The Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1852-1853, 1853-08-31
fvThe Wheeling Intelligence. of yei

ETThe Wheeling IntelligenceI. of yes
terday. the 3Oih inst, contains The follow
ing:
EXPLOSION Loss OF LIEE--DEs8RUcrIoN
or PRoPERTy.-Iesterday. about half after
one o'clock. while sitting in our Office, We
we're alarmed by terrific explosion which
caused the building 10 irrnble to its founda-
ton. On running t. our window, pereeiv-
ed the atmosphere, in the direction Of the
river, filed with smoke and flying frug-
ments, and our ears were greeted on all
sides with the rattling OF broken glass, Jar
red from the windows by the force of the
explosion. and falling on the payements be-
meath. The FIRST horrible conviction, from
this view of the scene, which fastened on
our mind, was, that some one of the boats
lying at our warf, had burst boiler, and
tull OF the horror of this conviction, we hast
ened TO the scene Of disaster, where we as
cer,ained that tie explosion was not from
steam, but was clGsed by the accidental
ignition of a quantity OF chat not less active.
agent, gunpowder. It appears that dray-
man had loaded twenty nine keg. Of pow
der on his dray, near the water line of the
wharf, ana started his horse, dt a brisk gait,
up the warf, when one of the kegs, hecom-
ing displaced, fell on to the paving, ignted
in some way, and exploded with terrific.
report. Mr. Wallaston Kimberly, respect-
able citizen Of this city, and owner OF the
drays employed in moving the powder, was
instantly killed, having the top of lis head
blown off and his body literally burnt TO
crisp. The mangled and burnt remains,
thus presented to view, was the most hor-
rIble sight we ever looked upon. T. Schan-
/ ley, a drayman near by at the time, was
blown into, or ran into, the river, being blin
ded by the powder. He is dreadfully,
though, we believe, not Fatally burnt, and
received no internal injuries. Several 9TH
er persons were blown down by the force
Of the explosion, and received Slight inju-
lies.
The steamboat Salem received consider
able damage by this accident her pilot house
is much shattered, and the siding of the
forward cabin much broken. The wharf
boat offs. G. Baker g. Co., having received
the main force Of the explosion, and form
ing brcastwork for the Salem, is almost
u wreck. Other boats near by, received
slight injuries.
The buildings on Water street, from our
Office to Union, are almost entirely deprived
Of glass, and in many OF them, the windows,
sash and all, were blown in with a crash.
Tie Sprgg House. with its strong glass and
sash, Jared but little better than the rest.
The windows of houses on Monroe and
Union, as far back as Market and on Main
street, were not exempt from the general
crash. The beautiful glass in the window
Of Messrs. Warden u III wards, i3hing
80 les and costing $4,000, was literally
Glred to pieces. The fine windows ofKells
d Caldwell, VIM Z. SeIby and others on
| Main street, met tie same fate.
Altogether, this is the most terrible ex-
posion we ever Witnessed, and the only won
der is, that SO few persons are killed and
injmed by it, The presumption is, from
the violence Of the shock that most of the
kegs on the day ignitcd from the one that
fell, and exploded almost simultaneously.
OF the 90 kegs composing the load, buc one
has as yet been found,