New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-01-30
CHILDREN TORN TO TRAG. itNlS'
NAMES OF THE DEAD.
COR0NEh'S INQUEST.

Another appalling catastrophe is added 70 tie lon
list we have within few weeks recorded. Ga S5tur
| ia! Afternoon bail cartridge manufactOry il
RavenswcCd, Long Islsrd. blew up tine build
ing WAS utterly annihlated, and sixteen per
sons-tlirteen of whom were children-were in
stariy killed Tie houses for niles around
were tlakci as if by al earthquake windows were
sLivered, ences tom down trees swept Of Their
limbs, sud the ground for quarter of nile around
covered With human limbs AIMS. legs hands. feet.
leads brains aud entEsils- We do not recoect in all
our ,Npernce OF pestilence explosions wrecks fires
end fslu, buildings bly, intensely sickenng
and fratttuly 'Orrible as the now attempt SO
far as words can 60 r. 10 describe
Raven.wood /: a small village composed mainly of
cott re residences of citizens 1T Newiork. 1t ia on
tie shore of tie East River opp0s..e Blackwell $
Llo1d between Green Point and Astoria 1ae h9uses are
scattered abng the Astoria Turnpike irregular for a5ou,
two miles The northern portion is called Upper and tie
southern were the explosion occurrel) Lower Ravens
wood.
The exp'oson occurred at > o'clock in the afternoon
s. ne penOni boat in the river who happened to be
licking in hat direction soy the building disappeared
slight smoke from the place and then came The dul
stunning shock Of the ploson
among dem the parents brothers and sisters OF the killed.
all uncertain of their fate but frantic with fear calling in
the mast pteous cries for their children aud relatives and
eagerly examining the mutlaed fragments of bodies which
were strevn around For time it dangerous
near the place the packages Of balcarrdges casu
ally expcdng, scattering destruction field where
Death vas already triumphant
Tie gathering up of the fragments of the dead was
work of extreme danger and labor The bodies we've
in few instances nearly whole but the greater number
were torn to sbreds Men busy all the day and
evening in looking for missing portions Of some hafre
covered body. Here arm, crushed and blackened
there foot burned and shved yOnder q strip of flesh
mrslduIona picket side scalp the long beautiful
lair soor,hod and bloody under foot part of a skull
whose slippery couyexy has nearly trpped the Mortified
.archer there of bra ms frozen To the consistency
of stone On every hand under every timber every
adjacent buidrg in all the shrubbery around these
dreadful eyidonees of destruction.
But ee cannot dwell upon such painful horrors We
must cave the to the maginationyet no imsgina-
ton can portray the actual terros Of the scene-the
reality far terrible than any picture that fancy can
create.
As soon as the occurrence known several Of Re
porer sar,d for the spot They returned last night with
the following sccount;
VISIT 20 THE SCENE or THE CATASTROPHE.
Weyest,rdsy morning visited the of the lso fer
ful catastrophe The vicinity was thickIy srewn "dh
con,al rifle and pistol balls broken fragments OF the build
ing burnt clothing, gouts of blood bits OF human feh'
Lrains whiened bones broken machinery charred ca.
trdgo boAes and thousand other things in ragged rum
The bu dncs fucos and roc Ks around bore evidence Of
the aru force of the explosion. The rocky foundations
of tie building were blown in all directions huge granite
rocks of af tun were up from the ground and hurled
ino the adonir field hefences andires complete
" ddd BY the balls In some trees between three and
four huldrd yards distance observed numbers Of the
lead,n buried beep in the trunk The rocks were
covered with white spots thick hail stones where the
bnls had struck sganst them Heavy pieces OF the iron
machinery were blown all around within radius Of 200
yards AT distance Of 800 yards the barrels of six
seven muskeis all bent and twisted and shattered The
wood Of which tho building composed w.s blown int"
pieces small enough for kinding purposes and costly ma
cbinery amorg which was q sowing machine. which
Mr. French bad perfected at great cost OF capital and ex
permenf was burnt andsLat,ered by the powder that
rothng but dirjointed broken and ireworn fragments
we're perceiyable.
Al an early hour the morning large numbers OF people
assembled on the spot and wandered about hther and
hither in search OF human remains, or for something
they knew not what's so much did kind of fascination
cham them TO the locality.
Lespipg number of fences to the westward entered
low ono story building the windows all blown in,
md only living tenant ourse In of the
com were two or three lime barrels in which the
mains of what had been breathing thinking human
,v Nothing was dsnguishable save ciotted blood,
backened chaned and whtened bones and entras with
here finger and there toe small piece of white IN
burrt skin all mixed up in endless confusion not single
piece OF it being larger than chlds hand
Iron the top of the barrels stretched upon plank and
covered it'll blanket the body of an unknown young
vonsp She was lying her face totally destitute OF all
Al Ct iar CHI rod shoes AM
cs Her front hair aud face were charred and backened
while her lak hair not snged and her neck and back
,r white and hard as alabaster Her uncovered
and up to an unnatural pumpness by the FIRE and
tho lleak wind which played all through the dsmanted
r, and found entrance and egress door and windows
lad hardened them to stone was a soirowul picture
Slowly we retraced our way the fatal spot and com
,sr,ed our INQUIRIES of the rambling multitude that
,lrop1ed Il Amopg others whom Intercepted was az
eve witness of the whole and as he feelngy
narrated many interesting particulars we give his own
hngusge
STATEMENT OF Mr. Allied PEARSON
Abou IS or 80 minutes past CLOCK on SATURDAY Iet
noon was coming up the rver or he steamboat heYth
wood; the beat just below tarrlss Landing 'PPo
site here when observed dense loud OF black -Ioke
,scerdrg in the atmosphere ana Immediately aft,r the
boat received shock than it seemed as re had
cone into collision head on with another boat amui'a
Moons with the shock heard tremendous exp a.
if whole mark of artillery had been discharged al one
monet.
We rade the landing nIne diaely and in company with
pr Sanford came ashore The landing Il about 'V'
vsd distant tom this spot we eaped over the FENCES
and rocks that lay in way and came here a. i- a. We
could get along On leapng fence about 80 yars ron'
xhere the mandatory stood saw the upper par OF ne
body OF female Both her legs were blown Oh IoHA tne
Il y