The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-10-06

Hose through tne Dlace IN the AFTERNOON.
He said that he had learned definitely
OF the heroic act OF several locomotive
engineers. who hauled 200 carloads OF
INT out OF the path OF the flames amid
a veritable han Of shells OF the very
highest calibre. These men, the wit
nesses Of their act said. had risked their
lives more than hundred times, but
stuck TO the Job until the last car had
been dragged wide OF the danger zone.
Had those cars exploded, soldiers and
others said. the effects OF the disaster
would have been multiplied many fold.
In Keyport, a quarter of n mile from
the scene OF the frst explosion. ten big
automobile trucks were scar In the road
way. twisted and torn and utterly ,be-
yond repair. They had been lifted from
behind a military enclosure, thrown
many hundreds Of feet. and wrecked. At
Cheesequake, close TO Morgan, hundreds
OF shrapnel shells were found scattered
in the flelds Now and then hre reached
them as grass burned. and, their steady
explosions added to the dangers being
endured by the soldiers and other relief
workers.
Here the strength Of the explosion
was more plainly visible than In Morgan
or South Amboy even, where nearly
hao AutGh itNEilCus ~ ShCeSo-
quake trees three and even four feet In
diameter had been cut Off clean as II
by n saw or AK. Telephone and tele-
graph poles had been shipped of as
though they had been umbrella ribs and
lay on the ground or swung suspended
by the wires attached. 10 them.
Fortunately the electric power In
every plant in the town had been cut
of by the explosion and the dangling
wires caused little or no trouble except
as they interfered with the progress of
the relief workers. a mouse on a hilltop
at Chcesequake had been cut of clean
at the second story. the third story hav-
ing been blown nearly half a mile away
to an open field. Other buildings were
topping from the foundations.
vheiIs Wreck Cars and Houses.
On a railroad siding between South
Amboy and CheeseQuaks the reporter
saw a line OF loaded conf cars. A high
calibre shell struck one OF the cars and
cut 1t souarely In half. Others Of the
cars were punctured by shells Not a
house or structure In any OF these
places WAS untouched. In South Amboy
schools, churches and other large build.
iHkb WcTo WEGtAO0 CohPtotoiys hct
isn't O store In the place out OF which
the front had not been blown.
On the outskirts Of Keyport stood the
famous Ye olde Spye Inn, where tradi-
ton says that In Revolutionary days
two spies were caught and hung. Part
OF II was built In 164s. but II fell be.
fore the devastating force of the explo'
sion. II was q favorite stopping place
for automobilists on their way TO New
Jersey coast watering places.
In all OF these towns and even rs far
away as New Brunswick, y. j.. residents
were sleeping last night on lawns II
fear that other explosions would add &c
the destruction and loss OF life. Thi,
was especially true along the shores Of
Raritan Bay. where the bungalow col
onies were almost entirely wiped out.
Major Helen Bastido or the Women''
Motor Corps was on her way to thii
city from Deal Beach. N. j., Friday
night and the train on which she wal
travelling had Just left Morgan wher
the initial explosion occurred. Major
Bastido left the train and ran to thu
scene Of the blowup.
For the next hour Major Bastido ant
group of other volunteer workeri
helped in carrying the dead and injured
from the ruined buildings. She'll
screamed overhead and every workman
and official the volunteers met warne'
them OF the danger OF other explosives
They disregarded the element OF per
sonal risk, however. and stuck to thei
task.
Finally they had carried hfty injured
persons into an emergency hospital
never before used, inside the grounds 0
the she'll loading plant. The place "a
equipped for just such purpose. But thu
building was shaken violently and part
OF 1t were torn loose under the terrific
force OF the second explosion.
Again Major Bastido and her compan!