Jasper Republican, Volume 2, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 January 1876 — Details of the Dynamite Explosion at Bremerhavea. [ARTICLE]

Details of the Dynamite Explosion at Bremerhavea.

The following particulars respecting the dynamite explosion st Bremerhaven are from the Weiner Zedong: It appears that just before the Mosel was about to sail a cart containing four eases 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, ana 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, when he received a volley of sand, broken glass, fragments of flesh, bones, etc. The devastation on hoard the Mosel was terrific. No skylight was left; the cabins aft, starboard and port were either crashed 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 Inward, and the whole ship was besmeared with blood ahd 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 Uttered with glass shreds, which even fined the dishes from the steam kitchen as they were being served to the ’tween deck or steerage pas* sengers. The tug got off comparatively unhurt, being so much more below the quay line than the Mosel; still, the whole of its deek; was destroyed. The crew came off with a mere fright, only the engineers and stokers having been hurt slightly. On land, where the packages had been unloaded, a hole had been produced six or seven feet deep. The whole place was strewn with limbs, shreds of dress, etc. In large reeking pools of blood you might sqe here an arm, there a calf, intestines, mutilated busts, etc. Amongst the most horrible details of this calamity is the fate of the Etmer family, who were seeing off one of their sons to California. 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 Westej-mann, of Bremerliavcn, and was accompanied on its way to the steamer by a Mr. Tumforde, of Whom it Is said all traee 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 now 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 > t 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 alt 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 Brcmerhaven that a number of machines had been put on board the Mosel, This barrel was made for Thomas *by the master cooper Delvendhsl. It was made of Btrong material, and was divided by means of a partition in the middle, through Which there was a hole. In 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 Lloyd Company, and told the porters it should be handled with bare. It is supposed that hi» plan was to effect the ignition by means of a clock-work apparatus, which in all probability was to be set in motion when he arrived at Southampton, to which place only he bad booked. It appears that he intended to sail with the ill-fated Deutschland, but the aparatus for effecting the ignitibn was not completed in time. The number of the victim is constantly being increased. According to authentic information the list of dead and wounded amounts to 180 persons. The scene at the hospital dead-house 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 thirty wounded persons were in the hospital; many others were in private houses. Nearly every family in the little town has suffered severely. .