
loaded with high explosives alongside
the piers on the night Of the explosion.
az we'll as 200 loaded cars In the freight
yards. lie said he never saw any watch
men about the place.
lie Ran 20 . Boiler House.
After seeing the fire which preceded
the explosion, Gibson said. he ran To a
boiler house and awakened a crippled
man within. He said he told him there
was a bad Are ON the pier. whereupoi
the cripple exclaimed
"oh, my God. Those cars are filled
with dynamite! ;"
Gibson said the first explosion oc.
CURED right where the cars were af're
that he was thrown to the ground by
the force Of II and that from the time
pI Tue teCDnu eNUltSIDn UNI ne WtNl
home al $50 O'Clock ne remembers 10th
ing about what happened.
Jesse Burns. another private detective
vino Mas With Gibson ;hc morning %
the explosion. was the next witness. n,
sa!d that he never met any watchme,
around the cars. that there were 20o cars
OF explosives In the yard that mornin.
and that there were at least nine barges
loaded with munitions.
81 met an old Waterman who didn'
even know how to turn in al alarm
BURNS tod the Coroner and Jury. III,
was tire only Waterman I saw. I turned
in an alarm. Then ! called TO the PEG
pie on the barges'
Burns said he had seen barges remain
a, Inc pier three days before they finally
pulled away. Under the ruling OF the In
: ,rstate Commerce Commission no barge
were to be kept longer thai forty-eigh'
hours. This testimony was brought gu
by the state In an effort 20 prove tha'
the rules OF the commission regarding
the movement OF munitions We're n"
lived UP TO
Asked II he had ever heard any order
being given that barges Ice taken ava!
IA, night. Burns said he had not.
Waterman Awakened by smoke.
Ezekiel Towns. colorcd. told 81 til,
wild time he had TO ge, away from III
explosion. lie lived with his w.fe AM
two boys in n .Aack on one side of th'
pier about 200 feet away from where tn
frs. explosion occurred.
My wife woke me up and said sh.
smelicd smoke" was tire way the wines
started out TO tell about the explosion
II told her II sinelled more like coffee
The second time she woke me up ! tol,
her 10 get up and we'd beat II. So ",
got In a BOAT and rowed across to re
10. always kept a boa, ready. for ",
were IN the explosion six year ago
Towns said his principal thought WI
20 get away before the cars went vi
They were successful in landing at Com
munipaw about Ave minutes before IN,
first explosion occurred. No trace OF tn
! shack could he found afterward. II wa
blown to atoms.
Mrs. Towns c~orroboratcd her husband
testimony, When asked Just how "a
their shack was from the fire she re
, piled
Il can't tell because ! might tell n lie.
Asked II she looked out toward III
ED OF the pier. Mrs. Towns replied:
"l'-ar man.. Don't ask me. I wa
too busy thinking bout whether we,
get away and thinking bout the poo
people IN the barges"
ndrew Baker. captain Of the scuy
Frank. testified that there were min
X .all loaded with explosives. along
side the pier.
The inquest will be continued to
morrow.