Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1918-11-18
SENATORS find MUCH EXPLOSIVES
I'm new YORK HARBOR DURING
TOUR OF INSPECTION SATURDAY
Vessels Loading In GraveSend
Bay Are Practically Unguard-
ed-Congressmen Protest
CONCERNED ABOUT SHELLS
Difference of Opinion as to DAN
ger That Exists Much Dy-
Mantle and Acid


When the senatorial committee
which is investigating the explosion
at the t. A. Gillespie Shell Loading
plant at Morgan resumes its hearings
| at City Hall Thursday 1t Is expected
that they will tell of an inspection
that they made of New York harbor
ON Saturday afternoon to determine
whether or not the City of New York
and Staten Island are menaced by
munitions awaiting shipments to for
| eign fronts.
| The committee found ten barges,
| each containing about 500 tons of
three or six inch shells loaded with
TINT or amatol, in Gravesend Bay,
all within a mile and some not more
than a quarter of mile of South
| Brooklyn.
Two barges, each containing about
100 tons of wet picric acid, about half
way between South Beach, 8. l., and
Swinburne Island.
Two barges, each containing about
twenty tons of dynamite, off the scene
of the Black Tom disaster.
Shells to be Removed
The wet picric acid. which, wet,
burns rather than explodes. and the
dynamite, 1t was generally agreed,
do not menace the city. AS to the
shells, opinion differed, New York
City officials holding that their pres
ence and the manner of their guard
ing or lack of guarding offered
grave risk. Assurance was given to
the committee that the shells would
be removed shortly. and the commit
teemen said they would take steps
with the War Department to free
New York from all possible future
danger.
| Included in the party on a police
patrol boat were Senators Freling-
huysen, Myers and Beckham, Direc-
tor of the Port Hubert, Congressman
Cleary, Major H. w. Merkel, repre-
lsenting the Ordnance Department;
Capt G. I. Garden of the Coast
Guard; Commander c. p. Eaton of
the Anchorage Board: Lieut.. Ernest
Stavey, secretary of the New York
Boat Owners Association; Lieut..
Sewell who has directed the loading
of ships with explosives; Fire Chief
John Kenlon and ]. C. Hawley. an
engineer representing the War In
dustries Board.
The committee, when II reached
! Gravesend Bay, was asked to note
the fact that no guards were visible
on any of the barges, each of which
bore at its PROV red flag to denote
its character.
Mr.. Hubert said that several
months ago, when he first sought to
have the barges removed to Sandy
Hook he told army officers they were
not adequately guarded and was as
sured that they were and that there
could be no possible danger. To find
out whether this was true or not he
went in a launch to Gravesend Bay.
On the first barge he camo to he
| found red-hot stove in the living
quarters of the man who was sup
! posed to be there and no guard on
/ duty, and to show what an enemy
alien might have done, the commits
sioner took-two boxes of explosives
into his launch unseen.
Three of the barges were anchored
yesterday end to end so close that
it would have been possible to step
| from one to the other. Two others,
one containing 155 millimetre shells
unboxed and the other containing
boxed ammunition, were anchored in
the same way. Commissioner HUI
bert suggested to the committee that
this looked to him like a violation of
the law.
The army men present insisted
that there could be no danger be-
cause, owing to the small size of the
shells, they would be difficult to ig-
mite. They said that even If a barge
should burn 1t would sink before the
shells would be exploded. Fire Chief
Kenlon did not accept this view.
Everything is all right" he said.
unless something happens. But IL
something does happen, then we can't
tell what the effect will be-"
Congressman Cleary and the city
officials urged that in future vessels
be loaded with munitions at the
Sandy Hook anchorage, twenty miles
from the city. The government has
objected to this on the ground that
the water within Sandy Hook Is too
rough. Observation Saturday showed
that the water there was, If any
thing, smoother than in Gravesend
Bay. Congressman Cleary, who has
spent his life in the harbor transpor-
tation business, said a southwest wind
in Gravesend Bay and a northwest
wind at Sandy Hook would make
things equally bad.
Commissioner Hubert said New
York ran another risk from barges of
explosives constantly coming through
He'll Gate and down East River with
out warning. He suggested that
other ships should be warned to keep
out of the way.
After the trip was over Senator
Myers, chairman of the committee,
said:
Senators VIII Act
I'VE are going to see that all men
ace from explosives is removed from
New York City"
Senator Frelinghuysen said that
beside the removal OF loading opera
tions in Gravesend Bay. the commit
tee hoped to stop storing high ex-
plosives in the zone about New York
City. The committee will ask Secre-
tary Baker to order this.
Commissioner Hubert took occa-
sion also to inform the committee of
port development needs of New York, /
particularly the need of the exten-
sion OF Ambrose Channel past Rose |
bank. s. L.. where the present cham
mel is SO narrow that a bad collision |
might close the harbor. -e pointed
out proposed new piers Senator I
Frelinghuysen promisg baIiSllnring a
"a .alse pa.sy ot senT.es o'clock over I