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The Braamfontein Explosion was an explosion of a freight train carrying
On 16 February 1896, a freight train with eight trucks of
Memorial
Series of Photographs relating to the Explosion
{{coord, -26.198, 28.022, type:event_region:ZA-GP, display=title History of Johannesburg 1896 in South Africa 1896 disasters in Africa Railway accidents in 1896 19th century in Johannesburg 19th-century disasters in South Africa Explosions in 1896 Explosions in South Africa
The Braamfontein Explosion was an explosion of a freight train carrying dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...
in Braamfontein
Braamfontein ( English: ''blackberry spring'', or more prosaicly ''blackberry springs''; also known as Braam) is a central suburb of Johannesburg, in South Africa, seat of the Constitutional Court of South Africa and some of South Africa's major c ...
, a suburb of Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...
, in 1896. It was one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history.
Explosion
On 16 February 1896, a freight train with eight trucks of dynamite
Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...
– 2300 cases of 60lb each, or about 60 tonnes – was put in a siding at Braamfontein
Braamfontein ( English: ''blackberry spring'', or more prosaicly ''blackberry springs''; also known as Braam) is a central suburb of Johannesburg, in South Africa, seat of the Constitutional Court of South Africa and some of South Africa's major c ...
railway station. The dynamite was destined for nearby mines, but the mine's stores of dynamite were already full so the train was left in the siding – for days, in very hot weather – until there was somewhere to store the dynamite.
On the afternoon of 19 February, after labourers had started to unload the train, a shunter
A switcher locomotive (American English), shunter locomotive (British English), station pilot (British English), or shifter locomotive ( Pennsylvania Railroad terminology) is a locomotive used for maneuvering railway vehicles over short distan ...
came to move it to another part of the siding; but after the impact of the shunter, the dynamite exploded. The explosion left a crater long, wide and deep. The explosion was heard up to away. Herman Eugene Schoch recorded hearing the explosion in Rustenburg, approximately away.
Suburbs as far away as Fordsburg
Fordsburg is a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. It is located in Region F of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. Fordsburg is a residential suburb, although housing numerous shops and factories.
Today, Fordsburg is a major ce ...
were seriously damaged, and about 3,000 people lost their homes.
Memorials
Accounts vary, but it is thought that over 70 people were killed and more than 200 were injured. A memorial at the Braamfontein cemetery reads that 75 "whites and coloured" were killed. In 2012, artist Eduardo Cachuco created "Explosion, 1896", a complex artwork based on the explosion which was shown at the "looking glass" exhibition.References
External links
Memorial
Series of Photographs relating to the Explosion
{{coord, -26.198, 28.022, type:event_region:ZA-GP, display=title History of Johannesburg 1896 in South Africa 1896 disasters in Africa Railway accidents in 1896 19th century in Johannesburg 19th-century disasters in South Africa Explosions in 1896 Explosions in South Africa