The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1916-08-03
SEEK INCC[[ND|ARY
RESPONSIBLE FOR
MUNITIONS BLAST
Heads OF Two Institutions suf.
tering Heaviest Losses Are
Held For Negligence and
Violation of Laws.
DAMAGE MANY MILLIONS
Only Three Known Deaths
Many Injured and Several
Missing-New York En-
dangercd BY Explosion.
DAMAGE MANY MILLIONS

New York. Aug. 1.-Two men are
under arrest today on warrants charg.
ing them with manslaughter in in.
directly causing the death Of ono Of TAI
victims of the terrific explosion ,f am
nunitior on Black Tom pier yesterday
morning. Estimates of the casualties
early today placed the number OF IDEAS
at three, with three others morta!jy in
1ured. 35 suffering from less serious
injuries and II to 20 missing. !1st-
mates of the property loss range from
S25,000,000 to sac, 100000.
Many persons who We're on hoard
barges moored at the burned piers
are missing, and it is feared thai they
have persisted. In some quarters !, was
believed the total number of '!ead
would reach IL.
Those under arrest We're Albert NJ,
Dickman agent Of the Lehigil Valley
railroad stationed at Black Tom pier;
and Alexander Davidson, supe-intcn-
dent of the ware houses Of the National
Storage company, 10 of which Were de-
stroyed by the fire which followed the
explosion. A warrant was issued tor
the arrest of Theodore 4. Johnson,
president of a Tightening company. ORG
of whose barges, loaded with aln,nu-
niuon is alleged to have been moored
at the pier.
Seek to Fix Blame.
Frank Hague, commissioners Of pub
Ev safety of Jersey City, charged that
the blame of the explosion lay Will.
either the Lehigh Valley Railroad COM
pany, the storage company or the
Mghterage company, and that some Of
them had violated the laws of New jer-
sey, The Jersey City ordinance ana
the rules OF the Interstate Commerce
commission by permitting ha"scs
loaded with explosives to remain
moored at the piers over night. Those
barses We're being used to transport
the ammunition to steamers III >arave-
send bay.
Several Investigations were COM
menced today to discover the origin OF
the ire which caused the explosion
which destroyed 100000 worth of
ammunition, So freight cars set blaz-
ing ammunition barges adrift to bonn
bard the statue of liberty ana the Ellis
island immigration station with smells
and shrapnel, and shattered $l00, 600
worth of windows in this city One of
the investigations is conducted by Col
I5eVerldge w. Dunn, CHIEF inspector OF
the bureau of explosives Of the Ameri-
can railway association, ana the IN
terState Commerce commission
He is aided by 80 inspectors The
county prosecutor and city employees
IN Jersey City are making irves,isa-
ions also. 1t is understood that agents
~ IliV uSpell llIlSlll VI JuSllCG are max
ing inquiries to learn whether the ex-
ploslon was the work of an incendiary.
Stories Conflicting.
conflicting reports as to The cause
OF the tire are still circulated. Ienigh
valley officials assert that an inter-
loping barge loaded with ammunition
was moOred at their pier in defiance OF
Their orders and that the first explosion
took place on board that vessel The
commissioner of public safety says
that four ammunition barges were at
or near the piers and that all OF them
crews persisted.
The big pier just west of tho statue
OF liberty is today "a mass OF smoklns
ruins, with the debris piled hunureus
of feet high in places and with the fire
still burning.
The work OF repairing the damage
to the buildings on Bedloes ana Ells
lslands and in New York ana Jersey
city began today. The immigration
station. at Ellis Island had the appear
ance OF war swept village with every
window shattered. the roof of the hos
pltal caVed in. the main door blown
away and the dining and executive.
rooms wrecked. while the island was
streWn with bits OF shrapnel broken
glass and three-inch shells thrown
ashore from drifting barges which had
tDonoarded the island as they burned.
ne damage was estimated at $4,000.
Inc buildings on Bedloes Island with
doors blown in and windows shattered.
showed the marks of an eight hour
bombardment of shrapnel, iron bolts
and spikes, pieces Of steel and fun OF
holes, while the homes of the army of
flcers are stripped of their chimneys
and walls and plaster are shattered
The loss there is estimated at 800. 900
The Statute OF Liberty virtually is I'M
damaged. but the doors to the pedestal
are blown in.
Some Marrow Escapes.
Stories told by those who narrowly
escaped death verge on the miraculous.
One man says he was blown off
lighter into the bay and swan to Bed
loes Island. but had to swim back
again to the Jersey shore when the
flaming barges bombarded the island
The air seemed to be full of flame
and l thought the end of the world lad
come" said another survivor third
was blown so feet from the ton Of a
freight car and landed near a building
which fell upon him
Felt in Five States.
Tire ietonations, which were felt ia
five states, began with a continuous
rapid fire of small shells, the blowing
up OF great quantities of dynarnits
trinltrotoluene and other high e;splo-
sives, followed by the bursting Of
thousands of shrapnel shells which
literally showered the surrounding
country and waters for many iniles
around.