Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1918-11-09
MANAGER OF GILLESPIE PLANT ADMITS SMOKING
INSIDE THE GATES; CARELE ESS REGARDING MATCH
Gillespie Tells of Congestion of Shells
At Plant Due to Lack of Transportation
---AIien Enemies Among the Guards

I The 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, that two guards examined
about 5000 men entering the plant
at the Cheesequake gates and eight
guards took care of the search of
1000 employees at 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-
trance to the Parlin plant, the Nor
| gan plant did not make this rigid
| search except occasionally.
Senator Frelinghuysen read Sec
tions 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
and that he had been spoken to by
a guard at the plant. He said that
Col, spraunce suggested. after the
Fexplosion, that the carrying of any
matches in the plant should be pro-
hibited.
At this point the examination of T.
| 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 the
plant to supervise the shipment and
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 layout
! of the plant, which had been used In
England. The GilIespies got up the
designs of the plant which were ap-
proved by the government. Major
Armstrong. an emp1oye of the Giles
pies. made up the plans. Mr.. Gillespie
| said.
The use of wood 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-
| tion in the reduction Of the size and
number of the units.
He said that now, with a smooth
| transportation of shells out of the
a MIR nflt No Ant NO
that people in this vicinity can now
| feel a greater sense OF security be-
| cause of the greater separation OF
buildings and the better construction
of the buildings.
| Tells OF Aliens at Plant.
| Yesterdays afternoon session Of
the hearing opened with the examina-
| tfon of Charles Rose, an attorney of
| South Amboy and township attorney
of Sayreville. Mr.. Rose and his father
are extensive landholders in South
Amboy and In the vicinity of the
] plant. His home, where he and his
father stayed is about 750 feet from
/ the fence of the plant on Bordentown
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
ed the assertion of the plant officials
pIoyment system by which every ap-
plicant for employment is thoroughly
and painstakingly examined and must
have references and recommenda-
tions.
Elmer H. Geran. associate counsel
for the Perth Amboy Council of De-
fense asked the witness If he had
made any examination into the num-
Der of alien enemies employed at the
plant Mr.. Rose replied that he had
examined the records of the draft
board covering the district and had
found among those records question
naires which showed that there were
ten allen enemies working at the plant
and that they had claimed, exemption
from the draft on the ground that
| they were alien enemies. OF these,
| ne said, two were guards employed by
the Gillespie Company. One of the
others he said. had been recently
fined ten dollars in the Perth Amboy
I police court for smoking in the plant.
| Asked to give the names OF the
men who were found to be aliens to-
gether with their addresses and places
of birth. he replied:
James Kaveri, birthplace, Hungary.
residence S2S John street. South Am
boy.
Thomas Veras, birthplace, Hungary,
residence Keasbey.
Michael Foldy, birthplace Hungary,
residence 675 Catherine street, Perth
Amboy.. Ut was this man, Mr.. Rose
said. who had been fined for smoking
inside the gates.)
James Mario Smitts. birthplace Ant
werp residence Fl Smith street, Perth
Amboy. Il ~
GUST Letter, birthplace, Hungary,
address r. #. ID. I, Matawan.
Joseph Anon, birthplace Hungary.
residence Washington avenue, Linden.
Cleto Higuero, birthplace, Spain,
residence Morgan.
Alex Suransh, birthplace. Poland.
431 Henry street, South Amboy.
| Michael servifin, birthplace Galicia,
address p. o. box IS, Sayrevil1e..
| John Firlet, birthplace Austria. p.
/ o. address box All, Sayreville.
All Of these men. he said, gave their
, occupation on their questionnaires as
laborer, with the exception Of
Smitts and Suransk. who, were guards.
Mr.. Rose said that he had spoken
to the chairman OF the draft board
about two of these cases where the
birthplace was given as Spain and
Antwerp and asked why they were
classified as alien enemies. The latter.