The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1832-06-19
POWDER MILL EXPLOSION.

Cno Vi the pounding mills, belonging
to the extensive manufactory of Mr..
WILLIAM RoGERs, of Philadelphia, and
known generally throughout the United
States, rs the Nitre Hall Mills, was blown
up on Saturday, July the 10Th, at IO5
o'clock, AN -Four of the men lost their
lives. The following statement may be
relied on as being correct.
The pounding mill contains "a pestlcs
and mortars in each mortar the ingre-
dients for one keg are placed and pound-
ed about IA hours. There are A work.
men, and a superintendent visits the mill
every hour. They remain there about
ten minutes,-the mill is stopped as soon
as they enter, the Founders hoisted, and
are not put in motion until they are ready
to retire. Their business is to mix the
composition by hand, add certain por-
ton of water, and see that all the ma
chinery is i'll perfect order. The mill
had been started about FIVE hours, and
was in perfect order the men had come
down to their usual hourly turn, the last
man was brushing up the dust, prepara-
tory to setting the wheel in motion when
one of the men was seen by Nulty, who
worked alongside Of him, to take up n
copper hammer and strike small piece
of powder, which adhered to the brass
bottom of the FOUNDER, and on repeating
the blow, instantly spark was elected,
and the explosion took place. Two of
the men, McAleer and Dewitt, were killed
instantly. White was dreadfully burned
he lived about hours.-Nulty was al
so very badly burned-he lived about 27
hours. Both were perfectly sensible
until the last. McAleer had the upper
part of his head carried of, both arms
and both legs broken. McDevitt's skull
was injured and one arm broken. White
and Nulty had no bones broken. The
Superintendent had gone outside to the
water wheel, and was turning the corner
of the building on his way to the inside,
to start the mill, when the explosion took
place. He was thrown off his feet by the
shock, but being protected by thick
wall, was otherwise uninjured. Owing
to there being six large windows and
three doors all open al. the time, the walls
of the building were not much injured.
The roof was thrown off, and broken to
pleces-the machinery inside of the mill
is broken and destroycd-the valuable
water wheel, 30 feet in diameter, being
protected by very thick wall, uninjured.
There was about six hundred weight of
powder lost. The entire loss is estimat-
ed at about 5000. The rest of the mills
are uninjured. The nearest building was
the fire proof magazine, about 200 yards
Oft. This contains at present about
5000 kegs, but from its location it could
not be injured by any explosion which
could take place. Every attention which
could he paid to the men was rendered.
Four physicians were in immediate and
almost constant attendance, but their ef-
forts proved unavailing.
McLeer has left a wife and six chill
drcn, Nulty a wife and one child, the
other two were single. The names of
the sufferers and the place of their resi-
dence in Ireland were-Daniel M'Aleer,
County Tyrone; Patrick M'Devitt, Coun-
ty Ennishowcr Andrew White, county
Tyrone Patrick Nulty, county Louth.-
Am. Dai. Adp.
rardLyttlcton Buiuer.-The Editor
Of the Philadelphia Gazette, from whom
we learn that this popular novelist is but
twenty seven years of age, publishes the
following extract from one of his letters
in Saturdays paper:
81 have long nurscd an ardent desire,"
says the author of Pelham" to visit the
country you discribe with such ardor -
Which your great men have already rem
dered classical & yourinstitutions sacred.
A very favorite project with me is to vis-
it that country with the intention to do
it justice: and l am sure that that justice,
however qualified with the censure from
which nothing earthly can escape, will,
on the whole, be the justice of admiration.
But the aspect of public affairs in En-
gland, in which am at this present time
deeply interested, are so confused and
Ominous, that cannot even guess when
L shall be able to execute a scheme have
SO nearly at heart. am convinced that
should ever behold America, my pres
ent prepossessions will be confirmed by
actual experience"
1t is true, as Portsmouth editor re-
marks, "let man, who is addicted to
any crime, only be limited at as guilty.
and his dignity is wounded in mo-
ment."
A clergyman was lately knocked down in
the streets New York, robbed of bis money,
and left in the custody of the watchmcn by
the assailants, one Of whom in women's
clothes, represented him as having attacked
her husband. The villains escaped with their
booty.