The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-07-31
WILMINGTON N. G. JULY 81 1903.

struck the flood he found it was nitric
acid. The flood a. once began to
smoke, and when the men saw it they
rushed from the building. but had not
gone ten feet when the explosion oc-
CURED. This magazine was therefore
the first TO go up followed Immediately
by the gun powder in the three teams.
and several seconds la5er by the sec
ond magazine
To those who heard the crash it
seemed as if there were two distinct
explosions, with a continuous roar be-
tween them. There are, however, five
holes in the ground which clearly in
dicate five explosions.
The entire catastrophe, however, oc-
cupied the space of scarcely five sec
ondS. but in that time the surrounding
property was swept a. II small vol
cano had broken forth in its midst.
Every house within 200 yards col
lapsed. Trees were blown down, the
grass within hundred yards moved as
if by lawn mower While bricks from
the two magazines were hurled far
across the river and all over the
borhood.
For several minutes afterwards the
air was completely filed with smoke
and dust and Illuminated by the glare
from the already burning houses.
The work of rescue tegan at once,
but in many cases the flames had al
ready gained full sway over the crum-
pied ruins and several persons were
burned to death before the debris
which covered them could be removed.
The property is situated just over
the Lowell Line in TaWsbury, but the
Lowell fire department did most of the
work in caring for the wounded. Be
fore a stream of water was started
from the engines the hose from all the
wagons was taken Out and the bodies
of the wounded were placed in the
wagons and hurrisd 20 the hospital.
Ambulances soon appeared on the scene
and assisted the firemen and all sorts
of vehicles were pressed into the SER
vice. Nearly forty persons were taken
to the two hospitals within half an
hour, while many more whose injuries
were slight had their wounds dressed
and remained on the scene, where they
assisted in caring foc the less for
tunate.
The explosion shook the city and
within half an hour there were at least
the catastrophe. The crowd so badly
hindered the work Of caring for the
wounded that the mayor sent out a
militia call. Three companies respond
ed and three hours later had thrown
a Gordon of men around the district and
cleared the place of every one except
those Immediately engaged n quench-
ing the flames and searching for VIC
Tins.
Two hundred yards further down the
river from the second magazine the
firemen suddenly came across the
bodies of four little toys who were
about to have swim. A fifth men,
Der of the party was in the river when
the explosion occurred and escaped
with injury. 8
Apparently the force from this Sec
ond magazine was expended in two di-
rections, north and south. On the north
it completely demolished the house OF
William Riggs about fifty yards away
almost burying Mrs. Riggs and badly
injuring her little son. Mrs. Riggs
died before being taken to the hospital.
On the other side % the magazine
was a grove of trees, through which
the explosion tore a path fifty feet
wide for a distance of nearly three
hundred yards. The four little boys
were caught in the centre of this path
and three We're instantly killed, the
body of one of them being frightfully
mutilated, the head being completely
blown off. The fourth was alive when
he was discovered by the police and
firemer but did not long survive.
Most of the property destroyed con-
sisted of small buildings constructed OF
wood and alta a temporary dlutaattaaa
wood and at a comparatively small
cost. The property loss, therefore, will
not be heavy.
The select men of :he town Of TewS-
bury believe that $4,000 will cover the
entire loss.