The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-04-30
The Explosion at Mobile.

EDITOR NATIONAL tribune: The fol-
lowing is an account Of the great explo-
sion Mt Mobile as l saw it. | am relying
upon memory, and it is therefore probable
that some noteworthy features of that
terrifying spectacle may be inadvertently
omitted from my story. One can not We'll
forget scene like that.o Even now l can
hear the awful noise ofithe explosion and
see the debris flying high in the air and
in all directions The Explosion occurred
in n large building in which it was said
30 tons of powder were stOred-ccrtain!y
| enough for one blast. IN addition to the
powder there were immense quantities or
solid cannon balls and. shells and other
military stores. The cause of the eXplo-
sion, which occurred near , o'clock p. m.
was unknown. the superstition being that
it was the result of carcleSsness in hand
ling capped shells. l was guard drum
mer on that day. and stood on the parade
ground facing the east. there being only
one block "cornerways' to the northeast
between the building in which the explo-
sion occurred and myself The entire
cdifce. except the west side. near which
the 29th Wis. was in quarters, fell fiat
| to the ground. Altogether Is blocks were
destroy. In order to convey a better under
standing. ] will attempt to give more
minute description. Each of the demolish-
ed buildings. or warehouses. covered an
entire block Nearly all of the buidin IS
destroyed were similar to the one III which
the explosion occurred. \ brick wall q
feet high and 22 inches thick was buiit
on the line around the block. Over this
was Il roof 40 or 10 feet wide. lea ing an
open space inside. which was our parad"
ground. Many buildings remote from
those demolished were damaged. On the
street facing the bay all of the glass in
the front end of the buildings was broken,
fragments of glass covering the sidewalk,
distant Il half mile from the explosion.
Solid cannon balls and shells. bricks. lamp
posts. and miscellaneous debris went mp
with the fire and smoke to high and IN
| known altitude. many of the missiles AM!
| fragments of the building coming down Il
| mile from the place of ascension. Some
Of the vessels in the bay We're wrecked,
and il was said that the dishes were
shaken from vessels table ~ miles from
the city. and that railway train 40 miles
north felt the conclusion. According +"
| the statement of Il city paper. issued on
| the following morning. 40 people we're
killed or injured. For two hours after til"
| explosion carried one corner of q stfetcn-
er. and on the next morning | assisted IN
| taking from the bay man who lad been
shockingly scalded. in the wreck OF Il YES
| sci. but he was still living. The 10Th
Wis lost four men who We're on guard in
and about the magazine. and | believe the
| body of one was never found. An Iowa
regiment, the Sth. | think. narrowly
escaped. The Iowans had occupied the
north side of the same building in which
the 2gth Wis was quartered. but they
moved ont i'll the forenoon. Had they re-
manned they would have been crushed by
the falling north wall. AS il was we dug
out two men left in their barracks, sick
\. ROBERTS. Co. +. Doth Wis; mustered
out with Co. G, 14th Wis, Lincoln Boulc-
ward, Frecport, III.