Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-01-12
Particulars Of the Great Dynamite
Explosion.

Explosion.
| The following particulars respecting the
| dynamite explosion at Bremerhaven are
| from the Ueiser Ze.tung:
| 1t appears that just before the Mosel was
/ about to sail cart containing four cases
! and barrel was being unloaded for ship
| ment suddenly terrible explosion oc-
| Cured. The effect was horrible. The quay
was then thronged with people-partly be-
| longing to the steamer, partly spectators,
and partly passengers who had remained
| there To take last farewell Of their friends.
| An eyewitness who stood under the gang
way of the Mosel, on hearing the terrific re-
| port, saw u number Of black Jumps lying
about in the air, whilst very few OF the per-
! sons on land remained visible. Apprehend-
| ing boiler-explosion he threw himself fiat
| on deck, when he received yolley OF sand,
broken glass, fragments of flesh, bones, etc.
| The devastation on board the Mosel
was terrific. No skylight was left;
the cabins aft, starboard and port were
either crushed in or bulged out by
the pressure or altogether smashed;
the side plates of the ship were burst; the
ports with their glasses and rivets forced
! inward, and the whole ship was besmeared
with blood and stuck over with pieces OF
flesh and other human debris. In the hold
| and all parts OF the ship were found arms,
legs and other portions OF the human frame;
mus the lower DDlu TttciNcu splhc iiihps
through the open hatehways. The sides OF
the natchways were burst by the pressure,
and the front of the navigation cabin on
deck stove in. The whole ship was Uttered
with glass shreds, which even filled the dishes
from the steam kitchen as they were being
served to the tween deck or steerage pas
sepgcrs. The tug got off comparatively I'M
hurt, being so much more below the quay
line than the Mosel; still, the whole of its
deck was destroyed. The crew came off with
mere fright, only the engineers and
stokers having been hurt slightly. On
land, where the packages had been
unloaded, a hole had been produced
six or seven feet deep. The whole
place was strewn with limbs, shreds
OF dress, etc. In large reeking pools Of
blood you might see here an arm, there y
calf, ntestnes, mutilated busts, etc.
Amongst the most horrible details Of this
calamity Is the fate OF the Elmer family,
who were seeing off one OF their sons to Cal
ifornia. The father. mother, son and son-in-
law are dead, all four; the daughter-in law
has had her arm, and her child its hand,
blown off. The case which exploded had
been in the care Of the carrier Westermann,
of Bremerhaven, and was accompanied on
its way to the steamer by Mr.. Tum!c rdc,
Of whom 1t is said all trace has been lost.
The cart has been shattered into thousands
Of splnters, and the poor horse has
hoofs. The authorship OF the terrible
catastrophe is now traced to w.
X Thomas, passenger Of the Mo-
sell Thomas has acknowledged that he was
the owner Of the barrel which exploded, and
that he intended to take this barrel on board
the vessel for the purpose OF sinking her.
The motive Of this diabolcal wickedness APP
pears To have been the hope f gaining
large sum by means Of exaggerated and tictl-
tiou, assurances, and the sum thus obtained
was to have been shared with others, He is
perfectly conscious and answers all ques-
lions put to him. He Is in the same room
with many Of his victims. According to in
formation at present In possession OF the
police, Thomas had prepared only one bar
rel for the carrying out OF his horrid work,
although a report had spread in Bremen
haven that u number Of machines had
been put on board the Mosel. This
barrel was made for Thomas by the
master cooper Delvendhal. II was made
of strong material and WAS divided by
means of partition In the middle, through
which there was a hole. In one division 1t
is assumed that he had placed the igniting
apparatus, and the other was filled with
dynamite. He accompanied the barrel when
il was taken to the depot Of the North Ger
man Lloyd Company, and told the porters 1t
should be handled with care 1t is supposed
that his plan was To effect the ignition by
means of clock-work apparatus, which in
all probability was To be set In motion when
he arrived at southampton, TO which place
only n mad booked. 1t appears that he in
tended Ia sail with the Inflated Deutschland,
hut the apparatus for cilecting the ignition
was not completed in time. The number of
| the victim is constantly being increased.
According to authentic information the list
Of dead and wounded amounts to $50 per
| sons
| The scene ut the hospital dead-house was
| tilated remains filled large basket which
| four strong men could hardly carry. There
| were also q number Of heads which from
| time To time were inspected by people look
| ing for friends or relatives About thirty
| wounded persons We're in the hospital; many
| Others were in private houses. Nearly every
family in the little town has suffered Sc
YCrely.