THE BREMERHAVEN ATROCITY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 232, 19 February 1876, Page 23

THE BREMERHAVEN ATROCITY.

" A terrible calamity," the Pall Mall Gazette says, " occurred on Saturday, December 4, at Bremerhaven. Just as the Mosel, a sister ship to the Deutschland, was about to start for New York, and while the quay was crowded with people who wished to see the vessel start, an explosion took place among the passengers' luggage, by which 68 persons were killed, and upwards of 100 wounded. A passenger named Thomassen shortly afterwards attempted to commit suicide by shooting himself, and this man has since confessed that he meant to leave the vessel at Southampton, and that the chest which exploded belonged to him, and contained explosive compounds so prepared as to explode after a week's voyage, when he expected the ship to sink. Thomassen in such a case would have become entitled to a large indemnity from insurance companies, and the goods on which the claim was to be based, and which were to be insured for above their value, were intended to be shipped at Southampton. He states that he constructed the chest, and fitted it with an internal clockwork so contrived as to cause an explosion after a certain time. It does not yet appear to be clearly determined what explosive compound was used, or whether the chest also contained any bombs. Thomassen was occcpied during a fortnight in filling the chest with explosives, and did the work in a coachhouse situated in the most frequented part of Bremen. He has repeatedly torn off the bandage from his wound, so that he has had to be placed in irons in his bed. His parentage is not yet clear; but he seems to be a Suabian by birth, and a naturalised American citizen. The North German Gazette recalls the mysterious disappearance, four years ago, of the City of Boston, steamer, with 250 souls, and suggests that the Bremerhaven disaster may throw some light on that occurrence. "The following particulars respecting the explosion are from the Weiser Zeitung. It appears that just before the Mo3el was about to set sail a cart, containing four cases and a barrel, was being unloaded for shipment. Suddenly a terrible explosion occurred. The effect was horrible. The quay was then thronged with people—partly belonging to the steamer, partly spectators, and partly passengers who had remained there to take a last farewell of their friends. An eye-witness who stood under the gangway of the Mosel, on hearing the terrific report, saw a number of black lumps flying about in the air, whilst very few of the persons on land remained visible. Apprehending a boiler explosion, he threw himself flat on deck, where he received a volley of sand, broken glass, fragments of flesh, bones, ,&c. The devastation on board the Mosel was terrific. No skylight was left. The cabins aft, starboard, and port, were either crushed in or bulged out by the pressure, or altogether smashed ; the side plates of the ship were burst; the ports, with their glasses and rivets, forced inwards ; and the whole ship was besmeared with blood and stuck over with pieces of flesh and other human debris. In the hold, and all parts of the ship, were found arms, legs, and other portions of the human frame ; thus the lower hold received some limbs through the open hatchways. The sides of the hatchways were burst by the pressure, and the front of the navigation cabin on deck stove

in. The whole ship was littered with glass shreds, which even filled the dishes from the steam kitchen as they were being served to the 'tween deck or steerage passengers. _ The tug got off comparatively unhurt, being so much more below the quay line than the Mosel ; still the whole of its deck was destroyed. The crew came off with a mere fright, only the engineers and stokers having been hurt slightly. On land, where the package had been unloaded, a hole had been produced from 6ft. to 7ft. deep. The whole place was strewn with Hmbs, shreds of dress, &c. In large reeking pools of blood you might see here an arm, there a calf, intestines, mutilated busts, &c. Amongst the most horrible details of this calamity is the fate of the Etmer family, who were seeing off one of their sons to Caufornia. The father, mother, son, and son-in-law are dead, all four ; the daughter-in-law has had her arm, and her child its hand blown off. The case which exploded had been in the care of the carrier Westerman, of Bremerhaven, and was accompanied on its way to the steamer by a Mr. Tumforde, of whom it is said all trace has been lost. The cart has been shattered into thousands of splinters, and the poor horse has had his four feet blown off near the hoofs.

The authorship of the terrible catastrophe is traced to W. K. Thomas, a passenger of the Mosel. Thomas has acknowledged that he was the owner of the barrel which exploded, and that he intended to take this barrel ?on board the vessel for the purpose of sinking her. The motive of this diabolical wickedness appears to have been the hope of gaining a, large sum by means of exaggerated and fictitious insurances. And the sum thus obtained was to have been shared with others. He is perfectly conscious, and answers all questions put to him. He is in the same room with many of his victims. According to information at present in possession of the police, Thomas had prepared only one barrel for the carrying out of his horrid work, although a report had spread in Bremerhaven that a number of machines had been put on board the Mosel. This barrel was made for Thomas by the master-cooper Delvendahl. It was made of strong material, and was divided by means of a partition in the middle, through which there was a hole. In the one division it is assumed that he had placed the igniting apparatus, and the other was filled with dynamite. He accompanied the barrel when it was taken to the depot of the North German Lloyds Company, and lie told the porters it should be handled with care. It is supposed that his plan Was to effect the ignition by means of a clockwork apparatus, which in all probability was to have been set in motion when he arrived in Southampton, to which place only he had booked. It appears that he intended to sail with the ill-fated Deutschland, but the apparatus for effecting the ienition was not completed in time. The number of the victims is constantly being According to authentic information the list of dead and wounded amounts to 170 persons.

A correspondent of the same paper states that the scene at the hospital deadhouse was of the most harrowing character. The mutilated remains filled a large basket which four strong men could hardly carry. There were also a number of heads which from time to time were inspected by people looking for friends or relatives. About 30 wounded persons were in the hospital, many others were in private houses. Nearly every family in the little town has suffered severely.