Arizona republican., 1918-10-05
EXPL0S|0N IN MUN|T|ONP PLANT
 FATAL ID HUNDRED
Republican A. p. Leased Wire1

PERTH AMBOY, N. J., Oct 5.-A warehouse magazine containing large quantities of Trinitoloul, one of the few remaining buildings of the T. A. Gil lespie and company's shell loading plant at Morgan, blew up at a. m. today. - The explosion shook every house in Perth Amboy, South Amboy and scores of other towns, wrecking light build lngs and shattering thousands of win dow panes. The flash of the explosion could be seen for miles and resulted in a hasty exodus of people from South Amboy and the throwing of a military guard around Perth Amboy, to protect homes from which the occupants mad fled.
 PERTH AMBOY, Oct. 4.-Many men were killed and scores injured in tremendous explosion early tonight at the plant of the T. A. Gillespie Shell Loading company at Morgan, near here. The first explosion which shook the countryside for miles and caused citizens of South Amboy to flee from their homes, was followed by series of less severe explosions and by fire which for hours defied the efforts of fire departments, sum- moned from all nearby cities and towns
 The number of dead and injured can- not be determined until employees of the plant answer a roll call in the morning. Estimate late tonight, how ever. placed the number of killed and hurt at from fifty to more than a hun dred
 Ambulances sent from here and car rying 25 doctors returned with many of the injured and for fear that the city hospital would not accommodate all the victims, hotel was prepared to receive the overflow. Ambulances from Elizabeth and other cities were reported 10 be taking other victims to those cities. United States base hospial number three at Colonial sent ambulances and doctors to aid in the rescue work.
 Several Blown to Atoms Eight bodies were placed tonight in the morgue at South Amboy and oth CTS were being removed from the plant shortly before midnight. It is believed that several more men were in the building where the original explosion occurred, and that these were blown to atoms.
 | The plant, which is being operated ] for the government by the Gillespie company, employs several thousand men and women, working in three shifts, but officials said that tonight there were only about five hundred men in the plant when the explosion occurred. The plant was engaged ir loading high explosive shells.
 Following the first explosion, gov ernment officials telephoned to nearby camps for soldiers to serve as guard: and several hundred. with a detach. ment of coast guards, were rushed tt Morgan.
 i Plant Covers 12 Miles
 The plant, which covers an area O 12 square miles, comprises many smal buildings. situated along Chessequak creek. The first explosion occurred in one of these buildings in whicl T. x. T. was being made and the flame spreading to other structures, cause, a series of further blasts.
 Explanations regarding the cause o the explosion vary but according t one account. excessive heat was ap piled to a vat of T. N. T. Another ac !, count had it that a shell, which wa being lifted. fell and exploded
 The first blast was terrific It shat l tered nearly all the glass in Sout Amboy, one and half miles away , and was felt for radius of nearly tel miles.
 The fire still was burning at lat hour, but was said to be under contro The property damage has not been es , timated.
 The structure first blown up wa soon roaring furnace and cordo was thrown around it to prevent rela tives of men employed at the plan from rushing into the flames in scare of their dead. For hours the fireme could make no effort to recover bodie on account of the intense heat.
 The scene at the plant was like bi of the western front.
 young woman employed at tn plant as telephone operator was heroine With shells bursting aroun her. she stuck to her post, sending ou calls for firemen and doctors. Calral she gave directions as to the quickes method of reaching the plant
 Fires have broken out at the plan which is one of the largest of its kin in the United States. The building are spread over an area of severs thousand acres. It is thought tha more than one unit of the plant ha
 been destroyed.
 Dozen Explosions Heard
 Telephone connections could not b
 established with Morgan. but at tn Gillespie office at Gillespie, N. J., near
 by. it was said more than a dozen ey
 plosions had occurred at the Morga I plant. Officials in Gillespie said the
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