Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1862-09-24
Explosion at the Allegheny Arsenal

A"i S0 laule OuilQln9 known as the
laboratory About 176 boys and girls were
employed in the building at the time of the
disaster, of which number seventy, fue or
eighty ,cere killed!
The scene was most appalling. Dead
bodies lying in heaps as they had fallen,
aud in some places, where the heat was in.
tense, whltened bones could be seen throuoh
the smoke and flames, whilst at other points
large masses of blackened flesh was presen-
to the eye! The Pittsburgh Dispatch
gives the following account of this horrible
catastrophe:
After the explosion, the building took
hre, and those of the girls confined by the
fragments were burned to death. A mum.
Der were doubtless killed by the explosion,
and their bodies consumed. Where the
heat was the greatest, nothing remained Of
the bodies but the whitened bones.
Thousands Of people collected on the
grounds, and all were horror stricken at the
scene. The charred remains Of the victims
were lying about in rows in several direc
tions. A number were dying of their iniu-
rles and removed by friends We noticed
two bodies which had been blown from the
building, both so horribly mutilated, as in
deed were all that we saw, with but one ex
ceptlon, as to render Identification impos
sible. We saw the bodies of two Young
women who evidently burned alive in each
others arms. In one place we counted for
ty-seven bodies, in another ten, and turn
where you would, blackened trunks of bod
les-ples of roasted fesh-met YOUR gaze.
Here and there lay the fragment of
skull, or some other part of body
Two girls were couvorsing near where a
body lay. One of them had escaped un-
lnjured-the other was in search of sis
ter, and in describing her, said she wore
red dress. \ gentleman standing near,
pointing to fragment of dress hanging
upon tree, said, WAS it ike that p The
girl looked up, and saw the fragment, and
loud scream from her told US that she
identified it as part of the dress worn by her
sister
We came to a spot where two girls were
dying. Both were terribly burned One
asked if she was really going to die, and de-
sired priest to be sent for She appeared
less injured than her fellow sufferer, and
spoke in loud and clear voice; but death
soon came. Her companion was removed
from the ground, still alive, but beyond re-
covery.
Anxious relatives fitted hurriedly about the
grounds, gazing upon the crisped remains,
in the hope Of discovering some mark of
Identification Many of the bodies were
encircled with steel bands of hooped skirts
The building or laboratory, was one story
high, divided into halls and rooms, with an
open space in the centre, like court Ac-
counts as to the cause, as we'll as the partic
ular point at which the first explosion took
place, differ materially, and the facts cannot
be definitely ascertained, other than by a
proper investigation by Coroner Short
ly before the first explosion, three barrels
had been brought from tie magazine and
placed on porch at the laboratory. The
driver of the wagon in which the powder
was hauled, was knocked down twice by
the explosion, but not seriously hurt. His
name is Trick and resides in Lawrencevilc.
Adjacent to the laboratory was a small
building used as an engine room, for heat
ing purposes during winter, and attached
TO this building we're two rooms in which
cartridges were filled, and in which were
some two hundred pounds Of powder The
flames communicating to these rooms caus-
ed the explosion.
1t was payday, and Mr. Boswo rth, the
pay-master, had paid some fifty of the girls
before the occurrence. After the first ex-
plosion number Of the girls, who had rush
ed out Of their rooms, went back to see af-
ter the others, and thus fell victims
The iremen were promptly on the ground,
and rendered valuable assistance in quen.
ching the fire. For time it was unsafe
to 90 near the burning building, owing to
the continued bursting Of cartridges and
shells
The exact number of lives lost could
not certainly be ascertained last evening.
1t is possible that the bodies of some
were entirely consumed The number,
however, will not fall short of seventy.
A scene of terrible excitement occurred at
Store House No. l, situated near Butler
steet, in which upwards of three hundred
girls we're employed in preparing the paper
cylinders for musket cartridges. Although
in no danger whatever, the girls rushed
down the stairs to the front entrance which
was already blocked up with crowd of
men and women, in which were parents
seeking after their daughters. There was
no ingress or egress, and the pressure was
frightful. Women were trodden under foot,
some injured severely, and the scene was
absolutely alarming. Ladders were placed
to the upper windows from the outside, by
which means a number of girls got out of
the building. 1t was considerable time