The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-12-24
BLOWN into ATOMS.
Terrible Explosion of Dynamite
at Antwerp.
so COUNT OF THE MANY VICTIMS.

Their Bodies Scattered Far ana
Wide by the Forcc of the Explo-
sion-Gathercd Up in Wheelbar-
rows-Cupidity Led to the Great
Disaster.
LONDON, Dec. PA dispatch from
Antwerp says the French lugger LIE
Pilote, loaded with dynamite and lying
alongside quay at that port, has been
blown to atoms by the explosion Of her
cargo Her entire crew and a number
of laborers employed on the ship re-
ferred to, and others who were lettering
or working upon the quay, have been
killed. Fragments of the ship, inter-
mixed with human remains, were scat
tered here and there about the scene OF
the explosion. Shattered legs and arms,
hands and feet, heads and other portions
OF human bodies were scattered about
on all sides.
The horrors of the scene can hardly be
described. The neighboiing wharves
are strewn with debris besmeared with
blood and mixed with pieces of human
flesh. Tho exact number of killed will
never be known, for the explosion must
have killed many strangers about the
ship and about the quay where the shat
tered vessel was moored.
Force of the Explosion.
Tho force Of the explosion was so great
that tie whole neighborhood seemed to
rock and tremble. Every window within
the sweep of the conclusion was shat
tered. doors were blown in and crushed,
as il by battering rams. People at
considerable distance from the quay
where the ship blew up were swept off
their feet and hurled, bruised and bleed
ing, for yards. Many are so severely in
jured that they cannot recover from
their injuries. Many others are badly
cnt by broken glass and by falling pieces
of wreckage.
The police seem to be utterly es.
wildered by the disaster. and say that
they can form no idea Of the nuinber Of
people killed Some say twenty. others
say hundred or more. A conservative
estimate Of the loss Of life places it at
thirty; namely, ten men OF the Grew,
ten laborers, and ten strangers and
ioiterers.
Crowds Of people surrounded the
ruined district Immediately after the
explosion. Their number soon increased
to such an extent that the troops had to
be sent for to maintain order and allow
the searchers and police to attend to
their work. The troops formed a cor
don around the spot, drove the people
back and the recovery of the remains
was continued.
Gathering Up the Fragments.
Wheelbarrows full Of pieces of dead
bodies have been taken away. Pieces Of
flesh have been picked up In all diroc-
tions. Some citizens rescued portion
of mans thigh from dogs that were
Enarling over it, having found it some
where in the vicinity. One of the in
iured had minute particles of the flesh
of some victim blown into his skin, so
that his face looks as if pitted with dark
pimples. Efforts have been made to re-
cover fragments of the dead from the
water, but without much success.
A human head was found 200 yards
from where the ship blew up. 1t had
landed on the roof of house and then
rolled into the street below. OF course,
1t was crushed beyond recognition. One
man was killed by ships block, which
passed right through his body.
The Result of Cupidity.
A later dispatch says the lie Pilote was
found by fishermen in the North sea,
abandoned and with q, 600 kilos of dyna-
mite ON board. The fishermen towed
She direlict to the river in Antwerp. On
arriving at the wharf, they, knowing
that dynamite was not allowed to be
Kept in any vessel at the docks in Ant
werp. pretended to unload all that was
on board for speedy removal. They
concealed half the dynamite, however,
on the vessel, intending to smuggle the
rest into town and make a large profit
on the sale. One of tho fishermen, who
was nervous on account of the deadly
character Of the stuff, dropped in the
hold package which he had picked up
for smuggling. Then came the explo-
sion.
There are the usual strange freaks Of
adynamite explosion recorded. One of
the vessels masts is said by persons who
witnessed the explosion to have been
shot upward hundreds of feet into the
air, and to have fallen downward like
an arrow. 1t is now said to be stuck
deep in the mud of the harbor. An other
portion of the wreckage was hurled
through the walls of house, making a
hole similar to that which shell fired
out Of heavy gun would have made.