The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-03-08
F 6 h t III Havoc Is.
Wrought When Ships
Cargo Explodes.
FIFTY MEN DEAD;
SCORES INJURED
Earth Is Shaken for 100 Miles
and $l,ooo,ooo in Property
Damaged by Explosion in
Baltimore Harbor-Several
Vessels Are Annihilated
by Conclusion.


tons of dynamite being loaded In tho
british tramp steamer Alum Chine, in
the lower hnrhor off Fort Howard, cx-
ploded about 1890 O'Clock this morn
ans, instantly killing from forty to
fifty mon, woundinR and mnimipr
thrcescorc more, some of whom may
die, and dealing destruction to half
n million dollars worth of property.
The Alum Chine and n loading scov
RlOnEHtdc her were anuihiIntcd, the
tug Atlantic, which twice went to the
rescne of the imperiicd senmcn, was
set on fire and later sunk, the United
States collier Jason, just completed
and ready for trial, was rnked to her
deck and her armor rfddfcd, and build
ings In baltimore mud towns many
miles Hwny were rocked by the force
of the terrific cxpIosiou.
The cause OF the disaster is unknown
tonight, but Federal authorities have
instituted thorough investigation to
place the blame Excited survivors
told conflicting stories some insisting
that negro stevedore caused the eX-
plosion by jammins a pike into case
of dynamite.
Twenty Bodies Recovered.
ut lato hour tonight the bodies oe
twenty dead had been brought to
morgues In this city and sixty Injured
were in the hospitals Estimates OF
the dead include thirty stevedores and
checkers Of the Joseph r. Foard Com
pany. employed in transferring dyna-
mite from barge to the Alum Chine.
which was bound for Panama: eight
members of the crew of the Alum
Chine, six men on the collier Jason and
the captain and several members of the
crew of the tug Atlantic. Many bodies.
from the waters.
or the injured, score are fright
fully manned. Al least fifteen areTey-
pected TO die.
Tonight thirteen OF the dead had
been identified, follows:
Captain William f. vnn Dyke, Ral-
tfn,ore. of the tug Atlantic.
Robert w. DigSS, first mate, tug At
inn tie. baltimore.
Edward Walters, chief officer OF
Alum Chine.
Joseph T.. Lennon, Baltimorc. A.
lnntic crew.
John sIackraI. Frauk DonIey, Ed
ward Casseil, Andrew GnrotsIi, Joseph
Il. Hook. stevedOres, nlI of baltimore
Charles Davis, fireman on collier .Jas
Son, baltimore.
John Lind. fireman on collier Jason.
Baltimore.
William Baiston, stevcdorc, BnltI-l
more.
phiiip Smith. stcvedore. Baltimore.
TWO dead negro stevedorcs,
Missing. Believed to he Dead
From the Alum Chine
Jose Gomez, donkey engineer.
James Gibson, CardiH. Wales, fire
man.
John Davis, Cardiff, Wales, fireman..
q. Seilsou. fireman.
NelIbcrx, fireman.
GuNtRve Lcfbcg, seaman.
Two unidentified conf passcrs.
From the Atlantic Transport barge
No 8:
William Meyers, baltimore.
Henry Buschmann, assistant barge
master, baltimore.
Seamen In small craft and CAPTAIN
Van Dyke, Of the Atlantic saw smoke
coming from the dynamite laden Alum
Chine q few minutes before the cxnIo
sion Tho launch Jerome went along
side the ship and rescued many mcm-
bers OF the crew and rushed them To
safety. The witnesses say that when
the explosion came the steamer jumped
from the water as if torpedo had
struck her. and then fell to fragments.
in which were mingled the torn bodies
OF the dead.
Small Craft Blown to Pieces.
The transport coinpany's scow had
been moored to tho big steamer and
the concusson from the ships hold
blew up the tons of dynamite still
aboard the barge in an cchoinE cx-
plosion that increased the carnage and
destruction. Several small craft in the
harbor are believed to have been blown
to pieces.
The tug Atlantic, which had twica
rushed into the rescue before tho crash,
was racing away when it, was caught
In tho rain OF charred wood hot steel
and uneXploded boxes of dynamite that
fell In shower for n quarter OF a rullc
around, killing some of the crew ont
right and setting fire to the vessel
Coming up the river at the lmo was
the tug Britannia, ana she rushed to
the aid OF the Atlantic. picking ups
many of the wounded who had leaped
into the water Some OF them are said
to have perished before the Britannia
could get to them.
The britannia ran line TO the burns
ins tug and started up the river Will,
hcr, but the vessel sank before tho
Laaaretto lighthouse was reached
EycwItnesacs to Catastrophe.
For a time IL was feared the revenua
cutter Guthrie had shared the fatc OF
the Alum Chine. Peter j. Curran, the
boarding officer assigned to the ili-a
ia ted vessel, had left on the Guthri.,
soon after o'clock and it was. there
fore, assumed the cutter was near tho
scene of disaster when tho explosion
occurred. The vessel was three fourtIta
of n mile from the explosion. and In ~
spector Curran was an eyewitness to-
the catastrophe.
I'VE had left the place Of loading
about an hour before" he said, and
stopped only long enough to get ti,s
number OF tho cars. of which threa
were to be unloaded. The work waa
then In progress. Seven carloads ai-s
ready had been stored, and 1t waaI
thought the cargo would be compicte
by evening.
The Guthrie steamed away 10 wait
for an incnnlinn veazel a nd " 80: y