Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-01-13

New York, Jan. 13.-Reports Of a
heavy loss of life as result of the OK
plosion of tons Of powder at the Has
kell, N. J., Dupont plant last night was
circulated today in various New Jersey
towns.
A sergeant of the Compton Lakes po-
lice declared 81 were killed. He an
fnevnced his>estimate sfter talking. with
surviving worlmen Ole of tho Dupont
company doctors was quoted BY the ser
geant as saying he had counted II dead.
Members of the Pompton Lakes IN.
J.) police force, familiar with explo-
sions, which have been numerous in the
vicinity of last nights blasts, declared
il always is hard to name the number
of dead. They said that OF the first
blast workers always start to run, many
of them running SO far they never came
back. Counting of noses under such
conditions, it was stated, avails little.
1t always is the cempany's practice,
these men stated, to say nothing about
the number of dead. The Dupont state
ment accounts for only two missing.
100000 Pounds Of Powder.
with the blaze which caused the explo-
sion are many. James Lynah, super
intendent Of the plant, said the fire
started in ''glazing oarreIl,' cyiin-
drical piece of machinery, in which, ,poy-
der is mixed with graphite to reduce
friction. From here, he said, it spread
to magazine in which was 100000
pounds of smokeless powder to be used
in cartridges for machine guns This
caused the big explosion, he said.
Not house in the village of Pomp.
ton Lakes has whole window today
Houses belonging to the company and
located threefourths of a mile away
were lifted from their foundations and
flung, twisted and broken, to the
ground.
A report that guards at the plant had
beaten back the men when they start
ed to run was denied by eye witnesses
who said workmen, guards and resi-
dents of the village fled at the first
warning.
Fire Not Incendiary.
| AS in the Back Tom and Kingsland
explosions, company officials today de
cleared there was nothing about the
blow-up to indicate plot.
The Dupont officials began a thor
ough investigation of the explosion al
i Hasckell, but so far have declined tC
say whether they consider it was acci
dental or incendiary.
Twenty-Five explosions have occurred
in this plant since the company begar
making munitions for the allies, but il
each instance officials in charge have
! insisted that they were accidental.
| Immediately upon learning what hap
| pened, County Prosecutor Dunn sent in
/ vestigators to the scene to determine
the extent and cause of the damage
with the idea of beginning an offieia
public investigation of the circun
stances warrant.
Starting with brief flash in what il
known as the glazing barrel at Haskell
! plant, the flames last night spreaC
/ quickly to the blending house and att
their way toward the big magazines
containing a million pounds of powder.
Two States Shaken
With the flash came the warning cry
of nearby workmen and in a moment
the 300 men on the night force wer,
racing and yelling through the village
rousing the inhabitants as they ran.
The county roundabout was filled
with fleeing, terror stricken men, wo
men and children when little later TN
earth bumped and shook with the rurnb
ling roar as the first magazine bleT
gup.
r. Sheds, sramshackle-s shouses and buiid
i ings collapsed Thousands of windov
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