Perth Amboy Evening News

Death List Has Reached Five in So. Amboy Fire

Two more of the men burned on the main highway leading to South Amboy on Thursday night, as a result of the smokeless powder fire on the Pennsylvania railroad property, died last evening, increasing the death total to five. One man died almost instantly from burns received and two others died early yesterday morning.

The list of dead:
Peter Marion Helies, thirty-one, 1066 Mary street, Elizabeth. Burned to death.
James Gillen, seventeen, 243 McWater street, Newark. Died from burns yesterday morning.
William Gillen, eighteen, 243 McWarter street, Newark. Also died yesterday morning from burns.
Horace Kemerer, nineteen, 94 Pearl place, Perth Amboy. Passed away at the South Amboy hospital last evening, from burns all over the body.
William French, twenty, 26 Gotham street, Newark. Died at the local hospital last evening from burns received.

There are three men still confined in the South Amboy hospital suffering from burns. Thomas Kennedy, fifty, 256 David street South Amboy, the conductor of the train which pulled up from the dock following the start of the fire, and was left on the bridge above the state highway, is said to be in a critical condition. Charles Zanzi, fifty-four, 234 First street, Elizabeth, and Frank Wallace, twenty-four, 27 Washington street, New York City, are the two other men still confined at the hospital. Their condition was reported as being fairly good this morning.

The five dead received their burns when the last of the three box cars which had been taken from the dock burst open and the burning door and boxes containing the smokeless powder came down upon automobiles parked near or passing under the railroad's overhead bridge. Most of the persons taken to the hospital and those attended at the scene were burned at this place.

Jury Investigates
As a result of the efforts of Assemblyman Harold G. Hoffman, of South Amboy, a member of the present grand jury, the prosecutor's office will place this matter before the September term jury at its initial session on September 18. It was originally planned to have the present body consider the case before retirement on September 17, but inasmuch as several of the witnesses are still in the hospital there will not be time to make a proper investigation. The prosecutor's office started its investigation yesterday.

Prosecutor's Office Gets Statements
County Detective William Fitzpatrick of the prosecutor's office spent the better part of yesterday at South Amboy and obtained a number of statements. An effort is being made to learn just who gave the signal to Engineer Hartshorn to move the train from the docks. It is understood there was no crew on the train.