Evening star., 1917-04-11
Munitions Plant Officials Now
Convinced Disaster Was
Due to a Plot.
HOLD ACCIDENT UNLIKELY
IN VIEW OF PRECAUTIONS
Four Separate Investigations Under
Way in Effort to Fix the
Responsibility.
BY the Associated Press.

CHESTER. Pa. April 11.-''The ex-
plOsiOn was the result of n dfabolfcai
uIot conceived In the degenerate
mind of n demon in human guise.'
declared "a high official of the Eddy
stone Ammunition Corporation To-
day. He said that for obvious rea-
sons he could not permit the use OF
his name.
This official said that investigation
concluded this afternoon had shown
that a bomb manufactured from
shell in the plant by one OF the em-
pIoyes had caused yesterday's ex-
pIosion and the loss of more than
100 lives.
CHESTER, Pa, April Ire
vised lists OF the fatalities result
ing from the explosions yesterday
at the shrapnel-loading plant OF
the Eddystone Ammunition Cor
poration at North Eddystone,
near here, place the. number OF
dead at 11S, the majority girls and
Young women. Between I25 and
90 men, women and girls were
injured, at least eight being so
burned and torn by shrapnel frag-
ments that death is nomentarily
expected. Thirty-six others EN-
ployed in the structure, which was
blown to splinters, are missing.
Manv of these, if not all, are
thought to be alive.
Plot Theory Is Upheld.
President Alba B. johnson OF the
Baldwin locomotive works cf1angad has
theory that the explosion was due 10 an
accident after visit today to the plant.
He now agrees with the view OF sam
uel NJ. Vauclain, president OF the Eooy-
stone Ammunition Corporation, that plot
ters caused the explosion.
."Although we have only circumstan-
tial evidence" Mr.. Johnson said, ut
looks as if some one touched on
attached. / have become convinced.
after a talk with the Eddystone Of
ficials, that the catastrophe could not
have occurred through an accident
The Chester police have released two
suspects, father and son. named Cohen.
Nobody at present is in custody in con-
nection with the explosion, but four
different sets of investigators are at
work and developments are expected
shortly The Chester police say that
if the explosion was the work of plot
ters, whoever caused 1t must have died
with the rest.
President Vauclain said today:
The disaster occurred in the building
devoted to loading shrapnel with black
powder commonly known as the base
charge The shrapnel made in the build
ing was three-inch shrapnel, for the
Russian government. There were 10000
pieces of shrapnel in the building.
I'VE will make a complete inveSt1ga-
ton as rapidly as possible. We cannot
understand how it could possibly nave
happened accidentally.
.'There were three explosions, it ap-
pears. in rapid succession, with about
ten seconds between the hrst ana last
explosion.
The plant has been inspected by the
best experts in the country and been
pronounced exceptionally well designed
in every respect. III tle ueSiSH anu
construction of the buildings accidents
were virtually eliminated from the list
of possibilities
Discredits Accident Theory.
Ignition by dropping is exceedingly
remote" said Capt. w. NJ. Wilhelm, the
general manager and vice president OF
the plant, commenting on the theory
that shell, accidentally dropped
might have caused the explosion
| .Black powder, of the kind loaded lnte
tho sbraonel shells, will not ignite by
Striking hut will ignite by friction. For
that reason no person was permitted ~
the destroyed Duiluli6 eNP~ 49,
5er-soled shoes.
"There were guards at every door and
nohodv could enter the building with
out nassing the inspection OF that
guard Secret service men also WORKED
among the employees "ithlh tne oullo-
ing 70 see that all safety rules were
observed" .,,.
president Vauclain said the families
of those killed and injured would be
provided for by the company
penlving to Il rumor that the Anglo
French commission had taken over the
sock of the Eddystope Company, Mr.
! stoon ,onn.on W declared there was nothing in
:, .o,he stock of the Eddystone is all
g., American hands," he said.
identification Is Difficult.
Although police and company officials
worked through the night attempting to
,,zh Identities of the dead fbay