Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-01-13
Russian Government Is Said
to Have Owned S10,0O0,-
900 Worth of Three-inch
Shells Totally Destroyed,
MANUFACTURERS LOSE
BUILDINGS AND $3,OO0,O00
Insurance Covers S3,000,-
OOOi No Further State
ments Until Investigation Is
Madei No Lives Lost.

tar MORNING JOURNAL SPECIAL LEASED wIssi
New York, Jan. IA statement
that fire and explosions which
wrecked the plant of the Canadian
Car and Foundry company at Kings
land, N. j., yesterday, wers possibly ii
not probably of incendiary origin"
was issued here today by the officials
of the company. The total loss, II
was stated, was SIG, 6,750,0OO.
or this total $l0,000,000 consisted
OF stIyI's and explosives owned by tina
ltu-s,un. government. Thu rest was
destroyed property OF the Canadian
ar and Foundry company.
No Further Statement.
Until investigation is completed. no
further statement will be made as to
what evidence of incendiarism has
been found, IT was said by an Officer
of the company.
1t was explained that the danger OF
fire or of explosions from purely ac-
cidental causes was reduced to O. min
imum by the fact that there was no
completed ordnance at the plant. The
officer said the propelling charges for
the shells were not attached until they
reached the battlefield and that the
same was true of the detonating caps
by which the trinitrotuluol in the
shell bodies Is exploded.
The explosions heard during the
fire, he said, were caused by the melt
ing and expansion from the heat of
the trinitrotuluol blowing off the tenn.
porary caps screwed in the place of
the decorating caps.
The statement follows.
Official Facts Given.
'sTn March 1Qif La
and Foundry company, Ltd, of Mon
treal, entered into contracts with the
Russian government to supply 5,000,-
900 rounds OF three-inch ammunition.
half shrapnel and half high explosive
shells.
These contracts were partly COM
peted by March, 1915, and on March
s, 1916, they were assigned to New
York corporation agency of the Cana
dian Car and Foundry company, Ltd,
which took over the two main Russian
contracts and all subsidiary contracts.
and supplied and undertook to COM
plete and deliver the full quantity of
5, goo, 900 rounds.
Agency of Canadian Car and
company, Ltd, had a large
plant near Kingsland, N. j., for the
purpose Of assembling, packing and
No shells were manufactured on the
premises, There were employed from
time to time at Kingland from 5000
to 1000 men. Large quantities of
these shells have been shipped to Rus
sia.
Where Losses Fall.
1.-THE two contracts we're practically
a large quantity of shells
had been delivered in storage at
Kingsland to the representatives OF
the Russian government, and the bal
ance of shells were being assembled
and packed yesterday when a fire took
place in one of the large buildings
used for cleaning shells.
THE buildings destroyed were VAL
Ied at $750,000. The value of the
of the buildings destroyed
amounted approximately to $4,000
200, of which 100000 900 belonged to
the company. The company was pro-
Lected to the amount of about $3,000.-
300 in insurance on the buildings and
the rest Is total loss.
80 far as we have been able to
ascertain no one was killed or seri-
1usly injured as result of the fire
and subsequent explosions which took
place. ....
Incendiary Origin Suspected.
AN examination into the circum-
stances attending the origin of the
ire in building No. 80, has created the
impression that it is possible that the
ire was of incendiary origin.
THE entire plant was most careful
y guarded and every safeguard known
o science had been installed, and ev-
Fry possible provision made to safe
guard the adjoining premises against
INJURIES resulting from the explosion,
"The company had secured insur-
lnce in favor of tho inhabitants Of
which we understand will
more than cover any loss or damage
O buildings in that town The repo,ss
With regard to the fire nre somewhas
exaggerated"