Evening journal., 1917-04-12
Officials Disagree Over Cause
of the Eddysfone Explosion
lConLinued irom FIrsL Pagel

CONTINUED from First Page
Eddystone Corporation. and Samuel
NJ. vauclain, president Of the corpora
ton, still hold the belief that the ca
tastrophe was the outcome Of a fend-
ish plot Said Mr.. Vauclain today
81 can only repeat my statement OF
yesterday that we are unable to ac-
count for the explosion except as the
act of a person or persons maliciously
inclined n anything has been discOy-
cred which shows cOnclusively that
the blast was due TO accidental causes
am IN ignorance OF it,
Captain Wilhelm, vice-president OF
The plant, said today that the investi-
cation was not yet far enough ad-
vanced for anyone TO reach a definite
conclusion on the cause OF the eX-
plosions.
THE DUPONT experts were question
ed yesterday by Investigators OF the
fire marshals office. and also by the
Federal investigators" he said. This
phase Of the inquiry is not over yet
and II may bc the most important part
of the investigation. / cannot dis
close just what we expect to get from
the experts. but they may throw i'm
portant ligh. on the origin of the dis
aster."
Bury All at One Time.
While official Chester joined i'm the
numerous Investigations. civilian Ches-
ter busted itself yesterday with the
funeral Of the victims All the uniden-
tilted bodies will be buried in the
Rural Cemetery either Saturday ol
Sunday, and a great public demonstra'
tion, in which the militia will have 3
part. will he held Protestant anC
Catholic clergymen will unite in per
| forming the funeral rites. and the re-
markable services will be entirely non
sectarian
The munitions officials have ordered
pine collins for each Of the victims
whose bodies are unclaimed, and in
stead OF Potters Field the unknown
dead will rest in a great grave whioi
was dug yesterday.
New Building Under Way.
All through the night with th'
cleaning rays Of several searchlight
playing upon them. 200 men and
dozen great wagons worked until day
break clearing away the debris an'
salvaging the ruins for bodies Of th'
dead. The last OF the debris had beei
carted away by daybreak, and tw'
hours later the first stanchion OF tn
new building had raised its head ol
the site OF the devastation and dealt
on the day mefore.
The tragedy, too. seemed to hav
but little effect on the workers ii
other parts Of the plants and the sur
V.vors Of the holocaust. lt was IN
regular pay day for the munitio
( workers, and lunches OF two. three
four and FIVE girls came laughing I
the Office, received their pay-check
, and went away.
The main Office was TUNED into sta
I tion. where the refugees and the relative
, of the dead might come and reclau
+ their possessions. Girls who had escape
death bv a miracle returned to the pla'
81 where their lives were ieapord ged an
81 hacked at great pile of clothing, hat
D shoes and trinkets IN an effort TO redeel
81 the belongings which they had lost
I they fed the fire and shrapnel.
O. Hunt for Clothing of Lost Relatives.
4 Others had a far different missio
d however. in peck ug and hauling at Il
I lumnle OF clotllhS an" l'"N'3'
t some this errand was trimming wi
r. pathos. 4 hoy who had lost moth
!. hunted through tho nondescript pyram
s until he had found the shoes, cape Al
% other garb which his mother had
when she persisted With wide-cyed su
e vivors looking on he passionately kiss
the shoes and then hugged them pa
b sionately TO his breast as he stagger'
ont of the building in tears.
Used War Treatment.
For the first time in the history