The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1917-01-29
Recent Explosion Near Lon
don Was on Thames OPP
pOsite Big Arsenal.
DETAILS BY VISITORS
Cousin of President Wilson
Tells Of Excitement Caused
by Blast.

Noyaxers by the American liner st
Louis in last night from Liverpool told
new things about the big explosion In
ar eastern suburb of London on January
3. In which from fifty to 100 lives were
lost and several million dollars worth or
property was destroyed. Cabled reports
Of the disaster did not locate the scene.
but the st. Louis passengers declared
that it was & nerally known that it was
al Silvertown. about seven miles east OF
the city. just across the Thames. on the
north side from woolwich arsenal.
The general impression in London OH
the night OF the explosion and the next
day was that an invisible Zeppelin had
made an effort to bomb the Woowich
arsenal and had missed II by the mere
breadth of the river. The intlmation
given out by the British Government
was that the explosion was the result
OF accident and unconnected with the
visit OF an aerial enemy.
John A. Wilson. cousin Of President
Wilson. OF Franklin, Pa. said he was
in the Great Eastern Hotel talking with
Henry Worth Thornton. formerly super
in;endent OF the Long Island Railroad
and now general manager Of the Great
| Eastern Railway. when there was a ter
| rifle detonation, which inspired Mr..
Thornton to jump to his feet and run TO
a telephone.
| Hotel Windows Broken.
! When he returned he told Mr.. Wilson
| that he had learned that the explosion
had occurred at a point on the line Of
the Great Eastern Railway at Silver
town. and that the Woolwioh arsenal
had not been affected. The windows Of
the Great Eastern Hotel We're broken by
the shock. as were those Of most of the
other big places In the city.
u. l., Wadsworth of the Lakewood
| Engineering Company Of Cleveland
who has won a contract for equippins
the trenches on the French front with
; railways. wac at tho Hotel Savoy when
:he great bang aroused the city. /,
was preceded by vivid illumination
Windows of the hotel fell inward and
! thousands ran into the streets. believing
that there had been another Zeppelin
| raid
Later in the night it was generally
known in the city that the chemical
works at Silvertown had been destroyed
Some OF the estimates of the loss of life
ran up to several hundred. Nobody
I seemed to know anything definite about
this aspect OF the disaster. The popula,
belief was that an attempt had beer
made from the air to destroy Woolwici
| arsenal.
\. j. +. Goeseling OF this city was II
a restaurant near the Savoy. He SAID
he had heard the explosion on Black
Tom in New Jersey and that the nois,
and shock OF the london explosion wer,
not SO terrifying. but thai It caused al
exodus from all public houses.
W. :. Dewey, second cousin Of the late
Admiral Dewey. was In taxichb oI
his way to Piccadilly Circus when III,
consussion nearly overturned the vehicle
and lie got out in hurry and Joined
the thronss wondering what had hap
pened Everybody seemed to know
after the lapse Of half an hour that tn
explosion had occurred at Silvertown.
All the ST. Louis's passengers to catcl
the liner ut Liverpool had to leav'
London AZ o'clock on the morning ~
January 20 and in the brief interva
they were unable to get anything NOR
definite than here given.