The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-01-12
TWELVE MILLION
DOLLARS LOSS
CONTINUED from page IL

piosion was caused py an eieCuiS VIZ
falling into vat. This started
blaze, The fire quickly spread ana
within q short time the first explosives
were reached. In rapid succession the
thirty-nine frame buildings. compr1s-
Inc the plant. were set ablaze and the
explosions of the shells stored there
could be heard for miles,
with the issuance of orders for the
ineople of Kfngsland to leave their
homes the police were instructed TO
shoot down possible looters who re-
fused to surrender upon command.
About fifty arrests were made. Most
of those taken into custody however
were merely suspects and were feieas-
ed today.
permits were also issued today for
the inhabitants of Kingsland to return
to their shell wrecked homes. onfy
four houses in the town were destroy
ed by fire but none escaped the she'll
ing which came from the plant
Scores of employees who were In the
nlant when the fire started were sui
being placed in hospitals today. They
were suffering mostly from exposure.
Tn the wild panic which followed the
first burst OF flames and the nrst ex-
nIcsion. men began leaping from the
windows of the plant. They fell INFO
the river along which the sheds were
built After struggling in the icy
waters. they then fled across tne
frozen marshes. BarDed wire iehees
surround the plant
Strange Sights.
TBy a United Press Staff correspond
ent.1
Ian Il
Strange sights greeted the eye In the
shell-swept area OF this village anu
its Ioutlands at dawn today
Men. women and children, wferdly
clad and dragging outlandish bundles,
struggled homeward through the now
intermittent shell fire from the Can
adam Car and Foundry plant Some
OF the courage that gave place 10
whistling shells into the bitter coid'
dark night. had returned.
They had tasted of the experiences
Of citizens OF shell wrecked towns In
the European war zones
over a frosted hillside. topped by
grave yard a little procession OF men
made their way in the early l1gnt-
They were the mourners, who, when
q big shell whined past them as they
stood beside the coffin at the grave,
dropped their burden and fled.
Trudging down the Jersey City
road past fields dotted with spent
! shells. went two young women. thinly
and none too completely clad. One
had a babe in arms and the other
staggered beneath a small mountain
I of bedding.
| where are you going?" they were
asked
Away from here the woman with
the babe spoke. She said she didn't
: know exactly where, but any place
else would do. ~Her husband, she
knew nothing Of Both had worked
| in the shell factory and both had fled
panic stricken by different routes.
Asked where her home was, she
said she had not had much OF home
any how. so it made no difference.
| A little further on stood road
house, thanked by a small dwelling.
A Jagged hole in the roof of the
house and smashed windows told
their own story Of what the shells did
there.
Inside. behind the bar stood jolly.
rotund Frank Briniski, Laughing at
what he called his baby visitors
three long shrapnel cases ranged
nose up on the bar.
81 am not long from Poland laugh.
led Frank, land ! am coming here to
get away from war. This-oh this
is nothing. l." Crash. Boom. PUNK.
Another BABY" shot through the