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Show SH IEPRK National' Storage Company Com-pany Plant at Black Tom Island and Several Sever-al Barge3 Blown Up; 33 Jersey City Firemen Fire-men Reported Killed. EXACT LOSS OF LIFE UNKNOWN Catastrophe Started by Explosion on a Lehigh Valley Train; Munitions Muni-tions of All Kinds Go Up in Smoke ; Oil Tankers Set on Fire. Ey International News Service. NEW YORK, July 30. Jersey City hospitals report that 12-5 injured in-jured already have been brought in. The number of dead is not yet known. No one on Black Tom island is believed to have escaped. NEW YORK, July 30. Thirty-three Jersey City firemen are reported to have been killed early this morning by a terrific explosion in the plant of the National Storage company, on Black Tom island, near Communipaw, X J., where they had gone to fight a fire resulting re-sulting from a terrific explosion just thirty minutes earlier. In the storage company plant are said to have been enormous quantities of ammunition consigned to the entente allies. The entire plant is reported to have been wrecked. The entire island appeared at 3:30 o'clock to be covered with a sheet of flame. Access to it is gained from the mainland by a bridge over which mn tracks of the Central Railroad of New Jersey. Sixty-nine Carloads Blown Up. Sixty-nine carloads of ammunition are said to have been stored on the railroad tracks on the island. All of them are believed to have been blown up. Edmond MaoKenzie, president of the National Storage company, said at his home at Plainfield, N. "J., at 3:30 o'clock this morning that he had just received a telegram informing him that a great fire was raging in the plant o his company following an explosion. The plant of the storage company consists of about twenty-five warehouses ware-houses and three or four covered piers, , one of which is a powder pier, and Mr. MacKenzie explained that there were no combustibles in the warehouses. He expressed the belief from the meager information he had received that the explosion must have been in trains of munitions which had been run to the powder docks, awaiting removal on lightships light-ships anchored in the bay. lie declared the plant was valued at about $7,00u,-000. $7,00u,-000. Explosions at Intervals. Joseph Wilson of the immigration hospital hos-pital at Ellis island reported to police headquarters at 3:40 this morning that two barses loaded with ammunition lying alongside the dock at Ellis Island were ablaze from stem to stern. He said they had drifted down the bay from the direction di-rection of Staten island. Black Tom island Is about a quarter of the way from Ellis island to Staten island. The patients pa-tients in the Ellis island hospital were ordered transferred to another island of the Ellis island group. Explosions on the barges were occurring at frequent Intervals, although none of them was especially severe. The fire boat New York is standing by and efforts are being made to confine the flames to the barges. Spark Starts Catastrophe. The catastrophe was started by an explosion ex-plosion on a Lehigh Valley freight train loaded with ammunition. It is helieved (Continued on Pag Teu,), TERRIFIC EXPlOSi I SHAKES HEW (Continued from Page One.) a car was set on fire by a spark from a locomotive. The blaze spread to a fleet of fourteen lighters loaaed with powder. These were tied up at the piers of the National Storage company and the Lehigh Valley railroad. The first serious explosion that was felt for miles occurred when the lighter was blown up. A n entire family of several persons, it is believed, was aboard this barge. T h e y p ro ba b 1 y were k i i 1 e 1 . The flames quickly spread to another hare ami a second terrific explosion followed. fol-lowed. The fire, now seething from several sev-eral of the barges, swept over the entire en-tire fleet of powder barges. Explosion followed explosion, some of greater and lesser violence. These spread the fire to fleets of various kinds of floats and barges. An extremely heavy explosion sent flaming debris that set fire to two tank steamers filled with oil. These boats were anchored near Bedloe's island (Statue of Liberty island). The entire flame from the oil boat lighted up the bay and the flames could bo seen from many parts of New York and various parts of New Jersey. Little Water Available. Little water could be thrown on the buildings of the National Storage company. com-pany. These were filled with furniture, clothing and valuables of various kinds. It Is believed that they will be completely wiped out. Tanks of the Eagle Oil company are near the National Storage company and are in danger of igniting. Squads of firemen fire-men are at work trying" to prevent the flames from reaching the tanks. Several score of persons at Black Tom, or living in the vicinity, were injured, some seriously. Several were scorched by flames, and the Jersey City hospltaJ and St. Francis hospital were called upon to treat many of the Injured. More than a score had been taken to the hospitals shortly after the explosions occurred. Fire Chief Injured. Among the Injured were Fire Chief Roger Boyle and Battalion Chief Battly. Many other firemen were hurt by falling bricks and timbers and by flames. Men who escaped from the fleet of boats reported that they believed about fifty men, women and children were missing from the lighters and that many probably prob-ably had perished. "We jumped into the water and swam for our lives," said one man. ''We do not believe It was possible for many of the inhabitants of the barges to escape." The heat from the blaze was so Intense In-tense and the danger of further explosions explo-sions so great that the firemen for the most part remained 200 or 300 yards from the fire. The flames spread to buildings adjoining1 adjoin-ing1 the storage company's reservation, and word reached New York police headquarters headquar-ters at 4:16 o'clock this morning that the fire was beyond control. Dynamite was used in an effort to check the spread of the flames. Several buildings build-ings in the path of the fire were blown down, but the fire swept over them and to adjacent houses. Deputy Police Commissioner Lord an- f r:o-ir.ee. 1 sli'rrly a rter 4 o'.'lok that be was arrar.int; to sid a relief boat with 'i'j -tors, uu: ei ana policemen. More than a s -ore of ciuctors and numerous !!'.:rses were S'-nt to tue riat tery. Mr. ' Loiy: said t'.-e relief boat would wait until it-: :n iter wor.i was re-.'Oived from the au-. au-. thoriums in ,!.-iy Cay. t Ar:;i;-.;efr,"n:s have been made at the Fia:ti-ry to revive a larqe number of tm-n. tm-n. i i;: a:: is from KMis island, where the n;am immigrant bi:i!.linc is said to have bevn neve-rely damao-l. although no casualties cas-ualties have been iv ported. At the Eatiery the New York Herald ship news office, riu-nt at the slips, was wrecked by the concussion. Revenue cutters are patrolling the bay signalling all ships to remain away from trie danger zone. No vessels are allowed above Robbhis reef. Police Commissioner Lord has called off all police vacations and has recalled the men who were at summer camps. Relief Measures. Xo word has yet been received as to bow much relief will be needed by the stricken .section. Police are ready to put relief measures into effect immediately. Windows on Manhattan island were broken as far north as Ninety-sixth street, and the district is under strict police po-lice law. No person carrying a parcel is allowed to pass through the police lines. Every precaution 13 being taken to prevent pre-vent looting. The whole Island Is awake and seething seeth-ing with excitement. The densely populated popu-lated East side developed a near-panic which the police had some difficulty in quieting. Many merchants have come to their stores and are standing guard over them with all lights burning. Up to 4:;;n o'clock this morning 300 injured in-jured had been taken to Jersey City hospitals. hos-pitals. Most of them came from the section sec-tion of Jersey Citv nearest Black Tom island and were suffering from glass cuts and shock. The Jersey City firemen who were killed went out in boats after the first explosion. explo-sion. Succeeding explosions killed them. 1 |