Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1919-08-06

Major General G. c. WilliamA
chief of ordnance, came from Wash<
ington yesterday and led the investt<
cation.
Mayor Frank Dorsey, of this city,
sent a circular letter to mayors Of
all the principal cities in this section
of the state, Including New York 10y
| and Newark, asking concerted action
to have the explosives removed. The
mayor said that he had heard that
there are 100000 pounds of INT
still at the arsenal.
The Mayors letter follows:
Dear Mr.. Mayor:
Concerted action Is necessary In
an effort to remove from this vicinity
the great menace to your city ana
others now threatened by the Raritan
Arsenal, located between New Bruns-
wick and Perth Amboy.
1T is said that the Raritan Arse
nal contains upwards of 100000
pounds of TINT. and huge quantities
of black powder, loaded shells and Pic
ric acid.
"The day visited Raritan Arsenal.
q dock approximately two thousand
feet long was receiving from barges
three deep along Its entire length
shells, hand grenades and various mu-
nitions which had been turned back
from France. There is approximately
one hundred magazines, each about
1O0x200 feet already filled.
From this cursory description. you
can realize readily what frightfui
damage and loss of life could result IN
your city, with its tubes, elevated rail-
ways, bridges and high buildings,
should some careless Cor mischiev-
ious) guard fail in his duty. or should
some accident occur.
will you not bring the pressure OF
responsibility for the safety OF NIL.
lions of lives, as well as for untold
property values, to bear upon the War
tinue the storage of such dangerous
materials in so vital yicfnage.
"Our Senator Frelinghuysen and
Representative Scully have done all
in their power, but have not secured
the desired results. We 1eed the
weight of New York and ali neighbor-
ing cities. Promises were made to
eliminate these dangers, but an explo-
sion which occurred on Monday after
noon, August 4th, at 1890, costing
approximately ten lives and causing
untold anxiety among our citizens
and citizens of neighboring communi-
ties is absolute proof that the dan
ger has not been eliminated.
May 1 ask you to use whatever
power and influence you have in an
endeavor to clean up this situation.
Respectfully yours,
FRANK DORSEY, Mayor.
The board of five officers still In
vestigating are in session today hear
ing reports of witnesses 1t was
stated that only the freight car and
one magazine were destroyed by the
blast The car was being loaded for
shipment
Relatives and friends of persons
who were thought to have been in
iured in the explosion besieged the
morgue of Coroner Harding in New
Brunswick until late hour last
night. Identification was made only
very slowly, few of the bodies nav
ing any semblance of the human
form.
According to the coroner Laurence
Schaefer, of South Amboy, has been
identified by relatives. Dunham and
Dougherty are also believed TO pc
among those whose bodies have been
recovered, the coroner said Tne
other man is from Sayreville, ac-
cording to friends who visited the
coroner's office from that town. Inc
coroner was unable to learn last
night which of the Sayreyilie men !.
was because of the confusion anu
grief of the relatives from tnat pistcs-
Funeral For George 1uzlk.
The funeral of George Turk, one OF
the victims of the explosion at tne
tContinued on page Sd