Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-10-05
EXPLOSIONS WRECK
MUNIT|ON PLANT
Over One Hundred Workmen
Believed to Have Been
Killed.
SCORES OF OTHERS WOUNDED
Many, Badly Stunned, Forced to
Crawl to Place of
Safety.
SCORES OF OTHERS WOUNDED

PERTH AMBOY. N. j.. October A.
Over 100 workmen are believed to
have been killed tonight by series
of terrific explosions followed by a
fire which wrecked the huge she'll
loading plant OF the T. 4. Gillespie
Loading Company. at Morgans Station,
near here.
AS many rs 1000 men may have been
at work in the plant. as 1t was said
the full night shift was busy when the
explosions occurred. The loss Of life
may be largely in excess Of 100 the
police declare.
Ambulances from every available
hospital were rushed to the scene and
private automobiles were Impressed to
bring the wounded here Within an
hour from the timeSthe first explosion
was heard, scores OF wounded were
clared to have been stunned as from
she'll shock. and some undoubtedly
lsst their lives in the fire succeeding
recovering their senses. were able to
crawl sufficiently far to enable the
hastily organized bands OF rescuers TO
drag them TO safety.
The Gillespie plant is about four
miles long. and two miles wide and
fronts on Cheese Quake Creek. Morgans
Sunss os,S sma ana of ws
tered over the large area occupied by
the plant.
The plants war work rendered 1t one
OF the busiest in the country, three
shifts keeping operations going the
entire twhnty-four hours each day.
Its complete working force is report :
women being employed during the day.
NO definite information was obtain :
aole as TO whether any of the women
operatives We're at work IN the plant
tonight. but belief was expressed that
only men were working when the cS
piosions took place.
NINE EXPLOSIONS SHAKE
EARTH FOR LONG DISTANCE
The explosions. said to be nine In
number, shook the earth for a long
distance from the plant and were heard
for many miles.
Terror-stricken women and children.
hundreds OF whom live In and near
South Amboy and whose relatives work
81 the Gillespie plant: made n mad rush
saw the glare Of the fire.
Scores managed. before the police
could establish preventive Gordon
mak 'mer Soy,h the railroad
gans Station. Frantic with fear Tor
the fate OF those they loved. they
explosions and surged across the bridge
and to the very edges of the plant.
The police drove the women and
be te do oaes so as sns soon It
mile from the plant. beyond which
no one save police. firemen, and those
engaged In rescue work were per-
An oficial Of the Gillespie Co. at
Eillespte, n. j.: about three miles from
me plant. said the fire started In the
to account for the cause. &
The two Gillespie plants at Gillespie
sent their entire fre-fghting force and
apparatus in response to n hurried
order. and these assisted in the res
cue work and in keeping the fire from
spreading.
FACTORY MANAGERS BEGIN
CHECKING OF EMPLOYEES
Until officials OF the Gillespie Co.
are able to check up the survivors no
definite knowledge will be obtaina bl c
It was estimated late tonight that
fully 200 casualties resulted, but how
many OF these were merely injured
he hn dsa
from explosions or fire.
Within an incredibly brief tim, fter
ings were alame, and as one detona-
tion succeeded another. the fire grew
to n roaring furnace. whose heat pre-
vented the approach Of any one nearer
than 100 yards.
Some government engineers and
other, officials were in one section of
They Immediately took charge OF the
fire-1ightinG forces. bending their eff
forts to prevent the entire plant from
burning or being destroyed through
the explosion Of combustiblcs.
Finding the workmen unequal to the
task OF policing the plants boundar les.
they communicated with army officers
at Camp Vail, requesting that soldiers
be sent for the purpose. Effective .po-
Icing started when the soldiers
reached the scene.
report circulated late tonight as
to the cause of the tragedy said that
booster" name given by en-
Dloyees to Il certain type OF shell. ex-
ploded in manner not accounted for
in a building where large number
The hospital maintained on the Gill
lespie plant was filled to it's utmost
capacity soon after the work OF rescue
started. When not another patient
could be taken there the other injured.
some of whom had received wounds
while engaged in their work of mercy.
were hurried to outside hospitals. y
were summoned by telephone from
various nearby towns. and every avail
able nurse was taken to the scene.
a young girl telephone operator.
whose name was not revealed. earned
warm praise by sticking at her post
rapidly plugging calls for assistance. 1t
was through her devotion to duty In
the face of danger that firemen, the
police, the soldiers and the physicians
and ambnlances received their hurry
carry. The telephone operator was
half mile from the scene. but the
windows of the room In which she
ploding shell were said to have struck
the building. She stuck at her switch
board. Notwithstanding.