Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1862-11-27

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d MIss.-The Grenada miss. J Appeal
q the 6th inst. contains the folioNir
| announcement by telegraph:
nj JAcxsos November 4.--Shortly aft
It three o'clock this afternoon the buiidin
!. .in this city used as q cartridge mani
!. factory. having large amount OF pow
q der stored in it, was blown up. causin
! a fearful concussiOn and great loss ,
: life. OF its oecupants--boys. girl
and young ladies--uot one is known
/, have escaped. In the existing conf
. sion and excitement it IS impossible
$ learn the number certainly lost. 1t
; not less than thirty. and may far over
reach that number. The cause Of Is
> explosion is yet unknown. @-Ns
! The Appeal thus comments on th
: disaster.
The explosion of the government ar
sensl at Jackson, Miss. announced h
our telegraphic column, is another o
those occurrences Incidental to war, anC
Of which we have been called upon t.
make several announcements since tht
commencement Of the present contest
Our only additional Information is such
as we have been able to CLEAN from
passengers who arrived this morning,
and who, having LEFT shortly after the
occurrence of the accident, could give
but little.
The building occupied was large
two story brick, formerly used as a city
schoolhouse. The upper story was
usedfor the construction Of ammunition
for small arms, the work in which was
performed by young ladies and boys
and girls. The lower story was devo-
ted to the preparation Of shell. ect. One
gentleman informs us that the report
was that the accident originated in the
latter department, and was caused by
picking a shell. The walls Of the bull
ding were entirely demolished, and the
woodwork instantly set In blaze, and
so intense was the heat and the danger
from the continual explosion Of the
shells in the building as the fire reached
them, that it was impossible, up TO the
time the train left, to render any assis-
tance to the unfortunates surviving the
explosion, il there we're any. For
the same reason the exact loss could
not be ascertaincd, but the scattered
remains Of some thirty that were blown
to distance had been collected;
The explosion was distinctly heard at
Canton. In the city its effects were
visible in every direction. Shattered
windows several squares distant attested
its destroying force. At one time it
was thought frame building a short
distance from the scene, in which large
amount Of powder was stored, would
be fred by the heat Of the exploding
shells, but up to our latest advices it
had escaped. The lamentations of
those who had relatives and friends en-
gagged in the building are represented
to have been hesrtrending, and con-
tinued up to the departure Of the train.
Not one was known to have escaped
from the building. yet an anxious hope
was pervading the eutire community,
thousands Of whom were interested,
that some one was uniniured and con-
sequently friend saved.
The Memphis Bulletin OF the 9Th
says:
From a gentleman Of this city, who
was in that place on business at the
time, we learn that the explosion was
not In the powder magazine. where
several thousand pounds Of powder were
lying, but in the cartridge mandatory.
which is very hear the magazine. 1t
was among the powder taken into the
mandatory to be made up. The i'm
mediate cause Of the catastrophe can
never be known. Girls we're kept at
work making cartridges. in the same
way they formerly did at the corner Of
Third and Monroe streets in this city.
From sixty to one hundred girls were
usually employedj it would seem by
the telegram that the full set Of hands
we're not at work on the day Of the ex-
plos;on. After the explosion the bull
ding burst into flames, and shocking to
tell, nothing could be done to aid the
sufferers, or rescue them from the fear
full ratages OF the fire thst ragged furi-
ously through the shattered building;
for, among the finished work packed
away to send off when called for, was
a considerable number Of shells. As
the FIRE reached them, the awful instru-
ments OF warfare exploded, sometimes
one, sometimes two, three, or more at
a time, scattering masses Of iron in
every direction. No one could ap-
pfoach the fatal spot-the firemen stood
far of with their engine idle, unable to
lend their aid. The roaring flames
pursued their devouring work uninter-
rupted, reducing to cinder the bodies
OF forty young girls, protected in its
horrible ierceness by the exploding
shells which appeared to be making
war on their own account. The sight
was horrible, but there was another
scene still more narrowing, If that was
possible, than the work OF desth-it
was the sight Of screaming women ana
maddened men calling about for their
childreni The loted ones that had
left them at the noon meal, feJoicing In
their youth and in the attractions IF
beauty like a holocaust OF msIdens,
offered in imPiOus sacrifice to The Mo-
Iach of war