The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1917-08-31
BLAST result OF
PLOT IS REPORT
MARE ISLAND NAVY YARD EN.
PLOsION DELIBERATELY
PLANNED.
DANIELS HAS REPORT
Findings OF Board Unanimous Tho
No One Named As Guilty
Suspect.

Washington. Aug. 25.-The explos-
ion at Mare Island Navy Yard in
July. killing five and injuring more
than thirty. is pronounced in an Off
cial report made public today by Sec
rotary Daniels TO have been the de-
liberate act Of someone unknown, and
not an accident.
Secretary Daniels today made pub
lie a synopsis of the report made al
ter investigation by the Bureaus of
or finance and Navigation and the
Judge Acknowledgement of the Navy.
All those branches of the service
agreed that there had ben no ham
pring instructions or restrictive di-
rections of the method of investiga-
ton"
1t was the Mare Island explosion
investigation which led TO the recent
bitter controversy between Secretary
Daniels and the Navy League, which
eliminated in Mr.. Daniels cuSing all
relations between the naval ssta5-
Ashment and the league.
Breaks With League.
In a statement recently, the ac-
knowledged purpose of which was TO
force publicity of the investigation.
the league declared that it had been
informed of evidence that time fuse
had been found leading TO the black
powder magazine in which the eX-
pbsion occurred, showing a criminal
conspiracy, and that the investigation
was being hampered by powerful la
Dor influences.
Secretary Daniels hotE denounced
the charge that any influence was
holding up the investigation and cut
all connections with the league. As
to the truth OF the charge that fuse
had beendiscovered, Mr. Daniels said
the report on the investigation was
net then available.
The synopsis signed by all the in
vestigators says:
"a careful reading of orders Great
ing this board and the record of dali
ly proceedings clearly indicate alb
senee of any hampering instructions
or restrictive direction as to the meth
cd OF investigation. The boards in
quiry was conducted with the utmost
latitude and thorone%.
The board found that the eXplos
ion occurred at 1855 a. m, July Q,
1917, and was confined TO building
No. 40, known as the black powder
magazine. This building was a mod
ern structure built especially for
black powder storage. There were
no electricity lines into the building,
no telephone or telegraph wires; no
windows or other openings with the
exception of the regulation magazine
doors. Under the existing rules ana
regulations, access to this building
was restricted to comparatively few
authorized persons.
THE only person seen to enter
this Building the morning of the eX-
plosion was Ordinance Man Neil c.
Damstedt, trusted employe of TWEEN
ty-one years continuous magazine SER
vice. Damstedt, according to the
testimony. unlocked and opened the
magazine door about thirty-seconds
previous TO the explosion, and was
probably in the act of entering the
building when the explosion occur
red. Dalstedt was killed.
THE noard, in its findings, states
il is of the opinion that Damstedt was
in no way implicated in the eXplos-
ion and that the testimony and at
tending circumstances do not in any
way implicate any ammunition depot
nr any member of ammuni-
tion depot guard.
Blast Blamed, Belief.
Further, the board states that at
ter having carefully considered all
testimony and attending circumstan-
cs 1t is the unanimous opinion that
the explosion was not an accident but
was due to the deliberate act of some
person or persons unknown. The
board, however, was unable to form
an opinion as to the exact method
employed by the party or parties gull
ty of having destroyed this magazine,
or such evidence il any existed, was
destroyed in the explosion.
every effort is being made to ap-
prehend the guilty parties and to
definitely ascertain this exact manner
in which this destructive explosion
was accomplished.