The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-05-19

DEATH AND HORROR
FOLLOW EXPLOSION
Cuban Officials Think Fatality
Which Killed 100 Was
Accident.
RESCUE WORK GREWSoME
Find Tiny Pieces Of Human Flesh
Scattered Over Wide
Area.
RESCUE WORK GREWSoME
Area.

HAVANA, CUBA, March le.---with
strong .-rce OF rurales under the
personal command OF General Mon
teagudo on the scene and the gov
eminent officials prepared for any
eventuality, the official investigation
OF the dynamite explosion which KILL
ed 100 persons, wounded 500 more
and wrecked the garrison barracks
a piitar-dei Rio yesterday was be-
gun to-day. Many of the injured are
In a dying condition, and doctors and
medical supplies from this city have
been rushed to the scene.
Although leaning to the belief that
the explosion was purely accidental,
the government officials are taking
no chances of an uprising The ru-
raj guards rushed to the scene are
the pick of the force. all men whose
loyalty Is unquesttoned. The fact that
aone cf the men actively engaged in
me w0rK or trlnfrerFing tie expIo-
sive survived is likely to make tho
work Of establishing the exact respon-
sihitity difficult. II not impossible.
This city is filled with rumors OF
3iot, but the officials generally dis
uprising disappeared with the re-
cent arrest OF General Estenoz.
The work Of exhuming the dead
continued To day. The scenes in and
about the neighhorhood where the
barracks formerly stood are indie
serbia IDLY horrible Pieces OF mu-
Hated flesh and bone are scattered
over a radius Of "a mile square, some
Of them not large enough to deter
mine whether they are human or
portions of the mules and horses that
also met death In the explosion.
Injured Terribly Mutiiatcd
Most Of the injured are terribly
hurt. Some have limbs missing. the
U'dIes 0f others were penetrated with
splinte.s of wood or pieces Of stone.
and still others were buried for some
hours under debris only to be dug
out still breathing and hurried to tire
temporary hospitals.
There were 5000 pounds of dyna-
mite In the boxes stored in the regu-
Tar powder magazine when the ex-
plosion occurred In the building adj
jacent were quartered the 'rurales'
officers aud their families. and the
employees of the pnblic works depart
ment. How many of these were kill
ed cannot be determined for some
lays, as the roll books OF the troops
were destroyed by the explosion.
Among the missing officers. certain
to. lee dead. are Isidro de orc Soier.
chief engineer Of the PROVINCE: Cap
laina Alfred RaNena and Gaspard
Betancourt. Lieutenant Emilio Dihigo
and their families.
After making an examination Of
the vicinity. General Monteagudo ex-
pressed the belief that the cause Of
+ the explosion was the careless hand
/ ling of the boxes Of dynamite. all
though he IT. still investigating the
/ theory that It was set of by SYM
/ pathIzers with plat against the
( present government. The work Ut
rescne is most hazardous. inasmuch
ti1t-r-- ftre- fears that some hexes
of dynamite which did not explode
Nrc in the ruins.
During the night twenty six bodies
were recovered. All were so badly
manesed that recognition WAS imposst-
ble. Others are sthl being taken out
and carried To the temporary morgua
whore they are being prepared for
burial i, IL not believed that II will
bc possible to Identify more than a
dozen Of the dead and il ia planned
mon grave IN tfc city cemetery
Charles Wells. an American engi-
neer. was among those killed In the
explosion. 1t is believed that the ex-
ploslon was caused by a carpenters
attempt to nail one of the boxes of
dynamite.