Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-11-11
Gillespie Tells of Congestion of Shell S
AT Plant Due to Lack Of Transportation
---Alien Enemies Among the Guards

I Smoking was allowed within the
fence of the plant itself, in the homes
there, and In the administration
buildings, but these are a mile and
a half or two miles from the units,
which were each surrounded by
fences of their own.
ON the night of the explosion, Mr..
Gillespie said, he found there were
392 guards on the rolls of the COM
pany. He said that five guards were
stationed at the gates of each unit to
see that employees did not carry
matches.
Robert w. Eldridge, general super
intendent of the Gillespie plant, said
the regulations with regard to the
carrying of matches past the main
gates now were that men could not
carry them. Prior to October 4. he
said, the men were permitted to
smoke outside of the manufacturing
units of the plant.
h men were allowed to smoke in
their quarters, he said. but they were
not allowed to carry anything but
the regulation safety match.
Elmer II. Geran, the associate
counsel for the Council of Defense,
brought out from Mr.. Eldridge that
the search for matches was cursory.
That the large influx of employees at
the plant, hat two guards examined
tOCdt opVOV lhth CllNtIlDE th6 pant
at the C~heesequake gates and eight
guards took care of the search of
1000 employees OF the main Morgan
gate. Now, the witness said, there
was no smoking allowed within the
main gates except in the living and
restaurant buildings.
Unlike the DUPONT de -Nemours
~Company's regulations, by which
every employe is searched at the en-
~ ~ no o. H. Da-1f -IA-A
gan plant did not make this rigid
search except occasionally.
Senator Frelinghuysen read sec
tons of the state laws regarding the
prohibition of matches, liquor or
narcotics being carried into explosive
plants. Mr.. Eldridge said that he had
sent out written orders allowing men
to carry safety matches inside the
lines. He told of the regulations at
the plant regarding the carrying of
matches or bundles into the various
units.
Mr.. Eldridge admitted that he had
smoked inside the general enclosure
n that he had been spoken to by
a guard at the plant. He said that
Col. Spraunce suggested, after the
explosion. that the carrying of any
matches in the plant should be pro-
hibited.
At this point the examination OF IT.
A. Gillespie was resumed by Senator
Frelinghuysen as to the protest made
to see how the shipments out of the
lack OF transportation facilities and
Lieutenant Andsley was sent to tie
plant to supervise the shipment ana
to see how the shipments out of tire
plant might be speeded up. Lieut..
Andsley has been at the plant ever
since.
Mr.. Geran asked Mr.. Gillespie
about his agency with the government.
The contract with the government.
the witness said. called for the layour
of the plant, which had been used in
England. The G~illespies got up the
designs OF the plant which were APP
proved by the government. Major
Armstrong, an employe of the Giles
pies made up the plans, Mr.. Gillespie
said.
&c ~oo1 IN the construction
of the plant was up to the company.
On the reconstruction of the plant the
company is in charge of the plans, Mr..
Gillespie said and explained the re-
duction of the size of units.
Mr.. Gillespie said the safety prop
osition was only a partial considera-
ton in the reduction of the size ana
number of the units.
He said that now. with a smooth
II oiiSpOE l&liOn " SIeilS Out Oh l1e
plant, the danger was reduced ara
that people in this vicinity can now
feel a greater sense of security. be- |
of the greater separation of
buildings and the better construction
of the buildings.
Tells of Aliens at Plant.
Yesterdays afternoon session of
ton of Charles Rose, an attorney of
South Amboy and township attorney
of ~Sayreville. Mr.. Rose and his father |
are extensive landnolders in South
Amboy and In the vicinity of the ,
plant. His home. where he and his
I" Their stayed is about $50 feet from
the fence Of the plant on B~ordentown
avenue, South Amboy. 1t was Mr..
Rose who gave the testimony dealing
with the enemy aliens working at the
plant which. to a certain extent, blast
the assertion OF the plant oficiais /
that they maintain there n perfect en-
plovment system by which every ap-
plicant for employment is thoroughly
ard painstakingly examined and must
references and recommended
lions. |
Elmer H. Geran, associate counsel :
for the Perth Amboy Council of De-
Tense asked the witness II he had
made n examination into the num-
Der of alien enemies employed at the
plant. Mr.. Rose replied that he had
the records OF the dref'
board covering the district and had
found among those records question
naires which showed that there were
alien enemies working at the plant
and hat they had claimed exemption
from the draft on the ground that
they were alien enemies. or these.
he said, two were guards employed by
the Gillespie Company. One of the
he said. had been recently
ten dollars in the Perth Amboy
p0fIce court for smoking In the MIA M l