Kobe, June 7.
Yesterday evening a most serious explosion took place in the port here. Four thousand five hundred drums of gasoline, on board a number of lighters, moored at a pier, blew up. The damage is estimated at over Y.1,000,000. It is feared that there have been some fatalities.
Later.
The cause of the explosion is reported to have been a lighterman's cigarette. It is now known that one person was killed and three were injured, while two have not yet been accounted for.—Reuter.
Kobe, June 8.
The cause of the explosion in the port to-day is unknown, but the fire started on one of ithe numerous lighters, lying at No, 3 Pier. Altogether there were 8,555 drums of gasoline on board the West Hassayampo. It is believed that they were originally intended for Adaliral Koltchak but they were brought back to Kobe from Vladivostok four days ago. Negotiations were under way for the disposal of the goods Ito Japan and they were, therefore, placed in lighters to be landed. The lighters were ordered out of the harbour because of the danger but returned on account of the hoisting of the storm signal.
The Tsushimo Maru, the Western Cross, and the Wycheville, which were lying close by, narrowly ¢scaped ithe flames,' which spread rapidly from one to another of the lighters. The drums exploded like volcanic eruptions, shooting flames hundreds of feet into tthe air. The whole harbour seemed to be covered in the mass of flames drifting from the lighters, 15 of which were destroyed, together with 4,500 drums of high grade gasoline. The fire was extinguished at about 10 o'clock last night. It was the mod' spectacular fire ever known in Kobe.—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.