The Fort Worth gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-189?, 1891-05-21
DALLAS SHAKEN UP.
Lightning Strikes a Powder
Magazine.
A TREMENDOUS EXPLOSION.
The Magazine, Houses, Trees, Orchards, Etc.,
Demolished in the Neighborhood.
Several Families Escape Narrowly with
Their Ltves-Windows and Bric-
a-Brac Wrecked at Dallas
and Oak Cliff-Notes.
A YOUNG EARTHQUAKE.

Special to the Gazette.
DALLAS. TEX, May 17-At 3 o'clock this
morning Dallas was visited by terrific
storm of wind and rain that will be long re-
membared by those who saw and heard. The
thunder was deafening. while the constant
lightning was dazzling in brightness. At
3:i5 the storm was at its highest, when sud
denly thousands of people throughout this
city and Oak Cliff were aroused from their
sleep by heavy rumbiiug sound, followed
by the SWaying of their houses. People
sprang from their beds, all wondering what
could have been the cause. This morning
everyone was talking of the earthquake
shock, which had been felt in all parts of
the city. Windows We're broken, clocks,
pictures and side wall ornaments We're
knocked to the floors and broken. These
reports came in from all parts of the city,
while from Oak Cliff came the news that
many large window glasses in the stores on
Tenth street
HAD BEEN DEMOLISHED.
Goods in the stores located in South Dali
las were thrown from the shelves and
punched together on the floor.
The earthquake theory was soon eX-
ploded, however. for the news soon spread
that the large powder magazine situated
south of town had been struck by lightning
and was now thing of the past. A visit to
the place where the magazine was revealed
a scene of desolation and wonderment.
The magazine had been a brick building
16x26 feet and fifteen feet high. 1t was
built on rock foundation Not a
vestige of the building was in sight,
not even brick. But hole ten feet deep
and $50 feet in circumference had taken its
place. Two hundred feet away had been
located the house of ]. w. Armstrong, the
magazine keeper, but
NOTHING REMAINED
of it except a few armsful of kindling
wood. Mr. Armstrong, his wife and three
children were asleep in the house at the
time of the explosion. Mr.. Armstrong;
first knowledge of the explosion was when
he regained consciousness sometime after
at the house of a negro some distance from
his home. The falling house boards had
hit him, rendering him senseless while his
wife and children We're unhurt. Mrs.
Armstrong pulled her husband from the
wreck, taking him to the negro neighbours.
The Armstrong; household goods were
all blown away except sewing machine
and few odds and ends. A stable con-
tanning two horses at the rear OF the house
was also RACED to the ground and blown
away. leaving the horses with scarce a
scratch. Two dogs were killed and two
wagons were completely wrecked.
AN ORCHARD
of 100 peach and plum trees was entirely
uprooted and scarcely d yestige of 1t can be
found.
Five acres of garden have entirely disap-
peared.
On one side of the magazine was strip
of woods. a number of acres of this wood
have been cut down as completely as if
done with an ak, while the entire surface
of ground is covered to a depth of four
inches by the dirt taken from the hole
where the powder house stood. The
woods are full of small pieces of brick no
larger than eggs.
Fully third of mile from where the
explosion took place two trees about eight
inches in diameter were completely cut
down by rocks. One piece Of rock weighs
fully three hundred pounds. while the other
rock is some smaller Near these trees is
the home of Alice Graham, and it was
nearly destroyed. Rocks tore the kitchen
room completely away while the entire end
of the sleeping-room was torn of. The
house was
FULL OF ROCKS
and pieces of brick, and. strange to say,
none of the inmates We're injured.
In another direction barn quarter of
mile off had an end knocked out. Houses
within radius of a mile were all more or
less injured, but the strangest part of all
was that no one was hurt
The magazine was situated near the
Texas Trunk railroad. about three miles
from the city hall. and was owned with its
contents by Frank J. Smith. Mr.. Smith
was seen and said his loss on powder alone
is over sl1, 300. Mr.. Smith says lightning
must have struck the building. causing the
explosion. The doors to the building were
of iron, and it took the combined strength
of three men to lift one of them, and,
strange to say, not shred of either door
has yet been found.
NEGRO BURGLARS.
About $50 O'Clock this morning
three negroes entered the clothing store of
the Home manufacturing company on Elm
street and one of them engaged in converse
ton with the clerk and the other two stole
four pair of pants valued at $25 and then
lit out. The loss was soon found out and
police officers Alexander and Saunderson
gave chase. They sighted the two coons
couple of blocks away and made run for
them. The coons being hard pressed threw
the stolen goods into house as they passed
it and then made for the river bottoms,
thereby escaping. The pants We're re-
covered.
Mr.. George Amy, manager of the Dallas
opera house. and Mr.. George Robinson,
manager OF the Oak Cliff opera house, leave
tomorrow morning for New York. They
will remain about two weeks returning by
the Cromwell steam ship line, in company
with the Conreid opera company which
plays for the summer at Oak Cliff.
FAD BEEN ROBBED.
Last night James Mcdonald was found
On Copmeree street by the mounted police
dressed only in sunderclothes. He talked
and acted strangely, was thought to b