Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-08-05
Find Bodies of Dead in Ruins
of RaTitan Explosion
CONTINUED from page u

Despite the loss of life and limb
caused by the flare-up and the anxiety
experienced by thousands the incident
has brought a certain consolation.
1t had been generally felt, perhaps
without anything better thar rumor
to back it. that if the Raritan Arsenal
once caught fire the whole ammuni-
ton reserve would blow UP. Yester-
days experience completely disproves
hat theory.
Not only were the flames and ex-
plosions confined to the freight car
and magazine where they originated
but they are said not to have even
seriously endangered the adjoining
magazines. The magazines are brick
and terra Gotta structures, having a
metal roof, and are constructed of
entirely non-combustible materials.
The bursting small shells therefore
had very little fuel except their own
powder to keep the explosions going.
The work of the fire company of the
arsenal was restricted rather to pre-
tentative measures than to any di-
rect attempt to work at the fire.
Public Service Electric Company ex-
ports fixed the wires so that they
could be cut off whenever necessary.
Although somewhat nervous the
people of South Amboy took the ex-
plosion at the arsenal yesterday in
I good spirit. Not q few expected to
repeat their experiences of the Nor
gan explosion out instead of getting
excited they calmly went about pack
ing up their personal property with
the view of moving out of the city
should things get worse. The people
of the Mechanicsville section of the
city all came into town and were
very much frightened, as they can
look directly to the arsenal from
their homes. A number of people
! took refuge along the shore after
making sure their windows and doors
| were wide pen. Everything was all
| right until rumors started to spread
| once more. 1t was said that the IRE
was gaining Roadway, Perth Amboy
| was covered with smoke, shells were
dropping in Metuchen, the people of
| New Brunswick were ordered out or
| their homes and a number Of other
baseless reports.
Rowland Grover, of South Amboy,
was slightly wounded in the head py
| flying boards but was sent directly to
| his home In this city and not to any
| hospital.
The fire and explosion as seen from
| the office of the Nixon Nitrate Works,
| only two hundred feet from the scene
by the EVENING NEWS reporter was
| picturesque in the extreme.
The fire burned with a bright req
and yellow and continually gave forth
a light brown smoke. The popping OF
the various shells or hand grenades
was incessant. A colonel in the
Nixon office who was only recently
with the government said that when
the first explosives blew up with ter
rife force the fragments and shells
could be heard whistling all about the
plant office. He sale that the danger
was from these bursting flying shells.
The shock of the first blast was
felt in Metuchen, Fords, New Bruins
wick, South Amboy and points di-
rectly across the river from the ar
senai. At Metuchen the reverberation
caused the postoffice building 10
shake, Postmaster Powers said. The
shock was scarcely perceptible in this
civ the first intimation of the ex-
plosion being the returning workmen
who came in truck loads.
The roads leading from the plant
shortly after the report of the blast
had shaken houses all through the
vicinity, were filed with : workmen
leaving the grounds. They came out
in large trucks, on bicycles and on
foot.
only f~ragmentary reports concern
ing the work of rescue could be gain
ed Guards at the Nixon works said
that thew saw the two wounded men
taken away, but that beyond that
they were unable to learn whether
there was anyone else near the cars
when the blast came. The freight
ers worked continuously Throughout
the afternoon and by the time the
last shell had popped the place was
soaked with water.
The strictest guard was kept at the
gates and no civilians were allowed
to enter the military enclosure. Ru-
mors were persistent among all the
men and if one had been a writer
of fairy tales some wonderful stories
| could have been obtained.