NINE JAPS HELD IN BLAST PROBE

Pending an Army investigation of an explosion and fire on railroad property near Port Townsend Saturday night, Army officials ordered removal of nine arrested Japanese members of a section crew to the Immigration Service detention headquarters in Seattle, the Associated Press reported today.

The blast destroyed a railroad speeder, a tool shed and two old coaches belonging to the Port Townsend Southern Railroad.

The laborers were arrested by Army sentries and taken to the Jefferson County Jail for removal to Seattle. They are held without charge.

Railroad officials, who said no estimate has been made of damage, reported the fire broke out after the crew had been summoned for a repair job on the isolated Olympic Peninsula Railroad. This line, which runs from Port Angeles to Port Townsend and other points on the Olympic Peninsula, is connected to other railroads only by ferry connections with Seattle.

Army guards were on patrol in the vicinity when the speeder being taken from the shed, burst into flames. Along with the shed, several barrels of oil ignited and a number of stocks of dynamite exploded.

The Japanese were listed by Jefferson County officers as Kanshicki Kanno, Jinhichi Kurisu, Ichitaro Taniwa, Yuki Matsucka, Kanzo Nakamura, Tadao Kawahara, Natsunki Kushima, Tome Haraguchi and T. Nakano, foreman.