The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-11-15
THINK ALIEN > BLEW UP PLANT
Gillespie Go. Superintendent Says All Was in Order at
 Morgan, N. J., Works.

Perth Amboy, N. J., Nov. 15-The explosion at Morgan Station on Oct. 4, which killed workmen employed at the T. A. Gillespie loading plant and which terrified persons for miles around, was the work of an enemy alien, according to testimony given yesterday afternoon before the Senate committee which is Investigating the disaster by Hugh A. Leonard, super intendent of the unit in which the first of the many explosions occurred. Leonard said he could not point to any one of the workmen as the person who had caused the explosion, but he declared that when he left the plant shortly before the first explosion everything was in order. He had looked over the plant carefully, he testified, before he went away, and in his opinion 1t would have been impos- sible for the explosion to have oc- cured accidently.
 Late in the afternoon the investl- gating committee divided over the ad- instability of evidence as to the amount of explosives at the plant be- fore the explosion. Meyers asserted
  by E. A. Yates, vice president ana general manager of the Gillespie Company, should be permitted to go on the record and be made public, but Senator Beckman of Kentucky object ed to this, saying that last week the Ordnance Department asked that these figures be kept secret. It was finally decided that inasmuch> as the Swar was over there was no reason for withholding the figures, and wee President Yates was permitted to say that on the day of the explosion there was between 25,0O0,000 and SO,OOo,' oOo hounds of TINT, nitrate, ammonia loaded shells, and smokeless powder at the plant, and that trifie less thar 250. O0O, 900 pounds of TINT in all ex ploded.
 A suggestion of the War Industries Board that might have prevented the explosions at the plant was ignored bv the company, according to E' U Hawlev. inspector of the Fire Proven +ion Bureau of the War Industries Poard, who testified at the morning session. MT. Hawley said that thu Fire Prevention Bureau, through him
 
 to put in a sprinkling system.
 "If it had been done," he salo "there is strong probability that th fire would have been confined to th building in which 1t originated pro yided the employees of the plant Ia r,iliar with the system kept thel heads and cut out any part or tn system wrecked by the first blast.
 Frank Odendahl of Kerry avenue Kearny. N. J., an inspector for tn Ordnance corps of the War Depart rment, appeared before the commute vesterday with his attorney, Judg George Alexander, and asked to D nermitted to testify before the inves tigation closed He was told that n would be heard.
 Several days ago T. A. Glllespl and other witnesses testttied that al irspector named Odendahl, Whos frst name they did not give, was a enemy alien. They all said they kneN him but had not seen him since tn ovn1osion. Frank Odendahl told news naner men yesterday that he believe ba was the man referred to. He sal ha had been in this country 32 year and was naturalized 25 years ago. On of his sons is serving in France.
 The witnesses, he said, were incens cd against him because he was yer strict and required that much de fective work be corrected. He necIa1 cd he would bring civil suit 1o s1oO 900 against T. A. Gillespie ft the things Gillespie said about the s' called "enemy alien" Odendah4 III Il