Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-08-24
THREE MEN INJURED,
ONE SERIOUSLY WHEN
SHELLS EXPLODE
Bullets From Penn's Grove Fly
Across Delaware, Striking
Bellevue Homes.
EXPLOSION DUE TO FIRE

Three men were seriously hurt early
this afternoon in an explosion follow
ing a fire just outside the reservation
of the Delaware Ordnance Reserve
Depot about two miles north of Penn's
Grove on the New Jersey side of the
Delaware river. One Of the victims
was reported to be dying at the Salem
Hospital where all of the men were
hurried in an ambulance summoned
from Penn's Grove,
The Rochester Salvage Company,
il was stated at the office of Captain
Brown. the commanding officer at the
reservation. had purchased guam
tity of shells ranging in size from 3
to 6 inches and were salvaging them.
There was a huge pile of them Just
outside the fence surrounding the
reservation and in some manner a
fire was started In the near vicinity.
This fire spread to the pile of shells
and the next instant one OF them ex-
ploded.
This initial blast was followed
quickly by an almost continued salvo
as the other shells in the pile started
Off. The three men who were nearest
to the pile were badly torn by the
living pieces OF broken shell and the
shot within them. A hurry call was
sent TO Penn's Grove for an ambu-
lance and for the fire company and the
injured were taken to the Salem Hos
pital at once. One of the men, 1t was
stated. will die and there is little hope
for the others.
At 2.3o o'clock this afternoon IL was
stated from Captain Browns office
over the telephone that the FIRE was
stiu in progress and that the ex-
plosions were still taking place as
the FIRE continued TO reach the shells.
Bullets Reach Bellevue.
The flying shrapnel was spreading
over all OF the surrounding country
and some of it was even reaching the
Delaware side of the river. Residents
in the vicinity of Bellevue reported
that there was a shower Of bullets
in that section and that theg were
coming across the Delaware river but
at that time they did not know any
thing about the explosion or wha
was causing the shower of rteel and
lead. As far as could be learned no
one was injured on this side of the
river.
IL was explained at the reservation
that the shower of shot was probably
from the larger shells as the charge
in them is sufficiently heavy to drive
the shot for a much greater distance.
The river at this point IS nearly
three miles wide. At the time there
were several boats going up and down
the river but no report had been re-
ceived OF any of them having been
struck.
Early this afternoon it was stated
al the Cepot that the explosions are
still in progress and that the shells
big and little were still bursting and
scattering shot all about. Efforts
were being made TO extinguish the fire
but this work was handicapped by the
frequent explosions which endangered
the lives of every one who approached
the vicinity.
Up to a late hour the cause of the
fire had not been determined.
One of the men injured was Thomp-
son Sharp of Bridgeport, y. j. He is
suffering from two fractures of the
left arm and a wound in the left
shoulder. He was treated by DR..
Robert Jarret of Penn's Grove and
then he was hurried to Salem.
From the office of the chief of
police of Penn's Grove this afternoon
at 2.45 O'Clock il was stated that one
of the injured men was dead and that
two others had been rushed to the
Salem Hospital. II was stated further
that the body of a fourth workman
could be seen lying on the ground in
back of the depot, near the ammuni-
ton dump and that he was supposed
to be dead It was at this time
utterly impossible to get to him be-
cause of the danger from the ex-
ploding shells and the flying pieces
of metal.