Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1924-05-28
ACT I D REMOVE
COUNTY MENACE
Of P|CR|c ACID
States First Case in ExpI
sion Gets Under Way
This Morning
CLAIM LAW VIOLATIONS
County Has Much EvIdeae
and Data to PreseIIf
During the Trial
CLAIM LAW VIOLATIONS

NEW BRUNSWICK. May 1g:
The first OF the states cases agnlnel
those responsible for the sfor49o of
explosives in Middlesex county vlns
brought for trial before Cou1fS
Judge John P. Kirk patrick here I'm
morning, the Butterworth Jud1Sn
Company of Newark and William 4
Bradford of New York being the e.
PENDANTS IN joint Indictment witch
charges them with maintain1nH
nuisance which is a menace 70 Hfe
and property. Assistant Prosec1afor
John E. Toolan represent the 1fn<r<
he being assisted by County so1f6If6x
Frederick f. Richardson, who -
been instrumental In getting 4 1~1
quantity of evidences against tho GS
PENDANTS Bradford Is reBF<6oN<
by Walter Sedan. or this c{tv 65j6
Harold A Callan, of New York
receivers of the Butterworth vi
Company are represented By c1<1
Fetch, OF the law firm Of PIE
Hardin & Skinner of Newark. z
According to Assistant Proseo{1tof
Toolan the storage Of 2,6xo.00u
pounds OF picric acid in eight 81
ten magazines on the Raritan rnea-
dows is a menace TO life and prop
erty in the immediate vicinity q
the statutes OF 1917 governing the
storage of explosives are being xo-
lated He told the jury that svi-
dence will be produced during the
trial Justfying it in returning
verdict of guilty. The storage Of
the picric acid is a common nuisance
Toolan said, in his opening charge
TO the jury. and the persons living
IN that vicinity as well as those
working in the plants in that neigh
borhood are kept in a constant state
of nervousness in fear OF an exp1ou-
ion.
The Joint Indictment against the
owners OF the picric acid Charges
them with maintaining this Common
nuisance since September 1, last. de-
claring that the picric acid Is
dangerous. ignitable and explosive
substance.
The assistant prosecutor declares
that the 1917 statutes are being
violated in thai the magazines are
closer to industries. the settled sec
tions, highways and railroads than
permitted by law. The danger
would be lessened. Toolan said. If
the picric acid were properly moist
ened but the state will show -hat
some of the substance contains no
moisture while the highest psrcen-
tage of moisture found In any Of the
picric acid in tests made by the
state was seven per cent. The law
calls for this violent explosive being
ten per cent noise, the prosecutinE
attorney said, in order to diminish
the danger.
The state also charges that the
grounds surrounding the magazines
are not properly cared for In thar
high meadow grass is permitted to
grow with the result that frequently
meadow grass fires threaten the
contents Of the magazines. On oae
occasion. Toolan said. q fire worked
its way TO within four feet of one Of
the magazines before 1t was check
ed. Another danger to the masa-
zines Is from hunters who shoot en
the meadows, the state points out
The magazines are not properly
protected by lightning arresters. the
state also charges. In some cases.
Toolan said. the picric acid contain
ers have broken open and the con-
tents. acting on the barrel hoops.
has formed picrate which is even
more dangerous than the picric acid.
In closing his charge to the jury the
assistant prosecutor pointed out that
the property on which the maEa>.
zines are located adjoins Rar1tan
Arsenal. the thickly settled district
of Bonhamtown, the Nixon Nitration
plant and is directly across the river
from the Sayre & Fisher brick
works.
George Roeder, who conducted an
investigation of conditions for thu
freeholders, is in court with a mass
of data ready to testify as is DR..
Martin S. Szamaltowski, the states
expert on explosives. and Fred r.
Rearwin, OF the State Department
of Labor.
The first witness called was Otto
r. Voelker, civil engineer, who
made q survey of the Meadow and
testified as to the distance betH6G1
the magazines.
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