Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1876-01-20
THE DYNAHIIrE PLOT.
scenes at Bremerhaven After the Ex-
p1OSiOn.
From the London Standard.

From the London Standard.
The following particulars respecting
the dynamite explosion at Bremerhaven
are from the TVetSer Zeitu15g. It appears
that just before the Mosel was about to
sail a cart, containing four cases and a
barrel, was being unlOaded for shipment.
Suddenly terrible explosion occurred
The effect was horrible. The quay was
then thronged with people partly belong
ing to the steamer, partly spectators, and
partly passengers who had remained there
to take a last farewell of the friends. An
eyewitness, who stood under the gang
way of the Mosel, on hearing the terrific
report, saw a number of black humps fiy-
ing about in the air, while very few of
the persons remained visible. Apprehend-
ing boiler explosion he threw himself
fiat on the deck, where he received vol
ley of sand, broken glass, fragments of
flesh, bones, etc. The devastation on
board the Mosel was terrific. No sky
light was left; the cabins aft, star-board
and port, were either crushed in or bulg-
ed 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 flesh and other human debris.
In the hold and in all parts of the ship
| of the human frame; thus the lower hold
received some limbs through the open
hatchWays. The sides of the hatchway
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 filed the dishes from
| the steam kitchen as they were being
served to the tween deck or storage pas
sengers. The tug got off comparatively
unhurt, 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 the land, where the package had been
unloaded, "a hole had been produced from
six to seven feet deep. The whole place
was strewn with limbs, shreds of dress,
etc. In large reeking pools of blood you
might have seen here an arm, there a calf,
intestines, mutilated busts, etc. Among
| the most horrible details of this calamity
| is the fate of the Elmer family who were
seeing off one of their sons to California.
| 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 Wester-
man, of Bremerhaven, and was accompan-
| led on its way to the steamer by Mr.
Tumforde, of whom, it is said all trace
has been lost. The cart has been shatter-
ed into thousands of sp1inters, and the
poor horse has had his four feet blown of
near the hOofs. The authorship of the
terrible catastrophe is now traced to w,
X. Thomas, passengers of the MOsel.-
| 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 sink
ing her. The motive of the dibolical
wickedness appears to have been the hope
of gaining large sum by means of eXag-
gerated and fictitious insurances, and the
sum thus obtained was to have been shar-
ed with others. He is perfectly conscious
and answers all questions put to him. He
is in the same room with many of his vic
Tins. According to information at pres
ent in possession of the policy, Thoma!
had prepared only one barrel for the car
rying out his horrible work, altho' re
port had spread in Bremenhaven that
number of machines had been put OF
board the Mosel. This barrel was mad
for Thomas by the master cooper Itwa
made of strong material, and was divides
by means of partition in the middle
through which there was a hole. In on
: division it is assumed that he had placet
the igniting apparatus, and the other wa
filled with dynamite. He accompanie
the barrel when it was taken to the depo
: of the North German Lloyd Company, an
told the parties it should be handled wit
care. 1t was supposed that his plan wa
z to effect the ignition by means of clock
t work apparatus, which in all probabilit
was to have been set in motion when the
I arrived in Southampton, to which plac
? only he had been booked. 1t appears h
intended to sail with the illfated Deutsch
land, but the apparatus for effecting th
ignition was not completed in time. TIL
number of victims is constantly being in
creased. According to authentic informa
ton, the list of dead and wounded amount
to 40 persons. The scene at the hospita
dead-house was of the most narrowing
: character. The mutilated remains file
large basket which four strong me-
D could hardly carry. There were also
number of heads, which, from time t
time, were inspected by people lool1in
for friends or relatives. About thirt
wounded persons were in the hospital
many others were in private houses
e Nearly every family in the little town ha
suffered severely.