The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1854-02-08

'''' ""'e' we copy from the NetO York
Herald
'hos"a Destruction of French.
Bali Cartridge Factory.
About two o'clock yesterday afternoon
the building occupied as factory for the
making of ball cartridges at Lower Raw.
cnswood, Long Island, blew up .vi,h al,
explosion that shook the houses in thr
neighborhood for two miles around, and
breaking the windows Of all those build.
'ngs which we're within six hundred or
eight hundred feet Of the place. 1t was
rented by Mr. French, who, together with
his son, are generally engaged IN the
building. but being at the moment other.
wise occupicg, happily escaped serious III.
jury, though Mr.. French, sen. Is suffer-
ing severely from contusions
The number of persons employed is
generally about thirty, being f,r the most
part girls OF the ages Of ten to eighteen;
hut some men and youths also find work in
the factory. The exact number of lives
lost IS now not known, for, being tho al
tcrnoon OF Saturday, greater or less
number than usual might have been there,
according TO circumstances.
Our reporter was On the spot half an
hour after it occurred, and the srht of
such slckcning scene lie hopes TO be
spared again. Tie site of the building and
the surrounding lots were covered will,
the Debris of the building, human limbs,
and fragments OF machinery. We saw a
man draw from the mass the head Of lit
tie girl which he knew was that of his
daughter by a bit Of ribbon fastened to
her hair; but any other portion of the
body he would never find, or if he found il
he would never be able to say it was the
body oil his child.
The precise cause Of the explosion no
one remains TO explain. it is known. how
ever. that the stove used for warming the
building was rcd hot, the day being ycry
cold; and from the highly cornbus,ibc ma
'crlals winch were used III close proximity
To II it may readily be accounted for by
suppos!nS some particle ignItcd on the
floor, and communicating with the articles
in various stages OF preparation: caused
the explosion.
Within n few fee! of the building is a
tireprooi cell, in which is stored large guam
titles of powder; and this being w,llln the
scope OF the smoke and flame OF the burn
my runs, no one was Wiling TO hazard an
approach 10 attempt To rescue the suffer
crS from the runs for some time after the
explosion took place.
The shock occasioncd by the explosion
was tremendous. and was scnSIhiv felt at
a distance Ot SIX or eight miles; and du-
ring yesterday afternoon Il report WAS
current III Williamsburg and B.Inkiyn tia;
an earthquake had taken place somewhere
upon the island.
The scene al Iavcnswood bcggars de-
scrm,on. The building occupied by Mr.
French for the manufacture OF French $
rifle cartridges was one story wood bull
ding, twenty by twenty-five feet square,
which was blown into fragments, anu no,
a single stick could be found that a Child
could not lit.
1t is supposed that there was about
twenty persons in the building, and but
three were known to have been taken
out alive.
It is said that the fire originated in the
northeast corner of the building, in the
opposite end OF the building from the
stove, but from what cause is unknown.
There were over $4,000 bali cartridges
made up in tho building, besides cons:d-
crabie quantity fpowdcr. The cartridges
nn,rlv an ,vn;nlni ,rd ,ho h.II -,
,hrowr IN evnrv Lir,c,;rn. hu, ,ra,.',',,,
,,lIv Nh n.rsnp 1,,, ~ ,h., h,,;,rI,'
,or;.r,, ir,,;,.,j n - ~, i,,s
sed through pane oil glass into the libra
ry room. of Mr.. Bodine, a distance OF one
eigh OF Il mile, ANA shattered the ch,nd.
c!lcr.
The dwcllipg bousos v;,bi, c;rc,,: .,
= mile were more or l,ss innrol L,,;,,, y,
tbc rass ,.n,rrIv br,kon o,,t and - so,.
oral instances III, w,iI. vnr, i ,'.,,,,-,J
AR t'reurh's house .h;ch !. ,h,,,, H.
~ rods from ,hn E,c,,,r,, ,,,, ,..,r'. ,,''
d,marcj: the vju;,ows and :, nor,iy, nr ~.
furui,I,rc h,v;,., h,or ,,.,r,.,,J III .
second story trnn, rno,, u.,. INK, ,,o
which the family conld orcunv i,s, v,,rh,
4, u,o ,;, = ;I.,
N Wv. '''',' v, ',n' I':''ci' Nl'. rehci
a. YIN III S'','''' p"id'
~, ~; '' ~ u',.'''' "''i narrowly
10 ,i.. ,; M,.' ;''s '''u. "a 'tr''acc ,'ear "hcre
nv, ,';. Ia, u ""s o'oAc,' u pieces
,''"' va, ,''' ~" """y ""u c"u'a 'io'
,,rr,', ;"n ,ia Io' c, e.''.u1 sI'cia' s''Shl
S;ln. ,.i,ni, ,"sI %'"' o."y ron 'l''S'
~, ..n ;',t'i ,"''t" ~ ~ az ~ l.'et'''o"S
,,r ,;' h., 49, , ' "y W.. 't'cn 'iia'
~ W no Ivy " ~" e''!a s,'ee' u" c'i'PtyI
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