The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1854-08-22
THE mAYsvILLE EXPLOSION.

Z hat city on Sunday last, from which we ex-
tract the following particulars. About five
minutes before O'Clock the whole town of
Maysville, and also of Aberdeen, on the Ohio
side Of the river, was awakened by an inten-
sely vivid lightsfollowed by crushing peal
that shook the atmosphere with the con Gus
sion, and made the earth tremble. Hundreds
seriously believed that the dread day OF final
doom had come Gas thiefin the night" and
the streets were soon filled with trembling
men, shrieking women, and terrified children
driven from their beds by the explosion of
hoo kegs or 27,5OO pounds of blasting and
rifle powder in the powder magazine:
The bursting in of doors, the crashing of
windows and glass, and wreck of walls and
other materials struck by The flying missiles,
the feeling OF suffocation produced by the
close sol phurous sphere-all instantly
succeeding the flash ofalnost unearthly 6oltt
the explosion, louder and more deafen;ng
than hundred thunder storms, and the ire.
mendeus heaying OF the earth and all iarring
OF houses scarcely less violent than the earth
quake motions OF Lisbon and New Madrid.
On rushing to the scene of disaster, the
citizens meta number Of men carving off
the wounded body OF w. p. ConwelI, ESQ.
covered with blood. He had been struck on
the hip by u flying, stone, bat the wound was
not fatal one. Several were wounded i'm a
similar manner, and also by falling roofs and
ratters None, wonderful TO tell, were killed
but the fright. caused the death of colored
woman next day. The force of The explo-
sion may judged of, by The single fact that
stone weighing l02 pounds, was found by ] d.
P.Lowwell where it was thrown by the explo-
sion, in Aberdeen, entirely across the river.
and at.east mile from the place of It's start.
ing. Another stone, weighing 4S pounds.
struck locust post Of grape arbor in lame =
Helms garden, in Aberdeen and completely
shiyered the post.
The Cincinnati packet Huron, lying at the
landing was pierced by a number of stones.
oil which one passed into the hull, an inch
above the edge of the water, one or more
passed through the roof and cabin floor and
then out into the river, and one passed en-.
tIr ly through the state-room,. where the
clerk, Rolls Cooper, and his vile were Sleep
ing, only loar inches from Mrs. Cooper's
head. The rafting of IN stones and bricks
on theiroof and side OF the boat, on the guards.
and all around in the river, was quite appall-
ing.
At the Parker House, a mass of brick and
morter was thrown over the bed on which
Nr. Mckee md his wife usually slept. They
were fortunately out inthe country. At w.
: III; Wadwortt's a stone pierced the shutter
and shattered the bedstead on which ]. G.
Carson, bis wife and infant, who had only
been four hours up from Orleans, were sleep
ing; none Of them were hurt. itMr. Ram
sey's, stone shivered cradle to pieces.
from which tho babe had providentially been
removed.
On both sides of Second streets, BEGINNING
at Short, and coming up To the Parker House
every building with perhaps few exceptions,
is perforated either through the walls. roofs
windows or doors by stones, which did i'm
some cases very serious and in others trifiing
damage. Several were perfectly riddled,
and have the appearance ofbeing bombarded
by cannon.
Among the buildings damaged were the
Presbyterian, Methodist, Methodist South,
Baptist, Christian, and African Methodist.
African Babtist, and German Methods,
churces, Maysviile Seminary, lower city schou
house, court house. city hall, &C.
The Episcopal and Methodist T.. were the
only Churches in which services were held
on Sabbath morning.
There are probably fifty houses which have
not single pane Of glass left unbroken; as
many more with not a dozeu sound ones; and
some twenty with every sash broken or
thrown oct on the floor and wrecked. The
purines, or heavy timbers at the ridge of
hat ha ~
in two, in several instances The strong
wooden bars that fastened the warehouse
doors, in nearly every instance, were snapp-
ed in one, two. or three pieces.
Sixteen hundred hgh,s'of glass were bro.
ken in the Maysville Cotton Mills.
The effect in Aberdeen and East NAYS
vile was IN proportion to that experienced
here. The same scenes OF terror were wit
messed, similar agonizing screams of mothers
for their children heard, and piercing cries
Of children for their parents. Windows were
broken, walls sprung. door bells rung, rocks
and gravel, hurled about everywhere aud
on all sides. The report of the explosion
was heard for many miles in every direction
at Popler Plains, twenty-five miles distant
on steamboat forty-two miles up the river.
At Orangeburg, seven miles of, china ware
was shaken oil the table. At John >. Wells,
one mile this side of Orangeburg, windows
were broken. At Geo. l.. FJrman's, three
and half miles south from this, windows
were broken and boy thrown out Of bed
Near Helena, twelve miles distant, negroes
were thrown out of bid. On the farm of
Henry Waller, one and quarter miles over
the hill back of the magazine, windows were
broken and shingles torn from the roof of his
gardeners house. A stone was thrown
through the roof of VIM. NJ. Hedrick's house,
half a mile over the high hill stable door
was burst in, and the stile splintered at Geo.
Cox's, one and the half miles below the mag
azine.
On Tuesday morning. the Eagle continues:
The clink of the hammer may be heard in
every house, and our city is perfect bee
hive. Citizens have turned carpenters and
doers-of-all work, and are cheerfulIy trying