THE ANTWERP CATASTROPHE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2253, 15 October 1889, Page 2

THE ANTWERP CATASTROPHE.

ONE HUNDRED ANO THIRTY FIVE PERSONS KILLED. (Per Mail Steamer at Auokland.) London, September BJ> Dyn. mite exploded m tbe cartridge faatt.ry ln the vicinity of the Bourse at Antwerp on Srp'cmber 6.b, killing many people. The faotory waa adjacent to the petroleum etoree, and a large Russian petroleum warehouse was on fire. Tbe explosion was In the workshop, where a large number of old oastlnga wore being taken to pleoeg, and many employes were breaking op cartridges. Fully 250,000,000 cartridges were m and abont ihe premises, Nobe of tbe employee of the faotory at Oerevlllennea were found alive, nor was thero a corpse Intaot, The explosion was like an earthquake, and broke nearly evory window In tbe oity. On September 7th the petroleum district still burned like a volcano. Tbat part of the oity was lighted by a lurid glare, and the balance covered by a pall of donee smoke. Troops and firemen worked In relays. Some were taken to the hospital, aome toff 'oated by amoko, others shot through and through by flying projectiles or maimed by falling debris. Ballets flaw around like hailstones, and thoae who songbt to eeoapa through the streets were shot down m the|r tracks. A number of aallo s and oootoma ( ffiaora we<re killed on board the ..hips by flying bullets, aod the ships were riddled by tbe mlsstles, Ie la estimated thu 2000 tons of cartridges exploded, The noise was hoard for thirty mllea, and with the smoke that filled the air tbe ocoqrronce was liko that of a great battle. This » ffeot waa heightened by the explosion of bnrrola of oil and the falling ruina. Llmbn and fragments of bodice were found at incredlblo diatanoos from the aceuo, In acme onoes half a mile away. Over a hundred aud thirty wholo corpses lay In tbe morguo, while oharred Leaps of human remains represented tbe unknown dead. Many persona out off from the oity and Soraued by tho fl.mes j imped into tho < ver Scheldt and were drowned by the dczon, or wore burned to death by tho bl. z'ng oil that poured upon tbe Burfaoo of the water* Among tho.e wbo lost their lives ln this manner were many workmen <<f the faotory and about tbe petroleum stores. Aboot 110,000 barrels of Russian petroleum woro burned. Tbe fl tines covered two aorta of ground, and rose to an Immense height. MaDy of the workers snooumbed to tbe heat and smoko, and bad to be conveyed to the hospitals on stretchers. A\[ had blaokened faoea, and bona evldenoe of the sickening effects cf tbe smoke that dogged their efforts. Tho oity waterworks with tho vast, elaborate, aud o?Btly machinery, wero dest'oytd partially and rendered uaeloss. Theso worlw ooet £1,000,000. The fl.pks and ' atilpplng wtre untonoh^d by the flames, as the direction of the wind was toward the town continuously. Bayond the Ruaalan oil tanka and Nobol'a Bhedr, numerous houaea woro burned, and when the oonfiigratlon was finally depressed, on September Btb, it wbb found that the vlllago ot Arstravolt Inhabited by artfsana bad boen completely destroyed, and m i.s vlolnlty no publio buildings bad oaouped damage. All parts of tha oity abow mark,] of damage, aod portion wpea» aa if bombarded. The numbe> $ dead will reaoh 200 and ovor- Oocavojon, the proprietor of tho cartridge fao'o y where the explosion took plaoe. wk_» pot under arrest. The -$olal report sho we 135 persona killed. 20 mlailng, 100 seriously, and 200 flight)* ipjured, /