Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-12
MUNITIONS PLANT In
DELAWARE IS BURNED
[Continued from First Page.1

burned like tinder, and as the flames
reached the loaded shells the latter
began to explode and occasionally
one would be hurled out of the build
ing.
Head of Guards Killed
One man, Theodore Jacobson, of
Harrison, Nj, the chief of guards,
was killed, his head being blown off
by one of the shells.
So far as could be learned. no
other persons were hurt either in
the fire or because of the explosions
while several were slightly injured
in other ways. Several were slightly
hurt while running to escape the
danger or to help somebody else, but
none of the cases, as far as is known,
was serious.
Ambulances were quickly sum-
moned from Wilmington, while ply
sicians were also called from this
| city and New Castle.
Many Worlmen Absent
Due to the fact that through an
| accident on the trolley line, the cur
rent had been shut off, about 500
persons employed at the Bethlehem
works had not reached the plant.
Many of them We're in the car from
| Wilmington which usually reaches
| the plant at s o'clock, but which was
| held up on the way.
1t also was fortunate that the fire
broke out at 1855 o'clock which was
five minutes before starting time.
| This being the case, hundreds of
| operatives were on their way to work
at the time but had not reached the
plant when the fire started.
| The mill where the fire started had
been temporarily closed down until
the first of January and for the time
being the building had been used
| only for storage purposes. Its chief
| function, in active operation, how
ever, was to load and assemble the
| shells, but this work had been sus-
pended for several days.
Because the loading building in
which the fire broke out was isolated
from the rest of the plant and pro-
! tected by earthworks, other parts of
the plant were comparatively safe,
although several small frame struc-
lures in the immediate vicinity, such
as coat houses, guard Office and q new
pay roll office, We're in the wake of
the destruction and fell a prey to
the flames and the bombardment
also.
The loss is not known but it is es-
timated that it might be close to
100000.
Fire IncendiaPy Is Belief
The burned building was an mex
pensive affair, but it contained valu-
able machinery, in addition to the
$4,000 loaded and 10000 unloaded
shells.
Nobody can advance any definite
idea of the origin of the fire but the
incendiary theory is prevalent. No
machinery was in operation at the
time and there was no fire in the
building, which was heated by steam
from the main power plant some dis
tance away; therefore it is not like
ly there was any fire in the building
or any activity that could have
caused friction. But it is not known
that anybody of a suspicious appear
ance was seen about the place before
the fire.
Nearby residents, including the in |
habitants of New Castle and other
cities and towns, as far south as Del |
aware City and Port Penn, along the
river, were terrorized for a time, in
view of the succession OF reports,
caused by the exploding shells. Many
persons and many houses had mar
row escapes from the hurting mis-
Use McNeil's Pain Exterminator--Ad.
siles, which flew in. all directions.