Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-01-12
Canadian Car and Foundry
Plant at Lyndhurst, Max
ing Munitions for Russian
Army, Is Wrecked.
DECORATIONS LAST
FOR FOUR HOURS
Employees Flee in Darkness,
and Seventeen Are Reported
Missing Refugees FIJI
Nearby Towns.


New York, Jan. 1.-THE plant OF
the Canadian Car & Foundry com
pany, one-half mile east of Kingsland
n. j., in which there were stored
hundreds of thousands of shells des-
tined for the Russian government, was
destroyed late today by fire and a
series of explosions which continued
for three hours. So far as could be
learned tonight, no one was killed or
teen workmen were missing. No esti-
mate of the loss was obtainable, but
it was said it might reach $4,000,000
1.400 Men Employed.
Approximately 1.40O men were en-
ployed in the plant, which comprised
between forty and fifty buildings and
covered about eighty acres of ground.
No munitions were manufactured at
Kingsland, but the plant was used for
the filling of shells, the chief con-
stituont used being trinitrotoluol, one
of the most powerful explosives
known.
While it was estimated that nearly
100000 shells exploded, primary fuses
or caps had not been attached to them
and consequently their detonatlons
did not cause the havoc that follows
their explosion when used on Eu-
ropean battle fronts. The roar of the
shells, which sounded like a can
for miles, however, and the concus-
sions shook buildings within a wide
radius of the plant.
People Flee for Lives.
Kingsland, Rutherford and other
places nearby. were filled with refu-
gees tonight who had fled from their
homes in the vicinity of the plant A
dozen persons were arrested at
Ringsland on charges of petit larceny
and orders were issued by the sheriff
of Bergen county to the guards sent
out by him in all directions to shoot
looters.
Thomas II. Huckin, county prose-
cutor, and his assistants began in
tonight to fix responsible
ity for the disaster. The fire, which
began at $3.50 p. M, still was smould-
ering late tonight in the ruins Shells
exploded almost continuously until
1880 o'clock, but after that hour the
detonations were only intermittent.
Fear Some Lives Lost.
Half a dozen workmen from the
plant reached Jersey City after a peril
ous trip over the Hackensack mead
ows, which was their only escape.
They said they feared some of their
fellow workmen had lost their lives,
but had no definite information.
Flames from a small explosion in one
part of the plant spread with amazing
they said.
James J. Kelly, warden of the Snake
Hill penitentiary, about one mile from
he scene of the explosion, said at 6:io
o'clock tonight that the detonations
we're as violent as they had been an
lour before.
The prison building, which contains
,19 prisoners, was being severely
shaken, he said, and he felt alarmed
or its safety. All the glass in the !
prison windows had been broken. The |
prisoners were badly frightened but |
we're behaving well and arrangements |
we're being made to remove them, |
hould the detonations last much |
onger.
Pitiable Plight of Employees.
Between 200 and 800 employees of
he plant who fled to escape the ex-
'losions are reported to have broken
through the ice in Berry creek, and it
$ feared some of them have been
rowned. Others are wandering
through the Hackensack meadows,
ost in the darkness and fugitives said
ONE of them might perish from the
old.
The plight of those who had tried
D cross the frozen creek and had met
nth disaster, was related to DR..
Ieorge w. King, superintendent of
he Hudson county hospital for the
lsane, by Israel Williams. workman
t the plant, who arrived at the asy-
I'm hatless, coatless and almost
'oZen.
The man said that many must have
rowned In the creek and that others,
30 weak to continue their flight, had
ropped from exhaustion in the mead
VS.
Fifteen Thousand Tons of Dynamite.
Police headquarters here received aa
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