The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-09-21
Carload Blew Cp in Heart Of
the Town.
FIFTEEN PEOPLE DEAD.
Number of Injured Is Estimated
at Fifty.
Every Warehouse In the Vicinity
Is Totally Destroyed.

Knoxville. Tenn Sept Fifteen
people are believed to have been killed.
probably 30 injured and almost the en-
tire business section Of Jellico, Tenn.
wrecked by a terrific explosion Of dyna-
mite early today In car in the yards
of the Louisville & Nashville railway.
The explosion occurred about 100 yards
north of the depot and near the center
of the business section of the town The
bodies Of the dead are buried in the
debris and it is impossible to estimate
the extent Of the fatalities or to give
names of those who lost their lives. One
Of the known dead is Thomas Atkins,
aged 80. Iineman employed by the
East Tennessee Telephone company.
Every warehouse In Jellico along the
Louisville & Nashville railroad is total
~ destroyed and nearly every store is
blown to pieces or damaged to such an
extent that it is ruin.
The entire third floor of the Carmar-
then inn, a large brick hotel structure,
was blown off
It is believed that no prominent white
people, business or professional men or
their families are included in the dead.
A special train has been sent over the
Louisville & Nashville railroad from
Jellico to Williamsburg, KY. for physi-
clans An early morning train over the
Southern railway from Knoxville, also
carried physicians to attend the wound
ed
The Known Dead.
GEORGE ATKINS, aged 80, line
man for the East Tennessee Telephone
company.
JOHN COOK. aged so, car inspec-
tor for the Southern railway.
WALTER RODGERS, aged 2s.
clerk for United Cold Storage Ware
house
JOHN GORDON. coIored, aged 80.
JAMES SHARP, colored
| WILLIAM LOWELL. aged - years.
IDA RAYNE, aged three years.
| JAN ES REYNOLDS.
| JOSEPH FELLERS, engineer Of Z.
/ & N. railway.
- COOK, son Of J. NJ. Cook.
One body remains unidentified. max
/ ing the total dead at the noon hour l.
Five other dead bodies have been
found, but they are so badly InutlIated
that they are beyond recognition
Without exception every business
house in the town is either totally
| wrecked or badly damaged The Union
depot of the Southern railway and the
/ Louisville & Nashville railroad depot
| located about 100 yards from the scene
| of the explosion, was shattered to
splinters. This cut off all telegraphic
communication and news of the ex-
| plosion was handled by telephone. The
explosion occurred on the Kentucky
side OF Jellico and in consequence ev-
cry mouse on that side of the town was
wrecked Not one was spared A
large number of residences located
near the railroad on the Kentucky
side we're without exception demolisF-
ed. AS a. result it is estimated that
one-seventh of the population of the
two Jellices is homeless. A car load
ed with dynamite and consigned to the
Rand Powder company arrived here
this morning at $50 O'Clock 1t was
brought in by the Southern Railway
from the direction of Knoxville and
was sidetracked in the yards used
| Jointly by the Southern railway and
the Louisville & Nashville Tt is be-
lieved that the explosion was caused
from spontaneous combustion in the
car However, nothing has vet de-
! veloped to make this assertion positive
The spot where the car stood is mark
ed by crevice in the earth fully 90
feet deep and about thirty feet in dia-
meter.
OFFICIALS of the Southern railway
and the Louisville & Nashville left
Knoxville this morning expecting Ia
reach Jellico by noon. On the sams
train were number Of physicians and
a representative of the Associated
Press