Wilkes-Barre Sunday Independent

              'WHOLESALjfARRESTS OF AUTOISTS UNDER NEW LAW
Wyoming Valley's
Great
Home Paper
SUNDAY INDEPENDENT
LEASED WIRE TELEGRAPH REPORT TO 3 A. M. SUNDAY
THE WEATHER
¦Washlnrton, March 1.—Baatarn Penna: Fair .Sunday and Monday; rlflng temperature Mondny.
FORTY-TWO PAGES
Entered   at   'Wilkes-Barre.    Va., as   Second   Cla.s.s   Mail   Matter.
WILKES-BARRE, PA., SUNDAY, MARCH 2,1924
Th»   Only    Sunday   New.spaper Covering   the   Wyoming   Valley
PRICE EIGHT CENTS
35 DEAD IN HORROR THAT WRECKS ENTIRE PLANT; BODIES OF TWELVE VANISH WITH MIGHTY BLASTS
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LOW TAX TO MEET A FIGHT
LonQwoati'--J-" Compcomise Goes Before Senate Where Hostile Action Is Awaiting
FIGURES ARE GIVEN
Married And Salaried Men Would Get The Benefit Of The Reductions Offered
RETROACTIVE CLAUSES
Washinslon, March 1. "S-ii ¦ ''«» "' the I.<onsr^orth compromise tax bl'.l Bald tonlKlit It gives the "little fellow" the beneflt.s ot tax reduction.
This is the blK argument they will uso for It in thc Senate, whcro It faces a ho.stilo group determined to re-write it.
Tho bill's supporters cited flgures on the savings it will bring to taxpayers. A married man with no dopendent.s who ha.s a total Income of »4.000 will save $30 a year under the bill. He is ! Jiaying $00 a year. This Is computed on the basis ot i per cent on a tax¬ able income ot »1,B0fl Bfter his II.SOO exemption Is sulitraetf .1. The pro- pose'i rate i.s 2 per tent on t.i.xablc in¬ comes  not in excess ot $1,000.
This man'.s nelghboiH with total In¬ comes of »r>,000 and $0,000 would fare Just as well under the new bill. Their taxes would drop from $100 to $50 and from $1U0 to $80, respectively.
The $7,000 man would get a reduc¬ tion from $^50 to $130 or $120. His exemption wouWl l>o only $2,000. He woulil pay 2 )ier cent, on the $4,000 ct hi.s taxable incom.^ and tlve per cent on  liie last $1,000.
The $8,000 man, with the same ex¬ emptions and tho same rates, would gel a cut from $310 to $1.S0. On $;i.000 tho reduction would be $200, droppiiiK from $i:to to $230 and on llo.ooo the tut would be from $ri20 to $3S0 o.' $110.
Thon it the 25 poi' cent flat reduc¬ tion on personal income Koes throuK'ii the Henate, lui all party leaders expect. Irrespective ot furtlier chaiiHOS that niiijlit bo mado in tho bill, the.se neislibora would get a further reduc¬ tion.
If tho neighbor with a $7,000 a year income paid his cnliio $400 tax on March 15. he would get $100 back from the Tiaisuiy Dopartincut when¬ ever thc law went into iffrit. If hc paid his quaiteily installment of $100 on .March 15 anfl the law went into effect bifoie Junu 15 he only would havo to pay $50 at that time and only $75 each on thc next two payments, Sept.  15 ond December 15.
Or, if tlu! law falls to become rffec- titivo until Sept. 15, hc would have only $25 to jiay at Uiat time and $75 on I>cccmbcr 16.
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CRIME WAVE SWEEPS ACROSS PHILADELPHIA
Ten Raids Made By State Police
Tederal prohibition enforcement ofUcers and Stato polico yesterdny switched their activity to Hazleton, and vicinity where they made ten raids. Moonshine, whiskey, gin, wine and coloring extract in v.'irious quantities were confiscated l»y the raiders who immediately ar- raiigc'l for warrants. .-Xmong the pliices raided were the c.stablish- ¦ ncnts of the toWowing: Tony Si'alton, n Kast Diamond stroet. Hazleton: Mrs. Clara li^ai-mer, 515 North Hroad tti-c', Ha.zleton; Si- ;.rt.i.ij Tu, li, ?;¦?- -^toi.th Uidge street, Freeland, and Jo.seph Iiay noeck, Trescow, Carbon county, rhese places were entered by .a sfpiad of State polico accompiLnled by Kederai .^gcnl James H.ichman. Six other r.alds were mado by a detail trom tho Hazleton depot ot the Ktate police. I'rior to invad¬ ing Hazleton, the enforcers hail spent several days seizing liquor In thla city, Nanticoke, Avoca and other nearby towns.
REFORM AT FAULT
FAILS TO PROCEED
Judge Fuller Indicates a Lack Of Patriotism On Part Of "Best" Citizens
riiitadulnhla, March 1.—A crime wave unparalleled since lieneral Dul¬ ler iussumed thc role of Ulrector of rublic Saf.ty here swept over i'hila¬ delphia   today.
Ay a result tho streets tonight arc flooded wilh patrolmen in an effort to .stop thc deluge of shootings nnd 1 oblKiiics. They aio«on 12 liour .shifts in place of thc usual eight hours, thc lli-st time sinco 1012.
Tho Director Is pcr.sonally leading his men in the campaign against rob¬ bers and gunmen. He is touring the city, visiting every district to .see how his men are distributed, and he has declared thero will be no Intcrmi.'^.sion In the department's aotlvltles until the wave of shootings has been al>atcd.
Six gun battles between pollie and Imndits and a murder today kept pa¬ trolmen on the run. Kevolver duels havo tuken place in almost every por¬ tion ot the city tuid tonight police nre preiMired for tho expected week end Incrcuse in tho actlvilics of thc ban¬ dits.
Kach patrolman ha.s been armed and they work under orders from liut¬ ler to "shoot to kill."
Twenty-one men have been aricsted In a sensational raid on the Carnation Kepublican Club. They an! charged with betting on thc ponies. Police bor¬ rowed lire ladders to gain entrance to the building and smashed in the win¬ dows. A wild scramble resulted, to get away from the r.icing charts, hut police blocked all exitflk
CASES THROWN OUT
FIRST DAY'S CRUSADE REACHES 116 VICTIMS
One hundred sixteen arrests were made yesterday by state police in the first twelve hours of enforcement of the state law requiring all drivres of motor vehicles to have their owner or operator licenses by .March 1. Only two members of the Pennsylvania Highway Patrol were engaged in the work but the dragnet prepared by them caught enough un¬ prepared drivers to cause an avalanche of warrants. The crusade will be continued today.
The scores of nrrc-its were tnade by Troopers Ritts and Fcdor, recently assigned to the Wyoming Barracks. Ritts took up a position on the Wilkes-Barre-Pittston road. By night¬ fall he had the names of eighty operators not possessed of the necessary license. Ritts worked in the vicinity of Mid¬ vale. Fedor was stationed on Wyoming avenue, between Forly Fort and Wyoming. He detected thirty-six drivers minus the 1924 card.
steps were immediately taken to start prosecutions. Alderman George Yencha of this city was furnished with fifteen names of drivers for whom warrants are to be issued at once. Hearings will take place within the next few days. The remainder of the list of defendants will be called later in the week.
While state police declared^hemsehes helpless to cxon- orate drivers who have applied for permits but whose names have not been reached at Harrlsburg, various claims were heard last night that another period of grace should be al¬ lowed machine owners. Back of this plea is the fact that drivers' applications are piling into Harrlsburg at the rate of 50,000 per day. The Highway Department, however, is not able to handle more than 15,000 each day, and declares the drivers themselves are at fault because they have had since last November to apply for license. Most ot them waited until the time limit had almost expired.
Head Is Cut Off By A Coal Train
struck by a coal train while on his way home from work at Judge's wa.shery. altoiit 6 o'clock last even¬ ing, John Davis, nged 23, of Win¬ ton. was InstauUy killed when his lirad was severed from his shoul¬ ilers by the wheels of tho tniin. The accident oicurred at Jessup on the Winton brancli of tho D. I... & W. riaihoad. Tlie viclim ot the .ii'idont Ik survived by hl.s parents, two brolb'-rs and two si.'^ters.
SQUARE MILE OF FLAMES FOLLOWS LEVELING BLOWS A T BIG REDUCTION WORKS
CITY POLICE RAID NETS 14 ARRESTS
Gambling And Disorderly House Alleged Against Sev¬ eral Held For Hearings
SECURITY IS POSTED
Eye Witnesses Relate Stories; Bodies Hurled Tivo Full Blocks; Phone Girl Dies To Save Others
Lessons in the kind of reform that Is preached but rarely pructlc«'l were found by Judge Fuller In the refusal ot the March Grand Jury to return Indictments ot defendants against whom were biought charges of gamb¬ ling and prohibition violations. A/i- drcssing the jurors yesterday, on the occasion ot their flnal rei>ort for the week, Judgo Fuller made note ot the fact that they had retused to return truo bills ngainst alleged violators, but ho tempered critici.sm with tho stato¬ ment that .HO many statutes govern the citizenry at thc piesent time that it Is difflcult for tho average person to go through a day's routine withoul l>et:omlng a breaker ot at least one ot the va.st multiplicity ot laws.
"Vou piobably have given suflicient indictments to keep tho Courts busy," he added.
One ot the Grand Jurors explained Ihe ignoring ot In/llctments. "There was not enough evidence to olitain convictions when thc cases would come for trial," hc said. "It is our duty lo throw out charges that lack eviilence. H>' so iloing we relieve the courts ot unnecessary work and .save thou.sands ot dollars of cxpenso to thc taxpayers."
District Attorney Arthur H. James made no comment on the jury deci¬ sions. However, Sheriff Ilemmel l,a- llar declared his disappointment along with a statement of dclorinlnation to continue a crusado again.st g.imbllng, e.'Tieci.illy slot machine gambling, which hc mentioncvl as a menace to thc young men of the county. Kefnrmerti .Shirk  Uuly
Judge I'lilli'i'. aflrr conimcntiiig on lho va-st quantity of laws regulating piM-sonal coiiiliict, also look up thc shirking of duty by well meaning per¬ sons and uplift organlzation.s. He re¬ called that citizens ot inire motives are thc very ours advei-se to Hccei>t- Ing .service as jurors. Observer* of court routine reincml)cre<l that a clergyman had been drawn for the gnind Jury and had asked to lie ex¬ cu.sed. Tliere was no Intenlion on ills part to scold, the Judge explained. His younger experiences had iK'cu marked by .scolding, he remembered, and he supposed he will go back to scolding when he ndds more yeurs to his life's Aareer. For the present, hc thought, the consciousness of having sliirUed duty would be the ouly piin- ish:iiiiil of those who had refused in¬ dictments ir evidence suflicient to ob¬ tain  thim  had been  presented.
The liquor law violation charges ignoied were agaiiust Wiilia'ni Jefi'ivy, .Aiihtony ISacak, William Ziikoski and John Kunigoni.i, of 1'lymouth. The charges of keeping gaming houses Ignored were aguinst Ilavld Jone.s, of 36 Ka.st Main .street, I'lymoutli, who was charged with permitting the playing of poker and other card games for money In his place, nnd against William Jeffrey, of 54 .Main street, I'lymouth, who was chargeil wiht Iiaving u slot machine in his place of business.
With but a few exceptions all of the ignored liquor law violations were brouglit by the Stute police, while Sheilff I.eHar and County Detei^tive Allardyce appeared as the prosecutors uiralnst the proprietors of stores from
Motor Bandits Make Third Haul Alony Road Near Hunlock Creek; Use Red Flag To Hault Victim
Made bolder by the apparent ca.se with which they eluded poilce and de¬ tectives after staging two hold-ups netting $1530 at Mocanaqua, armed motor bandits yesterday aflernoon staged il d.Tylight robbery when they held up Fiiink Strzaiku, an under¬ taker ot 452 West Main street, Glan I.yon, iind escaped with $127 In cash. The latest robbery wa-s engineered by tour men, only ono ot whom was iirmcd. They fled from the scene in an automobile.
Thc holdup yestenlay was oi,e of the most during yet attributed to the Mociinaqua Ittndits In the three day.s they have been operating, according to the story told la.st rilghl by Strzalka The Glen Dyon undertaker, unaccom¬ panied, wa.s driving north between Shickshinny and Hunlock Creek shortly before 2 o'clock. As he np- proiiched a point on the road where one of the county stone crushers was parked, he noticed tvvo men standing in tho road. One of them waved a red  flag.
Believing the danger signal meant an uns.ife road, Strzalka stopped his Ciir. Immediately two more men diirted from behind the stone crusher. Both had handkerchiefs over their faces. One ot them flourished n gun. When Strzalka made no move to haml over his money, one ot tho biindiis opened the door ot the miichiuc iiiid went through his rackets. The scaic-li of the victim netted the robbers $127. .Vfter getting the ca.sh, the four men got Into an automobile .standing along the   roiid   and  disappeared.
Slrz.ilka reported his lo.ss to the State I'olice at Wyoming. Tlie robbery wius thc third since Thur.sday night. In their first appoanince at that time the bandits made two big haul.s at Moca¬ naqua. They held up the .store of Cappelinl and Corella and after lining up proprietors iind customers, Ihey escaped with more than $1,000 In cash and valuables. .\ short timo later Jamea Zaziillone, treasurer of a Moc¬ anaqua mine lotiil, Wiis robbed nf $530 iu cash belonging to thc tjniteil .Mine Workers.   There have iH'cn no arrests.
CHICKEN COOP FIRED
BY MIDNIGHT THIEVES
Chicken thieves who were after the prize poultry of Jo.seph Ol.soskI, resid¬ ing at 31 North Kmpiro street, nre blamed tor a flre there early this morning. Ol.so.ski's chicken cooii was discovered In flames at 1:45 o'clock. The glare of the flro led to reports thiit the neighborhood wa.s in danger of a contliigration hut flremen directcl by AssLstont Chief Thomas Flannery extinguished the flames In a short time.
where the slot machines were tuken. True  Hills  Itelumed
The true bills returned are as fol¬ lows;
Felonious wounding—Teresa Lanre- cellii, J I'., Teresa Ixanrecella, Sr., pros.
Aggravated lus.sault and biittery- Adolph Hosraovitch, Julia Komenot- skl, pro.s.
Teijury — Walter Kochanowski, I.eon Zlelar.ko, pros.
Fraudulent conversion —Karl Rogow- ski. Charles Ku.sprik, pros; Karl Rog- owski, Nicholius Chopey. pros.; Karl Rogowski. I.ea K. Kyan.ski, pros.
Conspiracy - Aiex Kozuchow.ski and   FiglewsUi,     Wilclla     Mateuzozyk,
p.fOS.
Receiving — Karl Rogowskl, Churles Kasprik, pros.
.\boitlon -^- Dr. C. K, Hichard.s, Jo¬ seph Shupnlck, pro.s.
Adultery—Frank Rltter, alias Ro.s.s John Ilai-tu.szewicz, prus.; Mary Rar- tuszewicz, John Ikutuszewicz, pros.; Henry C. Curran. Richard I'owell, pros.
F. aud B.—Andrew Brown, Martha I'arry.   pros.
Keeping a bawdy house—Suaan Snee, Michael Brown, pras.
Defrauding Imarrting house—Joseph Remus, Itarbura Gretski, pros.; Wal- tei (Jrillick, Barney Malaburda, pros.; A. I'. .M£.\ander, U. P. O'Neal, prus.
TWO MEN ARRESTED
ON SUSPICION CALL
Karly this morning city detectives Higgiu.s. Nolan nnd Brown arrested James .Murphy, aged 24, of I'aik ave¬ nue, and John .yie.Manu.s, nged 35 ot 215 South Main street, on Kast North¬ ampton street, and took them to police stiition for an Invcstlgiition. A Nas-h touring car owned by Murphy is al.so being held nt polico headquarter.s.
Acionling to tho iHilice .shortly be¬ fore midnight, headquarters received il call that three men were suspicious¬ ly invesllguting around a wholcsii).' wiireliou.se on Ka.st Northiimplon street and that they had allghled from ;i Nash touring Ciir and left the en¬ gine running. The police liurrledly lesponded to tbe call bul were only able to flnd two men. When the men and the automobile wero taken to heiidquarters a loaded revolver was found under the front seat of thc machine.
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SAVES TWO CHILDREN; LOSES HER OWN LIFE
In a series of r.ilds liist night, city detertivcs arrested fourteen men on gambling and disorderly house charges and conflseiiti d evidence to l« pre- .sented iit hearings in police court this morning. With the exception of three, Ihe men were reloiised In security to iippciir tills  morning.
Following complaints from residents in the vicinity of North Main nnd .Miiplc streets, cily detectives Olds, Ko- li.s, Nolan and Higgins lost night at 0:30 iiriestcd four young men who il is -said wcic throwing dice on the side¬ walk in front of tho motion picture houso opposite No. 5 engine house. They gave tho following names: John Comer, nged 18, ot 5 Ifi North Main street; John Kiinc, aged IC, of 598 .North Wiushlngton .street; Hiirry .Miller, ageil 17, ot 6S Linden streot; Edgar Stubblns, aged 1!), of 30 Hutler street; and .Moysius lloliicheck, nged 16, of 53 eWst Chesluut .street. At 10:30 last night, detectives raided the cstiiblishmeiit of Irvin Rein, aged 24, at 226 Kiisl Miirliet .street and ar¬ rested u number ot men playing cards. Mr. Riin iiosted $50 security for this morning's heiiring. Tho following men were rcleiisid In $10 security; Hiirry Lewis, .Martin Dniniin, Lewis Comtclt, Joseph Smith, John Jone.s, John  Smith  and  Diivid   Zatcoff.
Al midnight the deloctivea visited the cstablishmeiil ot .Ad;im Kovalski, aged 39, at 65 Wcsl Hollenlxick avenue and iirrested iMr. Koviilski on ii war- riiiit ehiiCKing niiiinlruiince ot ii dis¬ orderly house. A kettle of liquor was conti.scated. Mr. Kovalski iiostcd $!(U .security for a hearing.
PRESIDENT TO NAME
SUCCESSOR OF DENBY
Wiisliiiigtnn. March 1.—rrcsident Cooiidge will iiunounce ICdwIn Denby'.s succes.sor as Secretary of the Navy next week, it WiUs learned at the White House toiiiKlil. Hc lliis naritiweU tho fleld of candidiites to two or three names und expect.s, within ii dny or tv.o, to consult the man he wants for the  place.
Denby retires March 10. He re¬ signed utter the Senalo had demanded he gel out bec.iu.M: of his coiincition with the leiisiug of the naval oil re- Her\es to Sinclaid and Doheny..
Mr. Cooiidge has not given even his closest udvi.seiK a hint of tho identity ot Denby's successor. In fact hc hius .stated publicly hc has not definitely mado a cholco.
Nixon, N. J., March 1.—Kleven flfteen a. m., a brlg-bt, springlike sun sh'ning down on tho busy Industrial plants at Nlxnn, N. J.
Machinery hunfaing. smoke stacks lielcliin.g, workers tiustllng nt their tasks. Children pla>ing In the yarils ot cottages.
Work and peace.
Then, at 11:19, a tremendous roar. A building flying In the air, screams of dying  men  nnd  women.    Horror!
More explosions, flre, bulldingB col- Karising,  terror on overy side.
Tho bodies of from 20 to 25 dead.
That Is the wuy eye witnesses to¬ night described the explosions nnd tlie which willed out the plant ot the .\mmonito Compiiny, Inc., In ono ot thn worst Industrial djjjjjjfer.s since Bliiek Tom.
Firemen were still battling the flames tonight, as poilce and offlelaiii ot tho i>lant checked up Ihc list of dead and injured. Reports up to 9 p. m. Indicated that from 25 to 35 were killed and from 40 to 60 Injured.
At  10   p.  m.  tho  bodies  of  nineteen deail had been recovered and ono man j missing   wns   believed   dead.     Tho   list ot Injured In hospitals stood at 48.
It was deflnltely established tonight that the flrat explosion occurred In the ] area of tho Ammonite Company in tanks ot ammonlus nitrate. The flrst explo.slon Wiis In a held near a big brick building, where workmen were separating ammonium nitrate from trl-nitro-loluol. the deadly explo.slvo w'hich, na TNT, became a household world during tho war.
THpnty Uxplo.sions
A series   of   lesser   blasts    followed almo.st  Immediately,   as  the  shock  set j off other chemii^l   ileposits   over   an i area ot 30 acres.     In   all   thero   were 1 moro thiin 20 explosions. I     The  tcrrllc  bliists threw  the  bodies ot  workmen   high    In    the   air,    shat¬ tered  strong  buildings  and  rocked  all i of northern  New   Jersey   and   Staten Island.    Windows were broken  as far aa  15  mile.s away  from  tho  scene  ot thc disiuster.    Thc Impact was felt for 30 miles.
Bo'iiea ot somo of tho dead were hurled  through tho air tor lilocks.
Thc exact Ciiuse ot the explosion hild not been delermiiiisl up to 9 p. m. but police, woiking under Ferdinand David, and ainiy olllcers from thc Riiritiin arseniU nearby, believed the bliusl WHS set ort by somo re-action caused by tho workmen separating the deadly chemicals.
All the workers engaged In tho task wero killed nnd It wa-s believed pos¬ sible thc exact cau.se might never bo known. Tlie entiro plant of tho Nixon Nitrate Work.s, adjoining thiit of the Ammonite Comfiany, Wiis wiped out. A big ma in brick structure and SO smaller buildings collapsed before the fury ot tho explosions.
At flrst it was reported that the disiustcr started In the Nixon Com¬ pany's pliUit ot which Louia J. Nixon, New Vork, former memtier ot the New York Public Service Commission, Is President. Later it was estalillshed tho .\mnionite Company, a .salvage ccmccrn, was the flrst struck. The salvage comi>an.v recently leased its plant from the NI:ion concern to use in recovering ammonium nitrate from condemned   government  explosives.
Some Of Dead Can Never Be Recovered Though Rescu¬ ers Are Quici<ly At Scene
SOLDIERS ON GUARD
Miraculous Escapes Are Made By Several From The Zone Of Great Disaster
NUDE VICTIMS FOUND
A  Million Terrlfled
Nixon, the scene ot the dLsaster, Is one mile south ot Metuchen. on the Riiriton river, in a busy indii.striLii area. Flre departments and ambu- lani-ea from halt a dozen surroundinn towns raced to the scene us news ot the locntion ot tho dl.saater waa broad- cii.st by telephone and radio.
More than a million people In the area around the plant were terrlfled by the terrific blasts which shattered windows for miles around and were telt as tar away as Jersey City and New   York.
Physicians from Perth Amboy, Now Brunswick, Highland Park, Metuchen :ind other cities arrived to care tor the Injured, many ot whom were taken to the oriti^tioBpltiil nrar Riirltan and the St. Peters and .Middle¬ sex general hospitals In New Bruns¬ wick.
Tho body of one man wna thrown more  than  a  block,  while  thc  IxHiics -
of  two   men   and   a   girl   were   found I 11:19 it. m., TOCking all north- 230   feet   .away,    practically   all    their | grn NeW Jersey, clothing stripped  by tho  force  ot the
Nixon,   N. With  a  roar countryside around,   the
J., March 1,— that shook the for 25 miles nitrate of am¬ monia reduction plant of the Nixon Nitration Works blew up liCi'c today, killing at least 30 persons and injuring more than a score seriously.
The explosion   occurred   at
searing exiiiosives. .\n onk tree, a toot nnd n halt thick, was severed by flying debrlB.
It wus thirty minutes before sur¬ rounding towns, rocked by the blast", could n nd out where the disaster had occurred.
The first news waa sent out by tele-
Flames are sllll bunilng over an area ot one square mile tonight, but flremen said the blaze was under con¬ trol and that there was little danger of iidditional explosions ot big deposits of high explosives in tho vicinity.
I'resident Louis Nixon of the Ni¬ tration   l.'umpany  eslimiitcd  the  total
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Cincinnnti, O., March 1.—Mi-s. Sarah Frances Wlikcrson, 61. P.rookflcld, Mo., uas killed today In a heroic effort to save the lives of her two grandchil¬ dren when flre broke out in the home ot her son, Hilton Wilkerson, where she Wius a guest. An overheated stove .set flre to a baby's crib In tbe room where Mrs. Wlikcrson Wiis sitting with her two graniichildren, Dorothy, 8, and  Donald, 7.
Taking one child under each arm, thc grandmother ran down stalr.s lo the llrst flour. At the foot of tbe stairs she colhip.seil. She was removed lo a hospital where she dle.l a tew hours later.
Thc children were Dot Injured,
MANY SKK SI ICIHK
(II    nKSI'ONDKNT  MAN
Chicago, March 1. In full view of scon'S of pcilesi rians, au iinldentifled man delilierately wiilked acioi-^s tho ice and to his ilciilh iu Lake Michigan tixiay. Thc inan, midille ivv,cd, poorly dre.s.sed an apparently despondent, de¬ tached himself from a group ot per¬ sons strolling along the lako front nnd started across the ice. His hands were thrust deep in the pockets of a thrcailliure coat. His head was bent forwiird as though In deep meditation.
Paying no hi'cd to the cries of warning fron the horrifltsl .spectators the man walked on. .\ policeman ran 111 the scene but fciiied to follow us the ice cracked ominously under his weight. The policeman blew his wiiistlo and yelled.
'rhe man rontinued hl.s slow gait to tho end ot the Ice and sank from sight.
phone   linemen   who   rigged   np   fleld ; number   of   dciid   at   not   more   than telephones and notified nearliy  cities.
Radio Was cnlled Into play Immedi¬ ately und b roadcastlng stations sent out the talo of tho explosion and flre to thousands of homes.
Saves   (Hhers;   Dins   Hentelf
One ot the heroines ot the fire was Miss Rulh Rockefeller, telephone op¬ erator In the nuiln building ot the Nixon plant. She stuck to her post plugging out warnings until killed by falling debris. Her homo was In Plscataway,  N. Y.
President NIxon ot the Nitration Compiiny, In a statement tonight, said the explosion resulted trom caro- lessne.sE in handling uminoniuni ni¬ trate. The chemical being handled, Nixon .said, contained aloiit oue per cent, of explosive and exposure to thc air formed nn oxide which in¬ creased   this   iiercentiige.
The men, however, did not know there wa.s any explosive In thc nitrate and   were  careless   in  handling  it.
Edward Smith, sup«rlntoiident of the Ammonito Company, died lonight in Rarltiin Arsenal hospital of Injur¬ ies received In the explosion. He was horribly burned and many Ixjncs were broken.
TIm) danger was not entirely over late tonight as wind fanned the flames In tho direction of several hugo deposits of picric acid, a high explosive ,and small explosiona were caused every now and thon as the flames ate Into bales of celluloid thrown from the wrecked celluloid tactory.
Arsenal flre flghters worked to keep the flre away from the picric acid deposits In two large tank.s, each holding noo,000  pounds.
Several freight cara fliled with tanks ot alcoliol were removed safely from  the flre zou*.
Stato troops arrived tonight and throw military lines around Ihc danger zono.
H.
A. SMITH COMPANY GETSAFINEJ-OCATION
INDUSTRIAL LENDERS
MEET AT SCRANTON
_*_
J«)IIN McGINTV VKKY ILI.
John McCiinly ot Chestnue street. Cicorgetown, is seriously ill at his homo. He was stricken sevenil duys ago iinil since then his condition has licen such aa lo alarm bis family and friends. Mr. McLlinty tlirough lung years of residence in Wilkes-Barre lownship has become one of the com¬ munity's most widly known and ro- iiiicctcd rcuidentik
Tlie H. A. Smith Co., recently formed here, has tak'en a long lease on the building nt 24 South Miiln street, recently purchased by Nute Rosen¬ thal from tho heirs of the late John Ward. Herbert A. Smith, formerly of tho Murray-Smith Co., Is the active bead of the new concern which will open within the next month or so what will be one ot tho flnest n/ldl- tlons to the city's group ot business houses  cjitering  lo   home  lieautifiers.
Twenty-tour    South    Main      Is     a I modern  three-story structuie allowing! nlno thou.sitnd sijuare    feet    ot    floor .space.    The  new  flrm  will occupy oil three flooi-a as well as tho addition In tho  n:ar  which   la  elevator-equipped.
As.sooliited with Mr. Smith in tho H. A. Smith Co. are Con J. Oallagher, former county commi.s.sioner, lsiil)el F. (.iiillagher and Frislerlck R. Smith. All aro prominently known In the Valley's business an/I social Ilte.
Tho sei'vice to be rendered by the H. A, Smith Co. will include home di-corating nnd the sale of rugs, drap¬ eries und other home furnishings, ex¬ cluding furniture. The building will be thoroughly overhauled prior to ita occupancy by tho new flrm.
Reprc:ientatlves of several local con¬ cerna attended tho meeting ot the Pennsylvunia Industrial Lenders Asso¬ ciation which waa held at tho Hotel Casey, Scranton. Walter S. Herron ot I'hiladelphia presided at thc ses¬ sion. Tho principal a/ldress ot the diiy Wius given by Wallace Moser, E.sq,, of Scranlon. The organization ia now in Its ninth year, Its member- ship being exclusively of individual or corporate leiider.s. licensed by Ihe .State Banking iJonimissioner to mako loans from JIO to »300.
Pennsylvania was one of thc first stiites to recognize thc claim ot In¬ dustrial borrowers to credit tree ot ex- torUonate Interest rates und the onact- monl ot thc Uniform Small Loan Law, frameil by the Russel Sage Founda¬ tion on thc flndinga ot a commission ot economists, soclologlata and flnan- ciers, was the practical expresaion ot thia recognition.
The purpose of the organizution is to Insure a strict compliance with the regulative law by its mcml>era, to use every endeavor to rid the small loan field ot unscrupulous lenders and To artord the generiil public the trec«t knowlo'Jge of the buslneas uf indus¬ trial lending.
thirty and .said twenty injured per¬ sons had been taken to hospltaLs. Soldiers trom Camp Raritaji, however, thought thc totiil number of dead may reach a higher H,guro.
A heavy pall of white smoke hung over the .scene of the disaster tonight iia flrenen continued to battle flames iind sciuch the ruins for additional bodies.
The flrst explosion occurred In fhe ammonite plant ot the R. Norrls Shrido Fertilizer Company, one ot a number of plants Includod In the Nix¬ on   .N'it nition   Works group.
The known dead Include Mrs. Ar- thua Duniius, wife ot an employee ot the plant, and her three children; Miss Ruth Rockefeller, a stenogmph- er In the pl.iut. and eighteen work¬ men who were repiiiring the root la which  the bl;ist   occurred.
The Dumas family waa In a cottage IOO yards from the scene of the ex- plasion. Tho house was wrecked. .\rthnr Duma.s. the father, arrived a few minutes after thc catastrophe and waa pro.-Jtrated when he found his homo in ruins.
A  Fearful Itlast
Kmployrs of the plant .siild the ex¬ plosion came from three huge tanks of liquid nitrate of iimnionia which was undergoing chemical reduction. It had l.ieen believed all explosive propcrtle.s had been removed.
Tho plant covers In all about 12 squiire mllea on the Rarlt.in river, about two miles from Metuchen.
Fire departments trom Metuchen, New Brunswick, Perth .\mboy and other cities rushed to tho .scene short¬ ly utter the explosion occurred.
Three .soldiers from the Rarltan Arsenal, John Hart, H. W. Blunrtow and D. Cummln.g.s, were among tiM flrst to reach thc .scene ot tho disiis- ter.
"There was a terrlflc roar," Blundow said. "Tho v. hole building just seemed to go Ull In the air.
"There were a number of small buildings, mostly built ot hollow tile, around the nitrate pliint. They crumpled   up like card  houses."
Charles   Hiittiel..',   a   worker   In   the
vicinity, aLso lushed to the scene after
he hiul recovered from the force ot the
blast.    He said hc saw flve bodies, two
! of Ihem  women.
' "One woman had a pieco of Iron pipe driven through her l>osom," Hat¬ field said.
I'resident Nixon said the only plant damaged was that of tho nitration works. Two other pliinUs, adjoining the  wrecked area,   were  not damiige-l,
"The wrecked plant waa used for manufacture of fertilizer," Nixon said. "Wc took every precaution in view of the (Ungoious naturo ot the chemicals uaod.
"As tar aa I can iietermine, the blO- lual cause ot tho explo.sion Wiis failure to remove certain ingreelients from tanks of liquid nitrate ammonia w« had jnst purcha.scd.
Some lludies Disappear
"We hu.1 l>een assured the chemical was absolutely safe."
"It was like France." said Privato Thomas Hart, one ot the flrst to ar¬ rive at the acene from Cai|,> Rarltan. "There were the mutilated bodies, Ihe smell of explo.slves. the tunglcil ruins, even the slush und mud of northern France."
HertMTt Wlllgose, who Uvea near th« aceno    ot    the    explosion,    found    Ato
Continued  on   Pi<ee  2,   Ucctlon   1