The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1889-09-12
THREE HUNDRED PERISH
a THOUSAND OTHERS MAnIED AND
MUTTLATED.

| ii Dynamite Horror at Antwerp FcxplosIor
! I'm Cartridge Factory Bringing Death
and Devastation to Thousands of Peot Ie,
An Awful Confiagration Results.
An Antwerp dispatch saws: Three hundred
| people were killed and about 900 injured, many
fatally, by the explosion Of q large quantity of
| dynamite in the Carvilain factory. The fac
tory was located immediately adjoining several
large petroleum warehouses, in which were
stored $4,000 barrels Of oil. These warehouses.
Were set on ire, and in less than an
nour an area of about two acres was in
flames, the loss being estimated at many mil
lions The factory was located in the vicinity
OF the Bourse which at the time of the explo-
sion was crowded. Burning fragments of the,
factory were hurled against the Bourse. setting
1t on fire and creating panic among the men,
! bers, several of whom were injured Many per-
sons III and near the building were also badly
wounded
The scenes at the hospitals where the
| wounded have been conveyed were heartrending
Ihe ships at the American docks were saved,
! The wind being favorable. The explosions at
| the burning cartridge factory and the fiying
| shells rendered the work of the firemen and SOL
dlers extremely perilous. The communal coun-
ell recently condemned the factory as danger
Gus, but for some unexplained reason it was.
allowedto continue operations. The victims
are mostly factory girls Windows were shat
tered at points three miles away.
In the principal hospital of the city where
several hundred OF the seriously wounded
women and girls We're taken, the scenes wit
messed were of the most horrible description.
! Every available surgeon in Antwerp has been at
work ever since the wounded began to arrive
and many professional men have gone from
nelghboring cities and towns. The terrible
force Of the explosive which caused such wide
spread devastation was shown by the fact that
| many OF the wounded We're almost stripped of
! clothing Scores were carried into the HOSPITALS
minus arms or legs, probably majority of the
whole number being either wholly or partially
blinded Nearly all We're covered with blood
and even the hospital attendants, accustomed
as Uhey are TO scenes OF suffering, We're, in many
| cases, rendered too nervous and excited by the
horrible appearance of the patients to perform
| their duties satisfactorily.
In the childrens ward of the hospital row
upon row of cots is filed with little sufferers
by the terrible calamity, a great number OF
them having been hurt while playing in the
streets adjoining the factory when the eXplO-
sion occurred Besides these MANY bows and
girls were employed in the place, and nearly
every one of them is now in the hospital. When
the terrible crash came, one seems to know
how, those VINO We're able fed for their lives,
| and in the mad rush many women and children
were knocked down and trampled upon. This
is learned from the survivors.
| When the oil barrels IN the warehouses began
| to explode shipowners became alarmed lest the
oil should flow into the water alongside their
vessels: They at once organized gangs of men
[ TO aid in moving the shipping beyond danger.
In a short time, however, the flames in the OH
warehouses became Of such terrifying extent,
and the smoke so stifingly dense, that the
x,
/ left the docks in fright. This operated to
| cause panic among the sailors, many of
whom Joined in the laborers' fright. To this
| cause is due the fact that a number of
| vessels were burned, the officers and the few
men remaining on board being unable to move
| the ships to places OF safety. The vessels lost
| were all of the smaller class. In the case of
large steamers and sailing vessels the COM
panies offered and paid in advance extravagrnt
sums for help in removing them. 1t was even
found necessary to cali for police aid to prevent
| ccpIo TVhn
there was no immediate danger from the fire.
While the flames were at their height. the
| city authorities received Information that gangs
| OF thieves and hlghwaymen, taking advantage
OF the concentration OF police III the vicinity of
| the great blaze, were overTunning the more
distant portions of the city. a number of peo-
pie We're garroted on the streets, the robbers
also entering many houses and demanding
money and valuables from the inmates, who
were generally women. Large sums We're Sc
| cured in some instances When these facts
were reported, mounted police were dispatched
to The infested places, aud in q short time had
arrested nearly fifty Of the marauders, recover
| ing great deal of plumber.
| The spectacle was awfully superb and there
is nothing in recent history that be COM
pared to it save the scene which Paris presented
during the last days OF the commune and the
great fire i'll Chicago. The fire spread in all
| directions i'll the city. Warehouses in which
from 20,00G to 5000 barrels of petroleum are
stored We're burned as We're several of the YES
| sells III the docks. The oil finally found its way
| down the River Scheldt, which in a short time
looked like a stream of fire.
The whole Of the garrison and large part of
| the male population of the town aided the fire.
men, but their efforts We're simply useless.
The cartridge factory belonged to N. Carvi-
lain, merchant who had recently purchased
100000 old cartridges, intending to sell the,
powder His workpeople than half OF
them being women-were occupied in the task
| Of opening these cartridges when the explosion
| took place. To what it was due there is very
little hope of discovering, for not one of NJ Car
villains employees has yet been found alive.
| In fact, not single corpse has been found in
tact.
When NJ. Carvilain sought permission to erect
his cartridge mandatory the city authorities
opposed him might and main. The provincial
council. however, We're less ferseeing. and az
| corded NJ. Carvilain the authorization he asked
| for. The disaster is really the outcome of po-
litical pickering between the town council and
the provincial council. The former is LIBERAL
and the latter clerical. The latter granted per-
mission to A. CaIvilain to locate his powder
factory i'll such dangerous place only to annoy
| the town council. This disclosure caused in
tense indignation.
| It was not until the sun set and darkness fell
| on the city that the terrible extent OF the fire
began to be fully realized. At night the flames
| lowered to an immense height So 600 barrels of
petroleum being on fire. At once the heat from
the enormous blaze was SO intense that the
trenlen could not get nearer the flames than
100 yards.
The shock of the explosion had the same eff
feet on the busy city would earthquake.
In an instant the streets everywhere were,
| swarm1ng With men, women and children, ter
| ror-stricken and auXiOuslv inQuiring of each
other what had happened AS soon as the ma
ture of the disaster became known the authori-
ties ordered detachments of troops to the,
scene, and with their aid the thousands
of excited people were kept at distance from
the wrecked building. The firemen had reached
the place and were about to begin the work of
extinguishing the blazing ruins when it was
discovered that the neighboring oil warehouses,
were on fire. Officers at once passed through
the dense crowd, telling them of the and
terrible danger. The people were soon removed
to a safe distance, by which time huge flashes
of fire were leaping into the air as barrel after
barrel of oil exploded and poured out into the
various yards.