Perth Amboy evening news., 1924-03-25

The report Of Commissioner Nc
Bride indicates that failure on the
part of the Ammonite Company to
properly safeguard the explosives
in its plant made possible the ex
plosion.
Prosecutor Joseph z. Stricken, Of
Middlesex county, present at the
conference, announced that next
Tuesday he will lay before Supreme
Court Justice Kalisch the facts con-
corning the explosion and ask the
justice to bring the matter to the
attention OF the Middlesex county
grand jury for the purpose of p1ac
ing the responsibility. 1t is assumed
the indictment will be asked againsl
the Ammonite Company and consa-
gu tsetlnyetaoinshrdlu etaoin shrdl
quently its officers.
The evidence at Nixon shows dis
tinctly that the explosion took place
in the manufacturing building OF the
Ammonife Company, Inc, and at
location where a large amount af
the finished product was stored.
ready for shipment" Commissions
McBride's report reads.
In the statement made by r.
MOTIFS Shreve. president of the Arr.
monte Company. Inc, on March &
at Nixon IN the presence of Com mis-
sioner of Labor Andrew +. McBrf6e
Deputy Commissioner of Iahor
Charles F. Weeks. Or. Martin Sam
stolskl, consulting chemist OF fhf
department of Labor, and Assisfa,st
PROSECUTOR John Z. Toolan or Mid
dlesex county, he stated that an, n,o-
mum nitrate could be exploded witas
powerful detonator and this is car
roborated by explosive experts.
Inc Ammonite Company, Inc. re
eeived from the Columbia sal1aps
company in tank cars ammoni.11..
nitrate which included a portion "A
INT. This INT was washed down
IN building and allowed to ra1r
through small pipe line IN fhs
building TO an open ditch. This TNY
apparently was not carefully handles
and If the amounts taken frons fht
contents of the different cars receives
by the Ammonite Company. Tnc.
were allowed TO accumulate in eifhe,
the pipe line or some other recep
tacle in the building. it would n
doubt under certain conditions pro-
vide sufficient decorator to explode
the finished product of the Amlnon-
ite Company, Inc.
R. Norris Shreve when uuestfonfi
on the premises on March s, by A.
sistant Prosecutor John E. Tooiaf
in the presence of Commissioned
Mcbride Deputy Commissioner
Weeks, DR.. Szamstolsl1i and Inspee-
tor Rearwin as to the disposition
made of the material taken from
the settling tanks which included
INT. stated that it, with other wasfe
materials. was stored in two tanks
in the building on the west side
Mr.. Shreve explained that the ma
terial not disposed in the oper
ditch was also stored in these tive
tanks as they had intended to re-
claim it when they had time and
enough had accumulated to make
it worth while.''
The report declares that the large
amount of ammonium nitrate stur-
ed in the main building awaiting
shipment should have been kept in
a separate building While The
company was not manufacturing a
product that was TO be used for the
purpose of causing an explosion.
their product could be exploded a1lai
it should have been more carefully
protected, the report declared
Z There was no evidence of interior
explosions at the plant, the reporz
declares. all of the damage to tho
tanks and boilers showing that thu
explosion occurred outside of thes,
tanks.
In view of the foregoing facts. II
is therefore my belief that the ex
! plosion at Nixon was caused BY tht
finished product in the plant OF the
Ammonite Company, Inc, being de-
tonated by INT Accommodations ii
the building or by an explosion oI
| the grainer used by the Ammonige
Company, Inc.." declared Commits
sioner Mcbride in his report.
The report makes this significant
statement:
"It is my opinion that n1ort
careful method should have been
adopted that would more properlt
safeguard the INT which came into
the Ammonite Company Inc. buili
ing. taken from the material re-
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