Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-04-24
ROME Was SHOCKED
Powder House Explodes Near
the Eternal City.
uLLIyC 5 aEy AID IyJURIyC OTHERS
saiIdisss shattered and fsiIsd by It's
Force ana the People are Panic
sstEseAsa-Dstailso of the
Disaster.

ROVE, April 3-Ths powder rnaga-
zine at the fort az Pozzo Pantaieo ex-
ploded a. 2 O'Clock a IN, completely
demolisfnng the fort, killing i've peas
ants ho were Ia The vicinity and seri-
Oasiy iniuring hundreds Of others
The fort vas four kil0neters from
Rome. but the explosion shook
this city u it's center Houses rocked
and trern oled as though smitten with
an ague. while the g lass from thousands
Of broken windows hurled through
the air and fell in dangerous showers
TO the streets The great eupoIassur-
mounting the parliament building
was mashed TO pieces and the surround
ing streets strewn with its debris. The
doors OF Offices and private residences
were burst open by the terrific concus-
sion and heavy articles of furniture
were overturned Many of the people
whom the early hour found still
asleep were thrown from their beds and
dashed violently upon the floors Of their
apartments Panic-strieken, the be-
wiidered people in thousands poured
out upon the streets, fearing aud fully
expecting % ind the city in the
thi oes OF great earthquake.
Confusion and terror was every
where Men looked in each others
faces only 70 find reflected there the
fear which possessed themselves
Women praying aloud, others hurrying
with their children 10 find refuge from
an unknown danger, and still others
weeping Historically and aimlessly
wringing their hands were met at
every corner.
When the city had Quoted down
and an investigation had been had
IL was found that enormous damage
had been done TO the fort. which
was filled with soldiers a few mo-
nents before the explosion occurred.
Fortunately the commandant heard the
warning rumble and az once ordered
the men 10 vacate the Building This
was promptly done and terrible dis
aster was thus averted
King Humbert. accompanied by Pre-
mier Rudini and every member of the
cabinet. has gone 10 the scene OF the
disaster. A military Gordon has been
people are forbidden To approach the
vicinity of the wrecked fort.
Forty small houses in the neighbor-
hood of the exploded magazine are en-
tirely ruined and many more are seri-
ously damaged The appearance OF the
king in the streets on his way To Pozzo
Pantaleo excited the utmost enthusi-
asm among the people who still
thronged the thoroughfares, and ex-
erted a decided influence in reassuring
the timid- When King Humbert was
seen returning from the wreck convey
ing some of the wounded to the hospital
in his own carriage he was given an
ovation all along the line of his prog
ressL
Two officers dangerously wounded
and l20 civilians have thus far been
taken TO the hospitals Every house
within a radius of kilometer from
the point Of the explosion is more OF
less damaged. 1t has been ascertained
that ESQ tons of powder was stored in
the exploded magazine.
The vatican was not spared The
editice was shaken and several Of tbs
historical stained glass windows OF the
old building were shattered The win
dows In the ancient Raphael chambers
and the stained glass in the royal stair.
case, presented to Pope Plus l X. by the
king of Bavaria. were seriously In
jured The interiors of many of the
old churches and palaces have also suf.
fer,d