Holocaust At U.S. Arsenal Resembles The Western Front.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17915, 3 August 1926, Page 5

Holocaust At U.S. Arsenal Resembles The Western Front.

GIGANTIC EXPLOSIONS SPREAD DEATH AND RUIN FOR MILES. (Special to the “ Star.”) AUCKLAND, August 3. The “ Star's ” San Francisco correspondent writes under date July 14 regarding the wreck of the navy depot at Lake Denmark, which appeared in the cable news published on July 12 and 13.

Further details show that over 3000 people were rendered homeless in the awful explosion that occurred on the right of July 10, when a bolt of lightning caused a series of explosions and wrecked the United States Navy ammunition depot at Lake Denmark, New Jersey. It also destroyed the army arsenal at Piccatinny, nearby. Blown to Atoms. Some of the unfortunate wretches working at the plants were blown to atoms. This has prevented a complete death roll being ascertained. Towns for thirty miles around were rocked and the inhabitants routed from their homes. Scores were injured. The catastrophe happened in the dead of night. Blast followed blast as other magazines blew up and the fire spread. Residents of Dover walked the streets all night, fearing the destruction of the community, already badly shattered. Barrages of Death. Great stores of almost every sort of high explosive and shells were stored in the two army and navy arsenals. The recurrent heavy blasts tore scores of houses within a three mile radius from their foundations, hurled automobiles off the highway and darkened the sky with twin t>arrages of burning debris and smoke. All roads to the reservation were closed, and guards prevented anyone approaching the danger zone. In a word it was the nearest taste America has had to anything resembling the recent world war. «pfficers likening it to that memorable affair. A captain's narrative states that a lightning bolt struck one of the five magazines, each of which contained 2000 pounds of powder, and, immediately after the first explosion. Captain Dowling, the commandant, ordered out his men to fight the fire which followed. Five minutes later they were caught in a second terrific explosion. Blown from Car. ( aptafn Dowling, who was badly injured, gave the following account of the catastrophe:—"l was in my quarters when the fire alarm rang. Some one had seen a wisp of smoke curling from the roof of one of the magazines. I jumped into an automobile and drove directly to the magazine from which the smoke was issuing. The magazine was filled with T.N.T. depth bombs. When I was within two or three hundred feet of it there came a terrific explosion, which hurled me out of my car. The exploding T.N.T. set fire to

another magazine which set fire to one containing smokeless powder. When this exploded it set off some high explosive shells and when these began to let go it meant the demolishing of practically every building in the reservation. There was nothing we could do to fight the fire and could only run before it. ’’ Swept by Fire. The marine barracks near the concrete munitions house was swept by the fire, and of IQO men who were inside the barracks only thirty were accounted for. All the available ambulances within a radius of twenty-five miles were rushed to the scene and like so many ambulances from the. battlefield in Franee rolled back to the hospitals •and temporary morgues, filled with dead and wounded. When the fire apparatus arrived from the surrounding towns the fire fighters were helpless as they could not safely get the apparatus within a mile of the scene. Sixteen inch high explosive shells were showered about in an intermittent roar like packets of Gigantuan fire crackers. Major Ramsey, U.S. Army, was seriously injured by shell fragments as he helped to lead his men from the army barracks. FI is home .half a mile away, was blown to bits, and practically every building within the three mile radius was damaged. The dara* age to the naval arsenal and adjoining Piccatinny arsenal on the army reservation was subsequently estimated by army and navy officers to exceed 100.000.000 dollars. The stores of ammunition at the naval depot were valued at 87.000.000 dollars. Like the Western Front. In addition to the heavy damage to the buildings the refugees from the surrounding towns and villages were cared for by the Red Cross, Salvation Army and other relief organisations. The explosions continued for twentyfour hours after the initial explosion. Desultory discharges of the ammunition supplies shattered the smouldering debris of 200 demolished buildings within the reservation limits. A change of wind had removed, temporarily, the danger which throughout the night had threatened the adjacent army arsenal at Piccatinny. Two hundred marines were posted to guard the devastated area and navy pickets had to be requisitioned to keep away the throngs of curious people who might have been injured in some belated explosion. Brigadier General Crum said, “ Well boys, you’ll find it just like the Western front. ”