Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1896-02-28
TORN TO PIECES.
Hundreds Killed and Manned
by Dynamite
FRIGHTFUL EXPL OSION.
Viedendorp. a Town Filled with the
Poor Glasses of the South Afri-
can Republic Demolished
A Quantity Of Dyna-
mite Explodes.

mite EXplOO9Ss
The explosion Of dynamite at Viedendorp,
q suburb Of Johannesburg, South African
Republic, was an appalling calamity, by
which one hundred persons lost their lives
About three hundred others were injured
most of them seriously-while thousands OF
others have been rendered homeless In tho
great destruction of property caused by tho
explosion. In viedendorp are hu1dled men,
bers Of the poorer classes OF the whites OF
the Rand. Malay. Kaflrs and Cinnamon
who subsist for the most part by doing odd
Jobs about the place, which is railway trans
fer station for the mining districts OF the sec-
ion. Among the freight cars standing on
the side lines at viedendorp were eight
trucks loa ed with dynamite. The deadly
stuff was hidd under ca vass coverings to
protect 1t from the rain and san.
As evening was approaching there was an
explosion near the freight depot 80 awful in
the intensity of its force that the grounds for
miles around was convulsed as If by an
earthquake, houses rocked md fell. the win
dows of almost every house in Johannesburg
we're broken, and people were blown through
the air like straws before g st OF wind.
The explosion had torn hole 200 feet long
and so feet wide over the spot where the
eight trucks Of dynamite stood but few
minutes before The whole OF Viedendorp
was literally blown to pieces. The effects OF
the explosion could be seen over a radius oil
moro than mile, and almost everything
within half mile of the spot where tho
trucks had been switched for the night was
razed to the ground and crushed by the dy-
Mantle.
On the ground were b'acken1d heaps OF
human remains-,imbs, heals, trunks
scorched and torn. In fifteen minutes after
the explosion occurred the bodies Of forty
dead persons, all horribly mutila ed, were
picked up and taken away from the scene,
while the searching Of the ruins continued
without intermisslon. Over 200 ofthe most
severely injured persons were also carried
away, and hundreds of other wounded per-
sors were taken to places where they might
be cared for The thousands Of people rem
dered homeless are being cared for by the
charitable and will receive assistance until
they can begin life anew.
The headquarters OF the Wanders Club was
used as d II ortuary chamber. In the gaily
decorated clubroom were horrible lines oI
memberless, blackened trunks and human
bodies rows of charred arms and legs, crush
ed and burned heads, hands, feet, ,1pieces oil
flesh, etc., tied up in bags, the whole pre-
senting a blood-curdling sight. Around the
club and scene of explosion the most mar
rowing scenes were witnessed. Fathers
looking for their children, wives staring
blankly at what seemed the remains OF hus-
bands, the living, many of then badly hurt
themselves, hunting for traces OF their dea1.
Probably the best idea Of the force OF the
explosion can be gathered from the fact that
the iron axIes OF the trucks upon which the
dynamite was loaded were driven 20 feet into
The hard ground.
The amount of dynamite which caused the
terrlnC QlSaSLbT Is dScttldluOu W ho'O DNNA
twenty tons. This had been standing on the
railroad switch for period OF three days
exposed to the sun and air, and this is sup
posed to have put 1t into a condi ion In
which its chemical constitution was very un-
stable, so that 1t was ready to be set oil from
the slightest disturbance.
A POPULAR subscription was opened Tor the
relief Of the wounded and homeless. Over
$500. 900 was raised in a short time.
The Beers and Uitlanders ara working
harmoniously in the succoring of the wound
ed and homeless. The disaster seems to
have done a great deal towards healing up
the soreness which remained from the jane
son raid and may do much to cement new
and better feeling between the foreign popu-
lation and their Boer rulers.
President Kruger telegraphed his smypa-
thy with the people Of johannesburg in this
emergency.