Norwich bulletin., 1910-05-09
Explosion Laid
Country Waste
PLANT OF GENERAL EXPLOSIVES
CO. OF CANADA WRECKED.
TWO STUNNING DETONATI0kS
Headless, LegIess and ArmIess Bodies
Lying About-BasebaIl Players in
the Danger Zone-Many Injured.

Ottawa. May S.-An explosion which
| late this evening wrecked the plant of
the General Explosives company OF
Canada, situated a mile from Hull,
quebec, and four miles from this city,
| killed between ten and fifteen persons
and injured scores of others. The
force OF the explosion was terrifying
The country for miles around was laid
waste and many small buildings In the
city of Hull on the side nearest the
scene of the explosion were fattened
to the ground.
Baseball Players and Spectators
Warned.
A baseball game was in progress a
short distance from the powder works
about o'clock this evening. The
teams were playing the last inning and
when a fire was seen in one of the
small buildings of the powder plant
to get a better view of the blaze.
Warning of the danger came to the
onlookers in two minor explosions soon
after the fire got well under way A
shower OF sparks and fragments of the
wrecked building fell among the spec
tators and there was a scurrying out
OF what was considered the danger
zone. Some men in the crowd, aware
of the possibilities of the danger when
the main magazines were reached by
the fames,- pleaded with the crowd 10
go still further back and many of
them needed the warning. Others, ap-
ger in the spectacle, stood within 1000
yards of the burning buildings.
Main Magazines Exploded With Terri
tying Effect.
They We're kept on the qu vive by
detonations which sent showers of
burning brands in all directions. The
baseball game broke up and the re
mainder of the spectators and the play
ers rushed up to join the crowd at the
fire.
1t was then that the main magazines
exploded. There were two stunning
detonations. Everything within a ra-
dius of a mile and a half was torn and
shattered. Giant trees were sna pped
off close to the. earth barns and dwell
ing houses were converted into kin
miles from the scene, hundreds OF
plate glass windows were shattered to
fra gments.
Scene ResembIed Battlefield.
The scene where the crowd from the
ball field stood resembles a battlefield.
Headless, arn4ess and legless bodies
ere lying about among scores of un
conscious forms. To tbs few who re
tanned a flicker of consciousness it
appeared as though over a hundred
which followed the final death dealing
blast was more terrifying than the
cries and means which came with a
return to consciousness of the badly
injured.
Thought the Comet Had Struck the
Eearth.
The terrific shock brought thousands
of terror stricken people into the
streets of Hull. Some though it was
an earthquake while others cried out
that the comet had struck the earth.
Hundreds of chimneys were toppled
over and there is scarcely a whole
light of glass left in the north eastern
section of the city The first aid from
the hospitals and the police found that
fully forty small frame dwellings had
been shattered and many injured peo-
pie were imprisoned in the w-reckage
The police and fire departments were |
Joined by scores of willing volunteers |
in the work of rescue.
Ambuiances Rushed to the Scene
An hour and a half after the expIos- |
ion word came into the city of the i
disaster and ambulances and automo- |
biles were rushed to the scene. The |
Injured were carried to the local hos |
Ditals until there was room for no |
more and then they were brought |
across the river into this city
At ten o'clock tonight q police es-
Innate placed the number of dead at /
fifteen and the injured at fifty
The Earth TrenbIed Miles Away.
In this city, four miles from the
scene of the explosion, the earth trem-
0led, buildings shook and hundreds
If windoys were shattered
Rideau hall. the official home of Earl
Grey and the buildings on Parliament
lill caught the full force of the ex-
)iosion. Every window one side |
If Rideau hall was blown out and two
;reat stone chimneys toppled over on
he roof Of the building. The parlia-
nent buildings were also badly dam
Lged.
Rideau hall is still occupied by Earl
Trey and his family.
ialf-Ton Stone Fragments Shot
Through the Air.
The building in which the main ex-
ylosion occurred was built of solid
tone the walls being two feet thick.
Fragments of stone weighing up to a
alf-Dn were shot through the air for
quarter of a mile, shattering the
rame dwellings of workingmen which
I'm to within an eighth of a mile of
he factory.