St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-02-21
EIGHT TRUCKS OF DYNAMITE
EXPLODE WITH TERRIFIC FORCE,
DESTROYING EVERYTHING IN
THE VICINITY.
MORE THAN A HUNDRED KILLEI
While 1t Is Estimated That Several
Hundred Others Are More or
Less Injured.

/
IS probably the most disastrous dyna-
mite explosion onslrecord in any part
of the world. Thousands of people
nave been rendered homeless by the
terrible calamity; 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 suburb of johannesburg. In
1T are huddled members of the poorer
classes of whites of the Rand, Malays,
Kafflrs and Cinnamon, who subsist for
the most part by doing odd jobs about
the place, which is a railway trans
| fer station for the mining districts Of
the section
Among the freight cars standing on
the shunt tracks at Viedendorp yester-
day were eight trucks loaded with
dynamite The deadly stuff was hid
den under canvas coverings to pro-
tect 1T from the rain and sun.
AS evening was approaching there
was an explosion near the freight
depot so awful in the intensity of it's
force that the ground for miles around
was convulsed as if with an earth
quake; houses rocked and fell; masses
of iron, earth, stone wool and human
remains We're 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 a hole 200
feet long and 80 feet wide over the spot
where the eight trucks of dynamite
stood but few minutes before The
whole Of that quarter of Johannes
burg was literally blown to pieces.
The effects Of the explosion could be
seen over a radius of more than a
mile and almost everything within half
mile Of where the trucks had been
shunted for the night was RACED to the
ground and crushed by the dynamite
beyond redemption, ironwork twisted
and torn, stone destroyed and brick
work pulverized. On the ground were
blackened shapes of human beings,
limbs heads, trunks scorched and
torn. The victims were mostly Ma
lays, Kaffirs and Cinnamon, the whites
being in the minority at Viedendorp,
but in spite of this quite number of
white people, including six girls, are
among the many victims of this hor-
rible calamity. In fifteen minutes aft
er the explosion occurred the bodies of
FORTY DEAD PERSONS,
all horribly mutilated, were picked up
and carried away from the scene, while
the searching Of the ruins continued
without intermission. Over 200 of the
most severely injured persons were
also carried away, and hundreds of
other wounded persons were taken to
places where they might be cared for.
In addition to the wounded thousands
of people rendered homeless by the ex-
plosion are being cared for by the
charitable, and will receive assistance
until they can begin life anew
Probably the best idea of the force of
the explosion can be gathered from the
fact that the iron aXles of the trucks
upon which the dynamite was loaded,
have been driven twenty feet into the
hard ground.
How the explosion occurred is not
known, but a belief prevails that a
thieving Kaf1ir found his way to the
shunted trucks, and that in trying to
break open one Of the cases of the
explosive, being in ignorance of what
it contained, he brought about the
disaster, which has caused so great
a loss Of life, and which has rendered
so many people homeless and penni-
less.
The exact extent of the disaster will
never be known. According to the es-
Inmates, however, about 100 persons
have been killed, and about 200 people
wounded severely. In addition it is es-
timated that about 100 more have been
less severely injured. Several of the
wounded have since died of their in
juries.
Most of the houses in Viedendorp
were built of corrugated iron, as is
usual in South, = rica suburbs. and of
this material, anywhere near the spot
where the explosion took place, hardly
vestige remains. A popular sub
scription has been. opened for the re-
lief of the wounded and homeless. AL
ready s300,00 have been raised, and
this amount will reach $780, 900 before
night. In addition, steps have already
been taken to- clear away the debris
from the grounds. A portion of the
money subscribed will be invested in
building materials, and the work of
reconstructing Viedendorp will be COM
menced as soon as the remains of the
dead are inferred, which will probably
be tomorrow. President Kruger has
telegraphed his sympathy with the peo-
pie of johannesburg in this emergency,
and he is being kept posted on all the
details of the great calamity.