The Oskaloosa herald., 1918-10-10
1856 BODIES TAKEN
FROM THE RUINS
AMONG THEM WERE IS FIREMEN
AND 10 PLANT GUARDS
WINDOWS BROKEN FOR MILES
Even Brooklyn and Other New York
Suburbs Feel Crashes of Succeed
ing Explosions. Red Cross
Workers are on the Job.


Workers are on the Job.
New York, Oct 5.-The reverberat
ing roar as of heavy artillery of ser
les of deadly explosions that started
the rehabilitation of the enormous
Gillespie Shell Loading Plant neal
Perth Amboy. Newark, New Jersey con
tinued this afternoon.
The death toll was not exactly
known but in a statement this after
noon President Gillespie declared that
the loss of lives so far as his company
was able to determine amounted tc
something near one hundred persons
but this is discounted by the state
ments of others who placed the actual
loss at one hundred and fifty.
Gillespie said that there were seven
~ men in the building Gil when the
first torch was touched off, OF these
he declared all but eighteen have been
accounted for.
Government to Be Loser.
The final losses will be sustained
by the government for which the
Gillespie Company was operating its
plant is was stated.
Mr. Gillespie said that the plant cost
twelve million dollars. II consists OF
thirteen complete units. Seven of these
he said were completed and were in
full operation
Firemen. soldiers, policemen and
also civilian workers are busy en-
deavoring to save Perth Amboy which
is threatened with flying fragments
which have been swept country wide
and the explosions of thousands of
tons Of high explosives from destruct-
ion.
Shells Whistle Through Air.
Great destruction was caused by the
FLYING shells which went into the air
and whistled through the SURROUNDING
country as their fuses were touched on
by the fire.
A civilian talking to a guard is said
to have been killed instantly when his
head was torn from his shoulders by
one OF these high shells. The guard
was not scratched.
Hospitals and Morgues.
Hospitals at Elizabeth. Newark, and
other nearby places rushed medical
and surgical aid to the scene of the
explosion Immediately. One morgue
is said to have received eight bodies
and it was reported that Coast
Guard artillery company has removed
fourteen more from the wreckage OF
one building.
One-half OF the population of South
Amboy fled into Perth AmbOy when
the first blast took place, and nearly
all the rest went away.
Soldiers Take Charge.
Soldiers began patroling the streets
to protect the houses Military author
tiles have taken absolute charge. They
refuse information 10 civil authorities.
A complete investigation is now I'M
derway.
Several theories regarding the
starting of the conflagration have
been advanced. They are, boiler eX-
ploded a workman dropped a shell and
a shell became ignited.
The building contained shells rang
ing in diameter from three 10 nine
inches and were manufactured for the
most part for use in France for the
75s and the loss.
$50 Estimated Dead.
Newark. n. J., Oct. San estimate
of one hundred and thirty-five dead
in the several explosions at the Gil
lespie Shell Loading Plant, was made
today in an extra edition of the Ne
wark Evening Ledger.
Ninety-four workmen were killed it
was stated, when the first building
was destroyed together with twenty
FIVE firemen of the company's force
and eighteen plant guards who went
in TO fight the flames.
Casualties Number 900
Added TO this it is stated that sew
eral civilian rescue workers have not
been seen since they entered the
building on rescue work.
The killed and injured NUMBER
close TO 900 people, it is estimated.
Nations Greatest Plant.
New York, Oct. 5.-Scores of per.
sons are dead and many others MAIN
ed in verious degrees were in the
hospitals in New Jersey early today
and the nations greatest shell load.
ing plant, the property Of the I. A.
Gillespie Loading Company at Morgan
New Jersey near South Amboy was
in ruins today as a result of an ex-
plosion OF T. ~ T. last night. II was
estimated that the total number OF
casualties will reach eight hundred
including dead, severely wounded and
persons only slightly cut by flying
glass and steel fragments.
Explosions Continue Today
OF these il was pointed out three
hundred may be classed as hospital
cases. The Red Cross workers and a
Motor Corps made these estimates.
The explosions continue today Al
seven a. IN. there was blow which