Evening star., 1918-10-06
ARMY OFFICERS
START PROBE OF
T. N. T. EXPLOSION

!. ". j. cATIOSIOV
(Continued from First Page.)
York five motor trucks loaded with
six tons of supplies. The city and all
the territory around Morgan are
under martial law. with the state
guard in control under the personal
arrived here from Trenton at the
same time as the vanguard OF these
machines and took personal charge
of the relief work.
BY his direction schools. churches
and halls in Newark, Eliza beth and
other cities were taken over as refu-
gee. centers and food and bedding
provided.
Days Before Deaths Are Known.
1t became apparent toward night
that days must pass before there can
be any accurate checking up of cas-
ualties. Not only were employees of
state, but scores left by train for the
homes Of relatives at distant points.
further confusing the situation.
J. w. Faust, assistant director of
civilian relief of the Red Cross. es-
timated that more than 1000 persons
of shells and the force CT the eX-
plosions. He believed between 10000
and $4,000 more had fed from their
homes fearing disaster and would not
return until all danger is over. They
present almost as much of a problem
as those who are actually homeless.
Although South Amboy was hardest
hit by the blasts which wrecked the
big plant. many farmers even nearer
to the scene of the disaster were
toh h
been theirs before the war began and
the shell-loading plant was built were
demolished.
Many Suffer Shell Shock.
After an intermittent bomhardment
lasting nearly twenty-four hours. the
people housed here and in other near
by towns settled. down tonight to
slumber. Many OF them had under
gone most of the horrors of actual
warfare and their nerves were shat
tered. Not a few were suffering from
a form of shell shock. The day was
which had preceded 1T.
officers and enlisted men had risk
ed their lives for hours trying to de-
termine whether the stores of explo-
sives in the warehouse or on the
barges were in danger from the
flames which had swept through the
hundreds of buildings Of the plant,
which covers 200 acres. but they had
failed.
Airplanes Circle Over Scene.
The Signal Corps was asked to pro-.
vide an airplane for observation pur-
poses, and one arrived late in the aft
ernoon manned by Maj. H. l.. Arm
strong and capt. w. w. Watson. The
<yir od in in
around the big tract, surrounded with
barbed wire, to aid the scores of
armed guards in keeping out tres
passers. The two birdmen leaned over
the machine and leveled field glasses
at the scene of desolation beneath
them. They kept at their task for
nearly fifteen minutes and then
alighted outside the danger zone.
1t probably was the first time in
this country that an airplane had
been used for such a work of observa-
tion. After they had reported to Col.
Douglas /. Mckay of the ordnance de-
partment at Washington it was an
nounced that there was mo further
danger unless the unforeseen occurs"
The aerial observation showed that
five of the thirteen units of the plant
had been destroyed by the flames
that the 200 plant guards, who began
fighting the fire with water pumped
from Cheesequake creek after the wa
ter mains burst, had the situation well
in hand. 1t indicated that unless there
was furious windstorm during the
night the fire would not extend either
to the bargeS with their dangerous
loads or to the storehouse more than
mile away in another direction.
News Relieves Many Women.
Women who had been wandering
about the streets all day. many of
them with children in their arms, re-
most hySterical relief. The greatest
difficulty has been experienced, how
ever, in quieting the fears of those
who have been vainiy seeking news OF
husbands or relatives who had been
at work in the plant when the first
explosion occurred.
1t has been determined definitely
that only between SEQ and 6G0 men
were at work on the night shift.
Fifty of this number were employed
first to blow up. Four of these
workers have been accounted for
and the others undoubtedly We're
killed or injured. 1t is considered
highly probable. however. that those
in other buildings made their escape,
as they had ample warning. Although
few of them reported today, officials
of the company are confident that
they fed in panic and will turn up
sooner or later.
Cause of Blast Undetermined.
The cause Of the first explosion has
not h~en definitely determined and
probably will not be until the Army
completes its rigorous investigation,
which is already under way Off
GERS do not believe, however. that it
resulted from overheated T. n. T.
They are equally positive it could
not have been the work of German
spies. for they declare the plant was
the best guarded in the United
States. All employees had been care
fully Investigated by the secret service
and they have been constantly super
vised.