The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-20
FRIGH TFUL..
One HundredPer-
sons Killed.
Many Hundreds More Are
Badly Injured.
Eight Trucks of Dynamite
Suddenly Exploded.
Suburb of johannesburg Literally
BlOtted Out.
Suburb Of johannesburg Literally
BlOtted Out.
Houses Crushed to Atoms and Thousands
Left Homeless.

JOHANNESBURG, South African Repub-
lie, Feb. 20.-Details are reaching this
city today of what is pohably the most
disastrous dynamite explosion on record
in any rart of the world. Thousands OF
people have been rendered homeless by
the terrible calamity, about one hundred
persons are believed to bave been killed,
some two or three hundred men, women
and children have been severely wounded
and many others have been more or less
seriously injured.
The particulars OF the catas' rophe as
gathered up to the present are as follows:
AT Niedendorp, a suburb of this city. is
a railroad depot used for the loading and
unloading of freight cars conveying
material TO and from the mining points
in the vicinity. Niedendorp is very
thickly populated, principally by the
poorer classes of the white inha bitants of
the Rand, aud Malays, Kaffirs and
Cinnamon. They live in a somewhat hud-
oled up condition and in the manner they
think fit, although precautions are taken
by the authorities to prevent overcrowd-
ing and filth likely to breed disease. But,
with such a mixture of races, there is
naturally quite medley of ways, cos
tunes and languages. Distur Dances among
the people of Viedendorp are. not infre-
quent and the police are often called uuon
to exercise their authority in restoring
order, sometimes by force.
Among the freight cars standing on the
shunt lines at Viedendorp yesterday, were
eight trucks los ded with dynamite. They
were innocent-looking cars, their deadly
contents being hidden by canvas cover
ings TO protect the cases of explosive ma
terial from rain and sun. Anyhow, the
people OF this part of the country are, as
a rule, familiar with the use of dynamite
as all of them are conpecteo. directly or
indirectly, with the mining interests.
Evening was pppEeaehiRg and thousands
OF PEOPLE in and about Viedendorp and
other parts OF this city were at home or
returning 10 their. homes when suddenly
there was an explosion near the fire. ght
depot so awful in the intensity of its
force that the ground for miles around
was convulsed as il by an earthquake.
Houses rocked and fell masses of iron,
earth, stone, wood and human remains
were hurled skyward. The windows of
almost every house in Johannesburg were
Broken; people were blown through the
air like straws before an ordinary gust Of
wind. There was a noise deeper than the
loudest clap of thunder ever heard here,
and then, for moment, the community
was breathlessly silent. The shock had been
so severe that everybody fell stunned
But this was only for about minute after
the explosion and then there were the
heartrendiug cries from the wounded.
This was followed by turning out of
the population In a body TO hurry 10 the
scene OF The catastrophe ana assist in sue
coring the injured ana in collecting the
remains of the dead. 1T was horrible
sight
The explosion had torn hole 20 feet
long and so feet wide over the spot where
the eight trucks of dynamite stood, but a
few minutes before. The whole OF that
quarter OF Johannesburg was literally
blown to pieces. The effects of the explo-
sion could be seen over radius OF over
mile, and almost everything within a
half mile of the spot where the awful
trucks had been shunted for the night
was raZed to the ground and crushed by
the dynamite beyond redemption, iorn
work twisted and torn. stones destroyed
and brick work pulverized.
On the ground were blackened heaps of
human remains, limbs, heads, trunks,
scorched and torn, all that was left of
what but a short time before were happy,
healthy human beings. Here and there,
also, We're the eharred remains of horses
and mules and fragments of almost every
thing possible to describe. The human
remains, however, were mostly those of
Malays, kafiirs and Chinamen, as the
whites were in a minority in Vieden-
dorp; but in spite Of this quite a num-
Der of white people, inluding six white
girls, are among The many vic inns of this
terrible calamity.
in ID minutes after the explosion occur
red, the bodies of 40 dead persons. all
horribly mutiliated, were picked M and
carried away from the scene, while The
searching of the ruins continued without
intermission. Over 200 of the more
severely injured persons were also carried
away, and hundreds of other wounded
persons were taken TO places here and
there, where they were tenderly cared for.
But. N addition to the wounded, thou
sands OF persons rendered homeless by the
explosion are being cared for by the char-
liable and will receive assistance until
they can begin life aneg.
Pieces OF iron, S one, and bricks are
scattered all over johannesburg; every
building has felt the great shock moro or
less; ell the houses i'm the immediate vi
cinity OF the limits OF the raised ground
are damaged whole windows are luxuriss.
Every physician IN or about Johannesburg
is assist ing in the care OF the wounded.
The headquarters of the Wanderers
Club Is Icing used as a mortuary cham
Ter. In The gaily decorated club room
are horrible lines Of momterless, black
ened trunks ~ human bodies, rows OF
charred arms aud legs, crushed and burn
cd Mats hands, feet, pieces of flesh, ETC..
tied up i'm tags, the whole presenting n
sight as blood-curdling as was ever wit
messed I'm this part Of the wor d.
Around the club and scene OF the ex-
plosion the most narrowing scenes are