Martinsburgh gazette. [volume] (Martinsburgh, Va. [W. Va.]) 1810-1825, 1823-07-10
DISTRESSING ACCIDENT

| DISTRESSING ACCIDENT.
A quantity of gunpowder in a wag.
gon exploded in this town on the cob
INST. by means OF which two men were
SO badly burnt as TO die within TWEEN
.y-iour hours, and another man and a
boy were so much injured that ,heii
lives are despaired OF.
The circumstances attending the ac-
| cident we understand to be as follows:
The wagon contained twenty five
Kegs OF powder, of 25 lbs. each, Gov
cred with straw for more convenient
transportation; small quantity, not
exceeding two ounces. had escaped
from the casks, and was carefully
swept from the floor of the wagon up
on the ground. Whilst the owner Of
the powder was in treaty with neigh
houring store, keeper for the sale Of
the article, an unluchy boy conceived
that 1t would be fine sport to fire the
waste powder which was scattered
upon the ground, aud without further
rejection, procured coal of fire and
communicated it to the powder. The
immediate consequence was, that the
straw IN the wagon which enveloped
the Kegs was in an instant blazel The
horses, OF course, took fright, and set
Oft without any certain direction. A
more horrible spectacle cannot well
be conceived: in the thickest part of "A
populous town,a wagon containing
this large quantity of powder envclop
ed in fire was about to be exploded,
no one could tell where!
The first attempt OF the horses was
to reach the stable whence they had
issued, and which was in sight--be-
ing driven fromthis course, they saught
retnsein corner, which was made
by two stores, and had the explosion
happened there, both would probably
have been shattered to pieces; but,
a Mr.. Hall, of Stafford, in his ankle.
ty to preserve his own horse, then in
the immediate vicinity, drove the hor-
ses of the burning wagoninto an open
space few rods distant, and before
he could escape ;he powder exploded
Meantime, two men and q boy wor-
king IN hatter's shop near, saw the
wagon in flames, and without know
ing its contents, undertook to unhar-
ness the horses. They were instantly
warned of their danger by the shouts
Of the surrounding multitude, but they
either did not hcle the cry Of powder
distinctly, or they hoped time would
allow them to accomplish their gener-
Gus purpose-but before they had half
finished it the fire reached the
powder. 1t is wonderful that both
men and horses were not instantly
shattered to pieces-but they were not.
One of the horses is not dead, and+he
men had presence of mind TO throw
themselves into the river, and after
wards TO walk back to the tavern
They did not die until several hours
afterwards. Their names are Abbot
l.. Kelley. of Marlborough, Maine
and Andrew Kimball, of Sandwich.
Mr.. Samuel Hall, of Stafford, and
Lewis Goliath, Qhe boy are not yet
dead, but are not likely to recover.
he,o Hampshire Republican.
The plant, vulgarly called poke,
aUeed, is recommended as specific
and sovereign remedy for the cancer.
The recommendations appear to rest
on a solitary experiment made by a
person Of color, who by accident
threw the leaves fthis plant over a
cancer to Keep of the flies. Finding
unexpected relief, he repeated the op-
Grafton and was entirely cured.
u UTICA, June Of
| Important dccision--We learr
from Black Rock, that the Canal
Commissioners have resolved, unan
imously. tc constructa harbor at tha
place. The canal will also be con
nected with the Buffalo creek at the
| village of Buffalo, SO that there will bt
two harbors at the termination OF the