New Britain herald., 1918-10-05
Explosions and Fire Wipe Out Buildings at Morgan, N. j., and 1900 are Missing
ZONE OF TEN MILES
 ORDERED EVACUATED

Magazines of TrinitrotoluoI Immersed
 in Crecl<s-Perth Amboy and South
 Amboy Under Control of Guards
 men-Wivcs Frantically Seek Illus
 bands, Probably Buried in Ruins
 New York City Rocked.
 New York, Oct. 5.-After more than eighteen hours of terror, with scenes graphically resembling those in war-dcvastatcd France, a dozen towns in northern New Jersey arc in shattered condition this afternoon as a consequence of munition destruc- night with a trail of tremendous explosions and raging fires which continued throughout the day.
 Perth Amboy, N. J., Oct. 5.--With flames raging among the buildings where explosions occurred all night long at the great shell-loading plant of A. T. Gillespie &, Co.,, at Morgan, N. J., indications were at 10 a. m. today, more than 12 hours after the first detonation, that perhaps hun dreds of persons had perished.
 Of the company's 2,0OO night shift employees, only 101' had been definite ly accounted for. The first detona- tions shook Morgan and surrounding territory as far as New York city, where the shock rocked houses and shattered windows in the business districts.
 Whether the 1900 unaccounted for were dead or merely had fled it was impossible to determine. Bremen were fighting the flames, and scat tered shells were exploding, and all energies were devoted to averting a had hurried away from Morgan and surrounding towns during the night, leaving many communities today vir- tualIy without resident populations, and it was considered probable that with these went many of the Gillespie employees as yet unaccounted for. Explosion at 1O:O9 Today Another terrific explosion of a T N T ma agazine occurred at 1O:0o a. m. Buildings rocked in Perth Am boy.
 Military guards were thrown around the plant.
 The injured are being cared for in public buildings and at private homes, and scores who were more seriously hurt were taken to hospitals at Eliz- aboh, Railway and other towns
 
 ring, Vice President Yates of the Gill lespie Co. gave out the following statement:
 "Ne cannot conceive how it can last much longer. The large mag 1 azines of T N T are buried in a bank of the Cheese quake creek and, we feel are safe"
 Towns Under Military Control. Perth Amboy and South Amboy saloons are closed and the towns vir- tualiy are under military control. State guardsmen, United States coast guards and a battery of field artillery are doing guard duty. Occasional shell explosions occur red this forenoon two miles away from the Gillespie plant The people 1 of Perth Amboy, momentarily expect ing further explosions from T N r magazines, were leaving that city by 1 the thousands. South AmbOy is de- i vastated and deserted. The magazines which are buried in ] the creek contain seven day supply l of T N T.
 Parties of exhausted men have been 1 struggling into the Jersey villages all night with appeals for cots for burned and mutilated employees and firemen l at Morgan.
 l Out of all the confusion came l stories of heroism and disregard of l danger. A trainload of explosives lay on a siding near the Gillespie plant. A railroad fireman. his identity not yet