Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-02-21
True Facts Not Made Known.
In Explosives Investigation
fCopt,nued from mage y,

1t was said tnat 100000 pounds of
that material had been shipped away
from Nc. gan since October 4.
Expediency Of shipments out of
Washington, the officers said, as they
were bound by such orders and ship
ped nothing without them.
At the present time shipments of
inert component parts of shells and
ordnance materials are being received
from ships returned from France.
The barges which Director Dey of the
freeholders said had come in there
this month loaded with shells, were
loaoed with an assortment of inert
materials, the officer said, while some
shells had come on one of the barges
they had not gone further h the
wharves, where they had been reload
ed on the barges and shipped to Rar-
itan arsenal.
In ALI likelihood the ~freeholders will
endeavor to work through Washing
ton that the materials now stored at
Morgan may be moved as expedi-
tiously as possible. The party SEEM
ed sur that the guarding at the
plant was sufficient.
The trip to Raritan followed where
Lieut.. Col. Andrews, commanding,
met the party and after explaining
the place and informing the men to
use their own observation of condi-
tons, took the group through the
reservation. That there are huge
seemed to be certain. That large
quantities of ordnance materials are
being received there was ais certain
judging by the large number Of
barges unloading at the 2,200 foot
wharf along the Raritan river.
TIE startling fact that developed
there was the lack of sufficient
guards. The party had expected to
see, from their information, one
guard for each three of the eighty
five magazines.
Actually, after a tour that showed
them the entire magazine section of
the arsenal, as well as the interior
of one magazine, they were agreed
that they had seen but one guard in
the entire place. He was pacing along
a storage warehouse section, several
hundred yards from where they
were.
The buildings themselves seemed to
be all that could be expected. They
are constructed of hollow tile, will
concrete floors and gypsum slab roofs
and seem to be entirely fireproof. INT
doors are steel fire doors and the ex
terror of each building has two fire
~&tinguishers attached. Lightning rods
and runners are an all the buildings
On the dock, where there were al
LAST two hundred soldiers working
loading materials from barges int
cars, no guards were cen Col. An
drews said that there were three
guards maintained on the docks, but
later amended that statement when he
found that there was but N guard or
duty at night, for the entire wharf.
The magnitude of the place, its ap'
,sarent fire safety and the method
pursued there were somewhat awe
some, the treatment accorded the pa
ty was splendid and as courteous a.
could be desired, the information was
as complete as could be given, blu
the fact finally remained that their
were two points of contentfon:-
First There were insufficient guards
there. The number of soldiers hat
been so reduced that the former guart
of one man for each building ha
been cut to one man for each thre
buildings and it seemed to be tn
concensus of opinion that word should
be sent to Washington asking flo
more guards there.
Second, the fact hat ~confidentia
information could not be Disseminate
10 the public, who was most concern
ed over the conditions.
Following the trip the freebooter
met in New Brunswick and heard sew
eral letters from Messrs. Frelinghuy
sen and Scul1y. together with CORE
spondence they " had with war dc
partment officials.
In the course of his letter Mr.. Ere
linghuysen said: 81 have done aBJi
all I can in the matter, but if tn
board desires to pass any resolution
/ shall be glad to transmit them {
the proper authorities"
Included in the correspondence wa
a letter from General William of tn,
ordnance corps to Mr.. Scully, which
was published in the EVENING
NEWS last Thursday relative to con
ditions at the two points.
The senator also incloSed CORE
spondence with the assistant secre
tory of war, Benedict Crowell, il
which he said there was no loading
going on at Morgan except experiment
tai work in a laboratory. The plant
he said, would be used only for tn,
storage of inert components.
These components would be onl!
small shells, non-dangerous schrapne
and non-dangerous components. Tn,
several thousand carloads of material
still stored there, he said, would be
moved, and when the operation /,
complete there will be only a small
force of men left at the Morgan reser.
walton.
The Chamber of Commerce of Me-
tuchen, a a communication before
the board endorsing the effort of tho
freeholders TO abate the menace a.
Morgan n Raritan. They claim
that these places retard the develop
ment of the town and that many per
son have moved away and offered
their homes for sale.