The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1896-02-21
The Explosion at Viedendorp,
johannesburg, Created Aw-
full Havoc.
Over a Hundred Dead, and Twice
as Many Seriously In
jured.
Thieving Kaffir Supposed to
Have Caused the Explosion.
Work of Relief.

JOHANNESBURG, Feb. 21.-Details are
reaching the city Of what is probably
one Of the most disastrous dynamite
explosions on record in any part Of the
world. Thousands of people have been
rendered homeless by the terrible ca
lamity, about 100 persons are believed
to have been killed, some two or three
hundred men, women and children
have been severely wounded, and many
others have been more or less injured.
Viedendorp, the scene Of the calam-
ity, is a suburb of johannesburg. In it
are huddled members of the poorer
classes of whites of the Rand, Maylays,
kaffirs and Cinnamon, who subsist for
the most part in doing odd jobs about
the place, which is railway transfer
station for the mining districts in the
section
Eight Cars of Dynamite.
Among the freight cars standing on
the shunt mines at Viedendorp were
eight trucks loaded with dynamite.
The deadly stuff was hidden under can
vas coverings to protect it from the
iain and sun.
As evening was approaching there
was an explosion near the freight
depot. so awful in the intensity Of its
force that the ground for miles around
was convulsed as if with an earth
quake; houses rocked and fell; masses
.
remains were hurled skywards, the
windows of almost every house in
Johannesburg were broken and people
were
Blown Through the Air Like straws
before a gust of wind. The explosion
had torn hole 200 feet long and ~
feet wide over the spot where the eight
trucks Of dynamite stood but few
minutes before The whole of that
quarter Of Johannesburg was literally
blown to pieces The effects of the ex-
plosion could be seen over a radius Of
thing within half mile of where the
trucks had been shunted for the night,
was razed to the ground and crushed
by the dynamite beyond redemption.
Ironwork twisted and torn, stonework
destroyed and brickwork pulverized.
Mostly Mslays. Kaf,irs and Chinese.
On the ground were blackened
shapes Of human remains, limbs, heads,
trunks, scorched and torn. The victims
were mostly Kaffirs, Malays and China
men, the whites being in q minority in
Viedendorp, but in spite Of this quite a
number Of white people, including six
girls, are among the many victims Of
this horrible calamity. In Is minutes
after the explosion occurred the bodies
Of 40 dead persons, all horribly mutt.
lated, were picked up and carried from
the scene, while the searching of the
ruins continued without intermission.
Over 200 of the most severelys injured
persons were carried away, and hun
drods Of other persons were taken to
where they could be cared for.
Thou Rendered Homeless.
In addition to the wounded, thou.
sands of people, rendered homeless by
the explosion, are being cared for by
the charitable, and will receive assis.
tance until they can begin life anew.
Pieces Of iron, stone and bricks are
scattered all over johannesburg; every
building has felt the great shock moro
or less. Every physician in or about
johannesburg is assisting in the care of
the wounded.
The headquarters Of the Wanderers
club is being used as a mortuary cham.
Der. In the gaily decorated club room
are horrible lines Of numberless, black.
ened trunks Of human bodies, rows of
charred arms and legs, crushed and
burned heads, hands, feet, pieces of
flesh, ETC., tied up in bags, the whole
presenting a sight as blood curdling as
was ever witnessed.
Laid to . Thieving Kafhr.
How the explosion occurred is not
known, but q belief prevails that q
thieving Kafiir found his way to the
shunted trucks, and that in trying to
break open one Of the cases Of the ex.
plosives, being in ignorance Of what it
contained, he brought about the dis
aster which has caused 80 great loss
of life, and which has rendered SO
many people homeless and penniless.
The exact extent Of the disaster will
never be known. According to the esti.
mates, however, about 100 persons have
been killed and 200 wounded severely.
In addition, it is estimated that about
100 more have been less severely in.
jured. Several of the wounded have
since died Of their injuries.
All the hospitals are filed with suf-
ferers from the explosion, and many
private houses have been turned into
refugees for the wounded and homeless.