The Irish standard., 1903-08-01
many Victims OF
POWDER EXPLOSION
Score or More Killed and Many In
jured in Destruction of
Magazine.
The FATAL ACCIDENT OCCURS
At SOUTH LOWELL, MASS.

me tai HI HILlULNl uLLukO
At SOUTH LOWELL, MASS.
Shock In Felt for Miles Around and
City of Lowell liz Thrown Into n
Panic-Troops Ncccssnry to Re
store Ordcr-List of the Dead and
Injured.
Lowell, Mass, July 30.--Without
warning and in the twinkling of an eye
probably upwards of a score of persons
and possibly more were blown to death
"Wednesday forenoon by an explosion
of the United States Cartridge Co.'S
magazine on the banks of the Concord
river, in South Lowell, three miles from
the center of the city The number of
injured is 80, although others were
Slightly cut by glass and burned. At
| two p. M, the list of dead stood at Is,
with nine missing.
| Ten or a dozen wooden dwellings
which stood in the vicinity of the pow
der aud dynamite storehouses were
either demolished by the explosion or
| oNCN ny III IL anu ~ OlntI structures
were more or less seriously damaged.
| The financial loss. exclusive of that sus-
| tanned by the cartridge company, is
roughly estimated at $4,000 only a small
part OF which is protected by insurance.
Cmusc OF Explosion.
| The explosion was caused by work.
men who We're employed about the
| storehouses for several days. The build
inss owned by the company were two
| small brick structures, one used for
| storing dynamite and the other powder
| SO powerful was the large quantity of
| explosive in storage that the shock of
the conrnssion was distinctly felt all
| over northeastern Massachusetts. In
| Lowell many windows were demolished
and at points Is miles distant glass was
also shattered.
| The conclusion was felt in Boston, 40
miles away. and at Exeter, N H., which
! is a greater distance from Lowell. At
man. points Il score of miles distant
window glass was shattered and other
damage Gone In some eases there were
reports in circulation that there had
been an earthquake.
List ut KILLED aud Injured.
The following are among the dead:
Mrs. William Riggs. of Riverside Park;
James Galloway, aged 9; William Flyn.
~; William McDcrmott. 10; Michael
Rogers, 10. ell boys who We're swim-
ming in the Concord river. Unknown
man. driving Il grocery cart; William
| Galloway. - pnOrc, 49, Lowell
Six hu0i's ot men working near the
! powder sinrchursc were recovered 1T
WAS some time before they could he
identified, 50 'aGly were they Gisiiaurcd.
Fatally injured: John y. Sullivan,
Mis-. Victoria Pcrrouse. Gallagher
Nitilr "irIp: - McDcrmoH 0l-ycar-od
eirD - Sullivan, tcamster for Stanley
Transfer company, badly injured;
right arm amputated at hospitals; not
expected 10 live
John b. Sullivan died in Tho alt crnoon.
Two of The six unidentified deaf, have
been identified as Charles Moore and a
tenmstcr named iIutcnu Both men
were employed by the Stanley 'i'rnrking
company and were about To move pow
der whom the explosion occurred
George MrIlcrmott. four wears old,
and Il man lamcd Jackson hHvc also
died of their injuries
'oGicS W'ro taken from Tho rliinS and
laid on The "rasS. Some were manrled
heNond rr"o@uition Men and women
tainted al what they saw
city in Panic.
The city was thrown into Il panic
and it required every effort Of HE au-
1hurli's tn establish aud maintain any
thi"g Ii@r order. II became necessary
to summon four companies Of the state
| lniliii". .ilArmin" reports to he tfft ct
that over 100 pr rSors had been li!lrd
and imiurtd caused widespread cunfu-
sion. 'fh' typIosion is thought TO have
| been c%;atd by the Earring Of dynamite
stored in The magazine by wori,lrtn who
were laying a new floor. Tho dynamite
! sci off The powder stored in one cham
hcr and that explosion was followed by
another in second chamber.
| Nc" 81 Buiidin. LcU.
The building in which the explosion
occurred was a stone structure about ~
miles distant from the works of the car
fridge company. Within distance of
so yards are located half dozen
houses. Within hundred yards there
are 20 houses more and beyond that
the buildings are very close together.
Every structure within a quarter of q
mile was torn within and without. Men
and women and children who were in
side Of the houses sustained cuts,
bruises and broken bones, if they es-
capped with their lives. Men who lived
in streets not far away who were for
| t,lnatc enough to escape serious iniur-
| les, Immediately gave themselves over
to the work OF removing: The women and
children to places of safety. for almost
simultaneously with the explosion came
| flashes from several buildings. Into
| the flames and debris scores of men were
soon plunGing in efforts to save life and
| property. The wreck was so complete.
! however, that hc WORK was narrowing
| ~ slow. The patrol wagons of the Do-
| lice and teams Of all descriptions were
| brought into use 10 supple M nj the hos
| pitai amhnlaEres. It was ncarIy noon
| before anything like an accurate csti-
| m = Ti IN ,i,gr Il