The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1850-07-18
The Late CONFEDERATION.


served, and it is an honorable trait in the
character of our citizens that the loss of
life thus occasioned obtains so much more
consideration than does the vast wre OK of
property. In one or other of these two
phases, alternately, the catastrophe con-
tinually forces itself on ones thoughts,
and each time, we may suppose, with ad-
ditional awe for that powerful element
which in few short hours has broken up
happy homes, made helpless orphans, and
thrust them out of doors to struggle on
through life as best they may, and brought
aged men and women, who hoped 10 full
fli IN peace their pilgrimage of years, to
look upon the blackened corpses of those
who, animated by flial piety, would have
continued to protect them from Indulgence,
and to soothe them by friendly sympa-
thies. The extent Of the calamity having
been nearly ascertained, public inquiry
now recurs to the particular cause which
occasioned it, and the CO use or causes
which prevented the earlier extipguish-
ment of the flames. AS to the latter, with
which we have now to do, 1t is certain
that but for the explosion, which, for all
that was known, might any instant be fol-
lowed by another-a possibility which
for awhile kept our brave fremen COM
pletely at bay, thus allowing the flames
TO have their free course-the fire might
have been checked with the usual promp-
titude. Public attention is now directed
TO the discovery of the cause which in
duced the explosion. On this point,
strangely enough, there happens to exist
amidst intelligent scientific man differ
cnce of opinion: difference of opinion
only, for it is not denied that a quantity
of saltpetre lay stored on the premises
The question at issue is simply thls-ls
saltpetre, copable while in an uncom-
pounded state, of producing under any
possible circumstances, such an explosion
as was witnessed on Tuesday last, or in
deed, any explosion at all? If not, the in
ference is plain that ther must have been
on the premises an explosive substance OF
another name-most probably, gunpow-
der. The difficulty in the way of any
such inference is, that it must ignore the
veracity of Mr.. BROCK, who teStifies that
to his certain knowledge no gunpowder
was in the building at the time of the ex-
plosion; we must set aside the tes timony
4 OF other veraclous men, who, previous to
the great exp losion, heard a cracking
noise within the building, which, one OF
these, Captain, in company with mer-
chant of our acquaintance, at once pro-
nounCed so come from the ignition of salt
petre; we must also set aside the testimony
ofthose who witnessed the saltpetre, at
the instant after the explosion, forcing it.
self upward in liquid column. The tes-
tlmony Of those who was no such column
and witnessed no such ignition, cannot
10 "A llOwed To paSc ,nuStar hac
the after appearance IN any shape or form
of SAID saltpetre is no; an essential icondi-
tion to its having produced the explosion,
and secondly: because if it really made
disappearance thus metamorphosed it was
not necessary that all gazers should see
1t, in order to make the assertion of such
appearance good. But we have proof to
bring from another quarter, as to the ex-
ptosIve properties OF saltpetre, far more
decisive than the opinions of the casual
bystanders at this fire, and the specuula-
tons Of amateur chemists. On referring
TO certain answers given by Prof. B. Sill
LIMAN, in answer to queries put by a
Committee of the Common Council of
New York, regarding the cause of The ex-
rlosron which marked the commence,
ncnt of the fire in that city, July 1915,
we find the following statemenl:-
"As soon as saltpetre becomes ignited,
lmmense quantities of gas are discharged
-Inore than 1900 inches to pound -
Amid the conha gration of large buildings,
IT would not appear incredible, that pile
OF Saltpctre, ignited aud OF course infu-
SION aud every instant discharging im-
mense volumes of gas. should be sudden
ly compressed by falling floors, and walks
and roofs, and that being thus covered
the only additional requisite TO produce
ezFiosionehould be thoroughly supplied" !"
Thus the very condition which Prof
SILIInAN lays down as necessary to the
explosion of satptre, has been fulfilled
We shall but add, that Mr. EMANUEL B.
HART, the Chairman of the New York
Committee, to whose report we have
referred, merits the warmest commenda-
ton for the ability aud spirit with which
he elected all attainable information.
Is notcaable, that though the Committee
reIralned from the expression of opinion
on the subject matter OF their investigation
this investigation was followed by the
adoption OF measures for the safe storage
OF salpetrc, 50 stringent as to impy
full admittance OF the testimony
Pctnsyironian.