Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-12-05
DENIES THERE is DANGER
IN METHODS At MORGAN
tcontinued from page l.,

The use OF steel on steel in connec
ton with cleaning up OF anato is the
proper process. he said. and best au-
thorities agree that the use of copper
or bronze is wrong. as they form salts
when in contact with amatol. The
\ use of wire brushes and putty knives
in cleaning shells is perfectly safe.
he said and he has never known of
any accident from that source. The
breaking up OF amatol by steel tools
and the cleaning UP with shovels is
also safe, he said. and in his opinion
was the only feasible method Of OPP
| Grafton.
Senator Frelinghuysen took up the
QuiZzing OF the witness on his position
and rating with the Gillespie company
and their allied interests. The wilt
ness said that he received nc salary
from the loading company and his
work there taking but part of his
P, time, was done as an engineering ad-
visor while he was under salary with
two of the other Gillespie subsidiaries.
The senator forcibly questioned the
witness upon the safety of heating
amatol beyond los degrees. The Du
Pont interests believe hat the safe
temperature for heating amatol was
95 degrees according to testimony.
do you believe that with the gov
| eminent precautions. giving los de-
grees as the safe temperature, that 1t
Is safe TO heat amatol to 40 degrees?"
asked the senator.
YES" replied the witness.
Mr.. Birmingham said that approx
! mately sixty per cent. Of the shells
sent to Europe had been sent by the
Gillespies. numbering about 1000. 900.
The explosion of the large ware
houses Of INT would not have been
greater than the mass explosion OF
so, 900 shells. h witness said he be-
, lieved. Mass explosion of shells can
be as dangerous as quantity explosion
of TINT. tho witness gave as his ex-
pert opinion.
The crater left after the explosion,
Mr.. Birmingham said. indicated that
the $4,000 shells had exploded en-
! masse. The witness would not say
whether or not a kettle had caused
the first explosion but he did not be-
! ueve that an ore-heated kettle caused
/ the blast. Loaded shells or a kettle in
6-1-1 unit must have caused the ex-
ploston he said as they were the only
explosives in the unit. The sound OF
the explosion indicated to him that at
least 10000 pounds OF explosives hal
gone up he said In answer to a ques-
ton by Judge Lyon.
How many shells were there In
that mass d~etonation ?" he was asked.
I'm OIL store house there were &c.
S50-105 mass shells loaded with am
| atol, Approximately $4,000 pounds or
amatol." he replied.
Captain Johnson. ordnance corps,
| United States army. was the second
| witness of the morning session. As
has been done with previous witnesses.
the biography Of the witness was thor
oughly gone into. He explained con-
| ferences with Captain inow Major)
! Armstrong and other government and
Gillespie officials as to the manufac-
ture of shells. using amatol and the
proving of these shells at Sandy Hook.
As a result of these conferences, anna
toll was decided to be a feasible and
/ good product for high explosive shells.
The Morgan plant was clean COM
pared with other plants and cleaner
than some ne had visited. The layout
| OF the Morgan plant was much better
than any other government plant, he
thought. as the natural protection at
forded by hills md valleys seemed to
indicate hat it was safer.
The cantain substantiated the state
ment of Mr.. Birmingham that II was
| safe. in his opinion. to heat amatoi up
to 100 degrees.
At 1915 o'clock the hearing was
| adjourned until 2:15 this afternoon.
1t was announced npon
ing that there would be no session
tonight.