The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-29
GENERAL wreck.
Powder Magazine at Cartridge
Works ExplOdes
Carrying Destruction to Every
thing Within a Mile.
% DEAD; 55 INJURED.
Conclusion Felt at a Distance
Of 40 Miles.
Window Glass Broken twenty
Miles Away.
THROWN INTO PANIC.
Citizens of Lowell Thought 1t
Was an Earthquake.
Explosion Followed by an Out
burst of Fire.
Caused by Workman Jarring a
Quantity of Dynamite.
Window Glass Broken twenty
Miles Away.
THROWN INTO PANIC.
Citizens of Lowell Thought 1t
Was an Earthquake.
Explosion Followed by an Out
burst of Fire.
Caused by Workman Jarring a
Quantity of Dynamite.

RuuHbAbJ VI OJ nOuAALCs
Lowell. Mass, July 29.-There was an
explosion Of powder in the United
States Cartridge company's plant 10
Gated between here and Lawrence this
morning Buildings within a radius of
q mile were damaged.
At 10 o'clock the police at the central
station had received a report from po-
Hcemen at the scene of the explosion
that the killed and injured would num-
Der 70. The central station said that
this was a rough estimate and that
there was no way Immediately of get
ting at the exact number.
The police have received reports from
all parts of Essex and some places in
Middlesex counties saying that the ex
plosion was felt at those points and a
number of places reported damage from
the concussion.
One of the workmen who was taken
to the hospital is badly injured. When
the surgeons started to dress his wounds
he begged them to shoot him.
A large force of police were dispatched
to the scene.
Thirty houses were destroyed. Acton
street, South Lowell is in ruins. Twen-
ty deaths (estimated) resulted Houses
were wrecked within a quarter of a mile
Teams of all kinds are being used as
ambulances.
Inquiry at the various hospitals at
IL a. M indicated that 16 victims taken
10 st. johns hospital probably compose
all OF the most seriously injured. Sew
. eral of these are thought to have been
fatally hurt. 1t was believed, however.
that many at the works at the time of
the explosion had been killed. The po-
lice still had report that the killed
and injured number 70.
The four local companies of the state
militia have been ordered to assist in
maintaining order.
The following are among the dead:
THE DEAD.
JAMES GALLOWAY. aged 9.
VIM. FLYNN, aged II.
VIM. MDERNIOTT, 16.
MICHAEL ROGERS 10, all boys who
were in swimming in the Concord river
MRS. VIM RIGGS, of Riverside.
UNKNOWN MAN driving a grocery
cart.
WILLIAM GALLOWAY.
- POORE.
- LOWELL.
Six bodies of men working near the
powder store house We're recovered
FATALLY INJURED.
John b. Sullivan.
Mrs. Victoria Perrouse.
- Gallagher. Oittle Crib
- McDermott. IL years old girl
- sullivan. teamster for Stanley
Transfer company, not expected to live.
on the way to the fire numerous car
riages were met that bore bleeding
bodies of victims.
Bodies were taken from the ruins and
laid on the grass Some were mangled
beyond recognition Men and women
tainted at what they saw
Houses, barns and outbuildings lay in
a ruined state, some half demolished,
others hardly more than a heap of bro
ken timbers, still others were smoking
no
STORY OF THE CATASTROPHE
Lowell. Mass. July 29.-An explosion
destroyed the zine of the United
States Cartridge company located in
Tewksbury today, caused the death of
probably % persons and injury to more
than so others, set fire to a number
. of buildings in the vicinity and caused
general wreck of houses within a ra-
dius of half mile.
The concusson was felt in Boston.
forty miles away. and at Exeter. N. f..
which is greater distance from Low
ell At many points a score of miles
distant window glass was shattered and
other damage done. In some cases
there were reports that there had been
an earthquake. The city was throwa
into panic and it required every eff
fort of the authorities to establish and
maintain anything like order 1t be-
came necessary to summon four COM
panies of the state militia. Alarming
reports to the effect that over 100 per-
widespread confusion. The explosion is
thought to have been caused by the
jarling of dynamite stored in the mag
azine by worlxmen who were laying
new floor.
The dynamite set off the powder
stored in one chamber and that explo-
sion was followed by another in a sec
ond chamber.
The plant of the United States Cart
ridge company is located in a district
known as Riverside Park just outside
Of Lowell
The building in which the explosion
occurred was a stone structure about
one and a half miles distant from the
works of the cartridge company. With
in distance of so yards are located
half 4 dozen houses. Within hundred
yards there are twenty more houses,
and beyond that the buildings are very
close together. Every structure within
quarter of a mile was torn within and
without. Persons inside the house sus-
tanned injuries.
Men who lived in streets not far away
who were fortunate enough to escape
serious injuries Immediately gave them
selves over to removing women and
children to places of safety for almost
simultaneously with the explosion came
flashes from several buildings Into
che flames and debris scores of men