N ear-splitting explosion, everything growing dark, a tremendous column of smoke, wit) th people wandering about with stupefied expressions on their faci "es and everywhere the wounded of both sexes moaning for their relatives, and children, parents, sometimes whole families buried under the ruins. These phrases briefly tell the story of the exp! lesion of the munition dump at Lanchow, ca) of the north-western province of Kansu, on the afternoon of October 20, special correspondent of the "North-China Herald" describes his amazement on learning that the dump was situated where it was—in the heart of a congested district, with a hospital ess than 330 yards away. Estim: ates placing the number of dead at 2,000 are quoted, but, as a sti riot censorship was immediately clamped down, the figure, while Probably not much exaggerated, should be accepted with reserve.
The first explosion occurred at 4.15 p.m, on Sunday, October 20, and was followed by a series of detonations of varying intensity, which continued throughout the night. A vivid account of the disaster and his impressions is given by our special cor= respondent, who happened to be at Lanchow at the time and who wrote his narrative the day after.
With the bishop now in good honda 1 made my way to the Catholic sisters, who lived on the other side of the main part of the mission in a walled-in building, as T was sure that these sisters, who are in charge of dozens of orphans, would certainly be great trouble. So I took medical case along and climbed over and along walls to the main gate, Everywhere people were wandering. about with stupified expressions on their faces. Nobody seemed to know what had actually happened, and moss thought an earthquake had occurred. One of the main gates had deen broken into thousands of pieces by the tremendous force of the explosion. All the plaster had fallen from the walls on the sttest and many heavy stones and ornaments had I was arranging my luggage in the compound, ho writes, when I" felt! the earth tremble and, shortly afterwards, an ear-splitting explosion occurred, which had such force that the five Chinese servants who were helping me were thrown. tothe Bround of against the wall Everything grew dark, and the air was filled with so much' dust T could nly one of my servants who was fon his knees before me, praying with uplifted arms, supplicating my: help.
My frst thought was that an aeroplane "had dropped a bomb somewhere in the. vicinity, but when the dust settled I could see in the east a tremendous column of smoke, which rose from 1,000 to 41,300 feet into the ait, and then extended mushroom-like." This could not have been caused. by an aeroplane bomb and I thought. the big benzine depot at the aerodrome the east of Lanchow might have blown up.
It now became possible to distin gush people and to ascertain the damage. Every door and window in my house had been smashed inwards cly the force of the explosion. Two side walls had collapsed, and all the walls showed large clefts. My. room Jooked as if a bomb had exploded in It, "A table was lying in the corner, the lamp was on the floor, and papers, clothes and everything' else was strewn everywhere. We even found things on the roofs of adjoining houses.
"he Bishop is Dead"
While I was still Tooking over the damage in my living room, Father Hermans of the German Catholic Mission came running, shouting "The Bishop is dead." As my servants were only slightly injured, T ran with the priest to the home of the bishop, Dr. Buddenbrock, about 278 yards away. There. we found him covered with "blood, but" luckily alive: we carried the bishop to my house, 'As we had no bandages with us, and seated him In one of the few undamaged chairs." He bad sufferer badly" from shock and. kept asking what was the matter, where: had' we found him, and why was he bleeding As he kept on touching the beck his head, where he hada big wound, we finally had to tie his hands, while dug out my. medical kit" from another room. Besides the wound en the back of his head, he had several bad cuts anda contusion on the let fide of his face. This. had "bees caused by a whole Wwindow-frame fying tnto'his face ae he was ailing at his writing-desk. "In spite of hie pain, he had' managed, Thinking an earthquake had occurred, to get into the open where he had collapsed Mission Hospital Smashed 'A messenger was sent to the Ge man Mission Hospital about $30 yard: away. He returned shortly with the terrible news that the whole has. pital was one mass of debris under which everything was buried Patients, doctors, nurses, medical supplies and everything.
Luckily, this bad news proved be exaggerated. But things were bad enough. A few minutes later, Brother Secundus, who is in charge' of th> surgical department of the hospital came running to us, his face covered with blood and dust. "We have lost everything." he moaned. "Innumerable persons have been buried. All the Brothers are injured. I cannot e: to the medical supplies.'
He was glad when he found' had bandages and other materials and at
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.