The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-01-12
Country About MunitiOn Works
Pitted by Craters.
Entire Population Refugees in
NeighbOring Cities.
DENY BOMB PLOT DID IT
Claim Fire Started From Tub
of Wood Alcohol.
Houses Shell Ridden as Tho in
Real War Zone.

Jersey City. n. J., Jan. 12.-Inter-
mittent explosions, caused by burst
ing shells, could still be heard early
today in the wreckage of the plant OF
the Canadian Car &c Foundry COM
pany, destroyed late yesterday with a
loss estimated at $4,000, 900. Stored
in two concrete buildings, as yet I'M
damaged were tons of pri-nytroto-
luol-the most powerful of explosives
used in making high power. shells:
Had this been reached by the fire
which swept the plant, untold damage
would have resulted. Danger of the
powerful explosive letting go now is
believed to have passed.
The loss was declared by Mayor Ar
thur A Clay of Kingsland to be about
100000. He said this figure had
been given him by a company official.
The town of Kingsland and the sur
rounding country today bore every
mark of having been thru terrific
bombardment.
Some houses showed gaping holes,
thru which the cold wind whistled.
Roofs of others were perforated
Windows were out. The hard rock
road near the big munitions plant was
pitted with shell holes, any one of
which was big enough to bury dog
in. The Delaware & Lackawanna
railroad tracks were torn up for a
distance of two miles. Rails were
twisted and ties blown out of place.
Only Two Men Killed.
Early reports that number of men
were killed proved to be erroneous
Later reports declared about sixteen
men missing" but Mayor Clay to-
day declared all had been accounted
for.
With the checking up of the COM
pany's employees, it is now apparent
only two were killed. Michael Vein
ski was struck by a train and killed as
he fled under rain of shells from
the scene. Herman Bicktre was struck
by shell. His back was broken.
But for the fact that fuses had not
yet been attached to the high explo-
sive shells, the property damage in
the vicinity of the plant would have
been much heavier and the loss of life
would probably have been great. The
shrapneI shells exploded, scattering
bullets broadcast The high power
shells merely shot up in the air, how
ever, and fell without exploding. They
would have done heavy damage had
they let go.
Take in 500 Refugees.
Upwards of 500 men, W, men md
children were cared for by the auth
critics of Jersey City and other sur
rounding towns last night. All were
routed from their homes at Kings
land Immediately the fire and explo-
sions started. Some slept in school
houses, others IN private homes, ana
many women were cared for at hos
pitfalls.
100000 shells Blow Up.
Turnout last night a red glare
lighted the sky of the Jersey shore.
Up to midnight great puffs of smoke
followed by terrific explosions, told of
new patches of shells that were let
ting go.
In all about five hundred thousand
shells were destroyed. They were the
last of an $S3,0O0,000 order the COM
pany had taken from the Russian gov
eminent. The last shells completing
the order would have been finished
this week The shells which bonn bard
ed Kingsland and the surrounding ter
ritory were about half shrapnel and
half of high explosive type.
Mayor Clay of Kingsland, the county
authorities and officials of the COM
pany, started an investigation today
Clay declared it had been virtually
established that the fire and subse-
quent explosion was caused by an cleo
trio wire falling into a tub of alcohol
This started a blaze. The fire quickly
spread and within a short time the