Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1861-08-30
Terrific Powder MIL Explosion in BUR-
ham--Five Men Blown to Fragments.

ham-tbNe Men BLOWN TO EFhBmehIs'
From the Marlborough IN. HI News.
The extensive powder mills at Durham, N.
H., were destroyed by an explosion, Tuesday,
by which five men were killed, and great
amount of property was lost The buildings
destroyed were six in number four Of which
were blown to atoms, the remaining two being
nearly demolished by the conclusion and infu
ence of the exploding; powder contained in the
other buildings. The mills were situated
some eighty yards apart, standing in thick
wood. The building first destroyed was the
dry house, in which was a large quantity of
powder, communicating fire to the powder in
the other buildings, which were blown up in
rapid succession. Nothing is known as TO the
cause OF the calamity, as none OF those at work
in the dry house at the time when the eXplo-
sion took place escaped to tell the tale The
number OF men employed i'll and about the
works was seven, exclusive OF the superin-
tendent who was absent at the time, five of
whom were instantly killed. Three Of the
bodies were extricated from The ruins in
shockingly mangled condition.
The scene was awful beyond description.
Dismembered fragments OF hum III bodies,
blackened and charred by powder, strewed the
ground, and portions were even found suspen-
died from the trees in the cinity. Those I'M
injured, with several Of the citizens of the vi
entity, were engaged when we arrived, i'll
collecting the fragments of the bodies, several
collections OF which we saw, consisting of parts
OF hands, feet, bOnes and fragments of char
red flesh in every conceivable form, horribly
backened by burnt powder, forming most
sickening sight We noticed at one time four
men bearing the dead body from the scene aud
upon approaching it we discovered that it was
acithom a head. A man Immediately came up,
in hapI -
bone and hair, which he placed with the body
and which proved to be the head, which had
been found at several rode defiance from the
body. We will dwell no longer on this sick
ening scene.
The following are the names of the killed ::
Henry S. Doe, Charles jenkins, Patrick Drs.
coll, Philip NJ. Noodle, Frank Durfee. Jen.
kins was a single man. Doe leaves a wife;
Driscoll, wife and four children Noodle, a
wife and three children; Duree also leaves a
family. The two saved Were Ezekiel Stanton
and David c. Gilman. Stanton informed us
that this is the fourth time the mills at this
place have been blown up while he has been
at work in them, and he remained uniniured.
He remarked that it was not his own goodness
but the goodness Of God which preserved
him. AT the time the explosion took place he
was in the magazine, in which was stored
three tons of powder which did not take fire,
although the building was leyeed with the
ground. Great eXertions were necessary to
preserve this building the fire at one time
ran within a few feet of it,
The amount of powder destroyed is about
four tuns. The works were owned by Louis
p Childs Of Providence, r. l. The loss is
estimated at $4,000. There is strong suspi
cion in the minds of some that the fire was
set by agents of the rebel government, although
nothing positive is known in relation to the
matter.