Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1917-04-13
EDDTSTONE MYSTERY
MAY NOT Be SOLVED
Death List of Munitions Elk
ploSion Officially Placed
at I22
81 UNIDENTIFIED
BODIES BURIED
Br The UnIied Press.

PHILADELPHIA, April 10. - The !
bodies OF sixty-three unidentified vic
Tins Of the Eddystone disaster we're
buried in Chester rural cemetery this
afternoon, following a general re-
ligious ceremony in which ministers
of all denominations ,took part Many
funerals Of the sixty-two identified
dead also took place today.
The Chester morgue was finally
closed to the public last night. Har-
rowing scenes marked the final eff
forts of friends and relatives to iden
tify a loved one amid the rows OF
charred bodies.
The bodies Of Mary Kelly and Made
line Mccarthy Of Philadelphia, and
Anna Kennedy of Darby were claim
ed by relatives in the last tragic eX-
animation just before the morgue
\closod The death list is now officially
placed at 1922
Ordnance experts from the War De-
partment at Washington, with chem
lists from the DUPONT plants, combined
their efforts in this latest inquiry into
the origin OF the explosion.
Officials representing nation. State,
city, county and the Eddystone Ammu-
milton Corporation were frank yester-
day in saying they believed the cause
might never be learned. The sudden
ness of the blast, the complete de-
struction OF the plant and the inability
OF the survivors 70 recall the actual
happening prior 20 the catastrophe are
the reasons assigned for this heller
that the mystery will never be solved
The ordnance experts and the chem
lists were summoned TO Eddystone at
the request Of Samuel NJ. Vauclain,
Vice-president of the Baldwin Loco
motive Works and president OF the
Fddystone Ammunition Corporation.
Mr.. Vauclain wanted no stone lett
unturned TO learn the cause OF the
disaster. he said. and II there was
any tampering with either the smells
or the powder he wanted that tact es-
tablished. On the other hand II there
was evidence that some OF the shelis
we're defective and had been eNpiodeu'
causing the holocaust, he wanted that
fact definitely established also' he
said. ,,,..
The experts went to the ammunition
nlant where samples OF the powder
used in the production Of the shrapnel
shells and fragments OF the eXploueu
shrannel were brought to the main OF
Ace which was turned into lapra
tory for the use OF the chemlsls an'
the ordnance experts.
Nothing could be learned OF I'M
progress OF the analysis, ana II Is pe
liovcd that a Simultaneous repull .
mir Vauclain and to the War Depart
mont will be made as soon as tn
chemical tests and the shrapnel ca
animation are finished.
state Fire Marshal G. Chal Port an
his force of deputies continued 20 ru
ont every rumor, to check up on ever
alleged clue and to visit tho survivor
and learn from their own lips IN
experiences and occurrences of tina
dav. MIR. Port was especially inter
ested in learning how the roof CAV
way. whether or not Il was lifteI
into the air and then fell or whethe
II collapsed and fell inside the doome'
structure.
When he has collected all the tales
OF the survivors along these lines
they viii be submitted to experts OF
explosives These men, who make
life study of explosions. can tell iron
the manner in which the building Il
destroyed the nature OF the explosive
used. Dynamite usually lifts a ROOT
the marshal said. and so do othe
high explosives, such as nitro
glyccrine and gun-cotton. On tn
other hand. explosives that general
a great gas usually blow the wall on
causing the roof to collapse.
District Attorney John B. Hanun
Jr. whose ONCE is conducting an In
vesiigation in cooperation with tn
other forces at work said that he vi
not ready to make any public repol
at the present time.
1T would he ill-timed" he adde
"but I wouldn't say up TO the pre-
ent that any evidence had been az
duced that would point positively
any German plot"