The New York herald., 1862-09-20
FaIcHrFul CALAMITY NEAR pIrrssvaI.
The Explosion at the United states Arse
naI-rhe Laboratory building Destroy.
ed-Eishty Persons Killed and Many

ed-Eighty Persons Killed and Many
,from tho Pitsburg Evening Chronicle, sept. III
One of the most horrible and appalling caamities with
which sny community has ever beon visited occurred
tins fteraoon al The United States Arsenal grounds in the
vicinity OF the city Ever the Of
the present large number OF hands have been kept
stoadly employed AZ the arsenal, IN putting fixed am
munitlon for the army At arst ths work done by
boys but fearing, firm their careless habits that some
such accident that which has just occurred would FOL
low their employment, they were, months ago, dis
charged, ana young women grls being trac
table and careful employed in their stead. Abolt one
hundred and niy OF these. together with iew men,
engaged to-day n putting up DIES n the mbo-
ratory buildings, when from some or other, an
EXPLOSION took place lhe buildings were blown 10 atoms,
ana the bodies tho carried high into the skv
The greater, number, however, ershed by fire while
LYNX under the runs Of the shattered buildings Ato-
gether about eighty lives reported 10 have been lost
shortly after thies ococs visited the sceno o the
explosion. u more painful levoiting sight than that
which prese ted itself to view ccly be in
asn,d The streets leading TO the ground were alied
With an excited crowd, including hundreds o frantic
women, 9hu rushed wildly tnrough the multitude,
shreng and sobhing az though their hearts would break
We ouere I'll the upper gaze ~ the very threshold
wore met by evidence of the oforos OF the ehpo
sGn The grounds were covered with frasnents OF
charred wood canister shot, sheet iron exploded car
trdees, Mime balls, &c. s"ne OF which had fallen fully
four hundred yatds frum the scene OF the explosion
Ascendn Il the side The hI towards the laboratory
buildings, the Irst object that attracted atsat,on
ihe body OF the vlctns, partly covered with
sheet II lying where it fol, nsariy three hun
Giea yards from the ol the explosion, aud ire
scuted mos, horrible spactacie. The acsh had been
blown as IL q from bones, ami, with the ip,es.
tines, Jay tangled mass, while the taco was horribly u-
tiated, and the corpse little better THAI hidec .s
shtpees pulp. from the hair II was evident that tho
body that oi female but Aer identification was out
OF the question. higher up lay another dsgufed II tho
irigbtul and badly burned bes dos, and
around Tar the eye could reach lay fragments
human reniuinshere arm, there leg, here The in
esines Of saic unfortunate creature, and there the
poivts and sn on.
Continuing Oh our way still the smoking ruins
came upon The body of femaie badly burned and
presenting mnst shocking appearance The inbs were
swollen 81 tn ncs their ntnrai size, whe The icet
had be partially burned OF and the breast aud face
were irigtluily dlsia4Ied Wilde VIC so"d looking at
the remains Il young woman approached, and, with
aeon2ig scream, pronounced the victim 10 be Mrs.
sheppard residing in law encevle aud one OF her hest
friends.
Near Mrs. Sheppard lay two women, who, though
burned in 4 ho rble manner were yet alive and pain
fully sensible their auerings one creature, who
gave her Mary Conuoiy writhei AMI twisted in
the death agony until the spectacle became much
or the crowd OF 2era who hronge ound, and many
OF them tune away hcd with horror from tho lrghiu
aid Appalling scene. There wefo several physicians IN
attendance, but the condition cl the sufferers be-
you'd The reach OF medical ski aud both died before We
lett.
We were line with tine burning buildings, and
could see crowds of men Ut work taking out the olans
OF such peished the r,ns Near here, under
lay the remaus OF seven OF the sufferers, anu little
higher up inside tho garden fence, counted the
mas Of twenty SIX others Or these little else remained
than the trunks In the hoads and had
been burned OF and in others the legs were gone while
OF the nothing but the larger brncs remained They
isped burned into ali conceivable shapes and
presented altogether the most sikenng spectacle
have ever ocIed uor We have seen death in almost
every form, but never in such shape as this. The
battle field pre- sens not tuhc tho horrors o. snch
God grant that may never lopk ON such spec
| tacie again.
Wo believe that at least seventy lives we're lost and
the mortality Inay exceed this many who we're
badly injured that their recovery is
out OF the question Altogether the occurrence is the
painful BY al odds that has happened here,
aud it has carried death and desoation into many a
! happy household.
Mr. Mci;rido, foreman of the works, in Of the
burned buildings wncn the explosion took place, but he
knows nothing Of the Of il. Whom he heard the
rst shock he rin TO window 10 yet our ami was blown
distance OF thirty feet His daughter is we bolieye
| among the killed
Paymaster Bysworth was also present. engaged in pay
ing OF the hands but he is equally gnorant Of the
OF the catastrophe He was good deal stunned bur e5
! capped without serious inlury.
Mr. Gciry, foreman OF rooms Nos. IL and ID, states
that the time og the rst explosion he standing
thu porch in front ut tho engine room He heard The
ercs OF TIE girls and Immediately proceeded 10 the aou
oitin. his way he met several Of those employed
il his rooms who unhurt, bu; who kept up cou
tnl shreSins and could not inform him what was the
Nurfyinc le met girl cnvelopeG in flames.
whom with she assistance Of another man he attempted
| 70 carry away from the building; but ~ they
passing the engine room the roof Of that building
thrown oil and partially fed ON he and they were CON-
peiied iorsake Tie Injured girl ~ their lives
BY this time tho main building was envcloped III flames,
! second and tn,rd explosion having takcu place.
Mr.. Geary states that there were abou, ono hundred
and fory.hye ers1ns engaged IL ihe badins o. which
/ about hundred ard thirty were girls employed
pnciers and hunaisrs s,me twenty boys were engaged
as chargers and in making cylinders. Mr.. Geary also
states o, those IN his iue late employ in rooms Nos
Is ard IA all escaped and that all the sufferers from tho
dire calamity employed in the southern pn't OF tho
bai.eius Aztec tho second explosion th. flames burst
forth from every rart o. the riins, uud impossible
10 render ary sstsnce 10 The un'ortunle woon @!thn
III so who ere Int iously Injured were buried oil
the city 10 yesvo the Tears % their parents Hhlie
.hose who rcceivea dangerous wound from the bas anu
o,ho: missiles throgu anout by the cSnlosons,
taken 10 TIE pckbhoring houses fur metc,l treatment.
Two .. the named Mary Dugan Whose
parent reside opposite tie Fair Grtnnds, IN Tue Ninth
ward, gnd Vary rouueiiy who resided with her paraurs
o. Pine street, nth ward. were carried unior
meath troe, ani pronp; medical aid. iuri..saed
Them. raysicIsn. mhose .isme ~ did no, learn.
DGcn, her request, made eloquent and touching
la: i Icr b.h, in which he was joined By hundrs's
ind him. The poor r' survived her injuries tut
hogr. Miss Donney had the c1nsalatios rcgicn ai
ty pries; in a;tedaarc, and
let shoG. dying. Eoh % iaose gle suffered
t me lower end Of IIo srouuds Is stda.ed n ve,y
lengthy bu,np IN w,icn .,c three aupircJ rrls wsrs
eijic jed. en hearing The t explosion, the girls scd
irancaly lcr he dufs. nd IL Was With dilclity lie
lofentn cocld keep ,aem in tho buid.na. When Re
second cypi,son occurred, the girls became terrified
that tnsy cJd no, 10 restrained sd hay rushed - te
windows broke them cpcn and Pecritated ihamseives
Tn the ground distance ri tiiriy feet 1bos
around the grol,uis sh-ekng, uf them bleeding
from wounds obtained IN jumping through tho Window
10 y ,~. SoGie of them In the duecon their
home, ana did mot stop until sheor exhaustion compelled
them TO.
Tue horror, Of the senc pvescnt.d AT This great Do
ssrucon ci life heightened hy the agan2Lg
of relatives and frcn discovering the of
| some ovei humble earnings contributed 10
their comfort again, others were ranticsliy rushing
from chlrre1 body sGoiher, looking IN vain Tor
daughter or sister vito was cploysd the III fated
bcilding. There not farsics o. clothing e.t on
majority gf them and, murgcg lnd dsoirea as they
were was utterly impossible u identify them The very
stOcsinga torn from olr feet ru2s from their
| ingcre, aud " instance nothing bnt hsstcss
,ru,k remained Nevertheless many were identfed hy
their hair ~ scrap II ,1e dress tDev but tho
areaios. number Esver can he folly reso;n1cd II ihs
lnt OK the stomach OF Tho needless trunk saw n,o
1 Nas ,mbslded atnet q dozen Miuit balls.
That Of tho unfortunate girls thrown hgi, "a
Tie air hy be explosion IL eyuced by the fac. tLr
the branches cl cf lie around the building
prcea Or dfcsss ha seen. whcb haye bso
! ;orp frotr tipsir bodies in tEoir jesceut.
A,pug thuse Who per khso Miss sarah 'Sphcl n
yeg Brighton aud two Misrcs NasweD, OF tbe EiDth
wrrd. opposite roir Grounds. 0yar nndi< we've par
tslly reDiidee. but not slfrceny ~ " wGiaut or
! giving their aanes
News from san ERnncisco.
SAY AyruxGso, seps II. Is52
| sailed barb vb,ss %, for Liverpool, GlrryIg 1900