Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1920-12-10
SHELLS EXPLODE
CAUSING PANIC
Blaze on Lighter Sets Off Hun.
dreds Of Projeciiles
ONE DRIVEN INTO HOUSE
Warning Signals To shIps-Housss
Shaken and Windows Shattered,
But Only a Few Persons
injured.

New York.-Hundreds Of homes in
the Fort Hamilton section Of Brooklyn
virtually were under heavy artillery
bombardment Sunday afternoon result
ing from Intermittent explosions Of six
inch and teninch shells on a steam
lighter which caught FIRE while moored
to the army reservation wharf Gath.
ering together their belongings in a
belief that the naval arsenal at Fort
Lafayette, small island near Fort
Hamilton. was ablaze. terrified scores
ded their homes for safer zones, driven
to frenzied haste by the series Of de
donations which were heard for miles
around.
An official statement from Fort
Hamilton said no lives had been lost
and that onl4 four persons had been
injured. and these but slightly
One Of the terrifying incidents Of
the barrage was the 4O0-yard flight Of
10-inch shell clear over the reserva
tion and into a house in Fort Hamil
ton Park way The heavy pToiectlle
tore huge hole in the roof Of the
dwelling. passed through two floors
and buried itself in the cellar. The
house. which was occupied by August
Galtern and several members Of his
family, all Of whom escaped injury
was shaken with the violence OF an
earthquake
The lighter, which was laden With
800 shells for shipment to Boston, was
torn from its moorings by the violence
Of the first explosion about $40 P NJ
Two men were on board, but they es
capped
About this time naval tug reached
the scene. and in a desperate effort
to prevent the flames spreading to the
wharf, the commanding officer delib
erately headed his craft for the blaz
ing lighter and its exploding cargo
He stuck her nose against the side
Of the lighter and pushed her away
to sand ber in imminent peril OF his
own craft being blown from the water
The naval tug scarcely had with.
drawn when a heavy explosion oc.
CURED. which tore the lighter apart.
Two Of those slightly injured were
man and a woman, who had a mirac
ulous escape from death. They were
motoring past the wharf opposite the
lighter when the first explosion oc
Cured. Fragments OF shell peppered
their automobile, but the occupants
suffered only slight wounds. and after
receiving medical aid at the Bay Ridge
Naval Hospital were able to go home
The glare from the exploding am.
munition and the flames from the burn.
ing wharf Illuminated the lower harboI
and attracted thousands to the Brook.
lyn and Staten Island water fronts.
AS explosion followed explosion and
the danger OF craft passing the Mar.
rows between Fort Hamilton and Fort
Wadesworth grew menacing "blinker
light" signals were flashed from the
fortihcations warning mariners to give
the threatened area wide berth.
Soldiers from Fort Hamilton were
dispatched by their commanding officer
into the residential section to aid those
who were fleeing their homes, and to
allay panic.
Police reserves, summoned from ad
iacset precincts, who endeavered to
clear the danger zone. were handi
espped in their work by great throngs
of motorists and pedestrians who
1socked to the scene unaware OF the