The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-09-12

SCORES WERE KILLED.

SCORES WE'RE KILLED.
An Explosion Of Dynamite in an Antwerp
nseiKiu,nD Cartridge Factory by which
300 Lives Were Lost and 1000 Persons
Were Injured Sis ty Three Persons Killed
In Mna Disaster N scotland.
. A:TSE:p. Sept. IA terrible explosion
OF dynamite occurred in the cartridge
factory here Friday by which 10 persons
were killed and 80 injured The explosion
. occurred in workshop where old cart
ridges were being taken to pieces. Men
and women were actively at work break
ing them up. and 25.OOO,OJO had been par
tally broken when the explosion occurred
The factory was situated behind the
docks. upon which millions OF cartridges
were being loaded. 1t was adjacent to the
! petroleum stores and two large Russian
warehouses, containing 5000 barrels
OF oil, were set on fire and are now
burning. Other stores are endangered
The BOursc, which lis in tho immediate
vicinity, was also set on fire BY the burn
ing fragments. The loss will be many mill
ion francs 1t will be impossible to extin-
guish the flames in less than twenty -four
hours Several vessels have been burned
Owing to the intense heat the firemcn are
unable to approach the flames nearer than
100 yards.
rolice, gendarmes and troops are assist
ing IN tho work OF extinguishing the flames,
while priests and Sisters Of Charity are car
ing for the injured The city il enveloped
In dense smoke.
The IRE is still raging and now covers
two acres The flames shoot UP to an inn
lnense height Amid the roar of the flames
there IL n continuous succession OF loud re-
ports, supposed to be from the ignition and
explosion OF packets OF cartridges. Be-
yond the Russian tanks and Hobcrs sheds
there are numerous houses burning. The
shipping ut the Africa and American docks
is in danger
The Corviieian cartridge factory, where
the explosion occurred, had been con-
demned by the Common Council. but the
deputation permanente had allowed work
to continne Tho victims are mostly
factory girls. Windows three miles dis
tant were shattered by the explosion.
MIpSIGHr.-Thc latest estimate is that
there are 80 dead and l,O0J injured Tho
explosions continue. At the American
docks all the ships have been saved owing
to the favorable direction OF the
wind. The stained windows OF
the cathedral are smashed. and it is
feared that tho staeple will collapse The
whole vicinity Is strewn with debris. The
dock sheds and hydraulic cranes are greatly
damaged The soldiers ut the garrison and
large number of citizens are assisting the
firemen. Many are dropping from sutfoca-
! tion.
The scenes at the hospitals are heart
| rcnding King Leopold has sent telegram
expressing sympathy and asking for par
ticulars The people are incensed ut the
depntation permanente for allowing work
to continue In the cartridge factory.
IAn,werp. one OF the principal cities Of BEL
gium. Is situated about fifty miles from the
1 open sea and twenty-five miles north OF Brus
| sells, on the righ; bank OF the Scheldt
| which is there about .,.00 feet broad
! and has depth ut ebb tide of from
| thirty to forty feet The docks
! spoken OF in the dispatches have an area of
| bout 100 acres. ifYording over 2lGU feet OF
! quay room. About 5.tN0 vessels enter the har-
/ Tor annually the chief imports being Steel cop
| per.iron and other metals, machinery. coal. salt
/ soda gun-cotton, and the city is given largely
| to manufacturing. Ten years ago there were
twenty refncries, seven rice mills, three SUI
i phur refncrics. several cigar manufactures
! and a number of dis.illeres. petroleum rciiaer-
] les siearine candle manufactures aud WOODEN
/ mills. The explosion occurred in a cartridge
| factory situated near the docks, on which were
| millions Of cartridges. The lire extended from
these to the petroleum rcfinerles aad the man
! ufactories near The six gh. large docks
recently constructed communicate with
each other The Business Exchange. bu II
| in 1881, was pronounced the finest building
\ OF the kind in Europe. II was burned down
in So, and rebuilt in the same style as before
| and opened for business in 49,! Antwerp has
populat on OF lso,Wal
scoTLAND's GREAT CALAMITY.
EDINBUIG. Sept r. Sixty three men and
boys have perished through the fire in the
Maurice Wood pit near Penicuik, Midio-
THAN. Twenty-Five bodies have been re-
covered The fire is one of the most dis
, astrous mining calamities that have ever
befalleI Scotland. Thursday morning
sixty five miners, including u contingent
Of boys went down the pit to prosecute
their calling and all hH: two have pcrished
/ From the time of the alarm till now re
! lays of men have worked at the task Of res
cue. but without any result. All through
| Thursday night there was kept up q
struggle with overmastering fumes In put
! ting mp brattice work to obtain ventilation.
/ Two or three men were let down an incline
In truck and besides having to battle
with the current Of smoke SO thick as
! to obscure all vision, their efforts were
rendered almost Of no avail by the force o.
the current itself, which threatened again
and again to destroy their work as soon as
4 II
men would come to the surface with steam
/ ing eyes and perspirIng faces. Their OBJ
! ject was to reach the eighty-fathom level
from which it was hoped it might be pos
sible to turn the current to clear the in
cline.
The men about ) o'clock Friday morning
came on the bodies of John Walker and
Hugh Mcpherson. Both bodies were found
in the vicinity OF the eighty -fathom engine
1t was part of tile duties OF these men
| to attend to it and they seem to
have died at their posts DR.. Badger,
who examined the bodies on their ar
rival at the surface. says the corpses
| were frightfuly scorched, not with actual
fire, but with hot air in the pit, the temper
ature Of which is stated to have been high
enough to melt lead. The flesh adhered
to their clothes. and the ghastly spectacle
was rendered the more hideous by the fact
that. on cndeavoring to remove their boots,
the feet nearly parted from the legs.
| Shortly after 5 o'clock it was found that
, the east side OF the pit began to fall in. and
in order to retain tho sides aud roof large
numbers of props were utilized. A quality
Of stuff, however, fell, considerably hinder
ing the operations Of the rescuers About
O'Clock information came that, although
six bodies were visible ON the west side,
they can not be approached On the east
side there in not man alive The iescucrs
. made gallant efforts to get at the
| bodies, but were repulsed by the
fire and foul air. By Z o'clock it was
seen that nothing further could be
done in the way OF recovering tho dead.
- . -
IDENTIFIED.
The Woman Who Was Swept Over the
Precipice at Niagara Was Miss Anna
! Mead, Of BinRhamton, n. Y.
BINGHAMToN, n T., Sept THE young
woman who committed Suicide at Niagara
Falls Thursday morning is believed to be
Anna Mead, OF Binghamton. She left her
| home n take n walk ~, W.adnosaav ,,,nrn.