The sun., 1918-11-22
JERSEY TO Be RID
OF ALL'EXPLOSIYES
Thousands of Tons Of I n T
VIII Be Taken to New Mex
leo for Storage.

Thousands Of tons Of TINT and
phosgene and other poison gases and
be removed Immediately from New Jer-
sey to q new storage plant in New
Mexico under an agreement reached be-
tween Secretary OF War Baker and
Senator Frelinghuysen Of New Jersey.
Announcement that the Government
owned gases and explosives would be
transferred was made yesterday by
Senator F'relinEhuysen ut the resumption
Of the Senate Investigating Committee
inquiry to determine the cause Of the
explosion that wrecked the T. A. Gil
lespie shell loading plant az Morgan In
September
Il conferred with Secretary Baker
yesterday over tho telephone" Senator
Frelinghuysen said. land urged him to
use every facility for the removal of all
INT now stored in tho various arsenals
and munition plants in this State and to
distribute the poison gases now stored
here. I also urged him to place United
States soldiers on guard at all these
places white the removal Is being made.
Secretary Baker told me he not only
approved Of my suggestion but said that
Assistant Secretary of War Crowell had
Mexico. where these explosives would
be transferred az rapidly as possible.
Mr. Crowell assured me that n guard
would be placed at the various plants"
Gas Only Awaits Cars.
Senator Frelinghuysen said Gen. New
conner Of the gas division Of the
| Ordnance Department had assured him
that 40 tons Of phosgene gas stored
in O congested section OF New Jersey
| would be removed as soon as cars could
get It away. Other Government owned
| gas now In the State also will be re.
moved. the Senator said.
Charges that there had been fiagran,
| violations at the Gillespie plant OF
safety regulations were made at a might
session of the investigating committee
This testimony was given by Ralph r.
Lippincott OF East Orange, who was q
Government inspector at the plant under
| Capt. H. A. Ely. Capt. Ely previously
had testified to his belief that the ex
plosion had been caused as a result,
| of an effort on the part of plant
superintendents to increase production
Lippincott testified that Ordnance De
| partment rules limiting steam pressure
to Ave pounds and temperature to lot
degrees in mixing kettles and exclud
ing machinery frequently were not com,
! Piled with He said he had seer
gauges register as high as fifteen pound,
steam pressure and from l15 to 13(
degrees Of temperature, and that fire.
quentiy he found the gauges were moi
working at all
| Kettles Left Unattended.
Capt. Ely had testified that, in hi
opinion. the direct cause Of the ex
| plosion was the overheating Of mixing
kettles and excluding machines. where
amatol was extracted from INT ant
nitrate ammonia
| Kettles at times were left unattended
and others had lealey valves, Lippincot'
said, this condition permitting INT tc
drip from the kettles upon the floor and
accumulate near and under the valves
Steel bars, ne testified, with the con
slant menace of sparks, were used Il
clean out containers. whereas the rule;
called for the use OF wooden mallets In
this work
| Powdered nitro starch. q dangerous
explosive. used to load trench mortar
shells, Lippincott said. was carried about
the plant in bags, and he had seen mer
smoking In close proximity to spot
where powder dust had accumulated. He
said ne had seen men using picks &c
loosen rejected INT which had hardened
and which they were to cart away ir
wheelbarrows.
| z. A. Yates. vice-president OF the Oil.
lespie company. said the Ordnance De-
partment had failed to comply with hi,
request to supplant the company's guards
with soldiers He said he made trips tc
Washington and had corresponded will
officers there In his effort to have thi'
precaution taken. but his efforts were
| without avail.