Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1864-12-16
The Great Gunpowder ENpIO-
sion.

Z NulVh euo Pl1"5'N'
The Great GunPOwder ENPIO-
sion.
At Eriih, in England, on Saturday the let
OF October, ! 50 600 pounds Of powder were
accidentally exploded causing report to BE-
/ hesrd at the distance OF over 30 miles, and q
shock which people living % miles away
| thought 20 be The fleets Of an earthquake 49,
/ The gunpowder was contained in two barges
aud large and small magazine.
This is perhaps he greatest quantity o'
gunpowder ever exploded at one lime Even
! Grants great mine before Petersburg, which
blew up into the mir regiment Of infantry
aud battery OF artillery, and made a crater
as Of an extinct volcano, con iained only 1900
pounds At Firth, moro thin ten times this
quantity was exploded
IL is curious to mark the results Of the sud
den ioer alton Of such an immense force as
was contained in these 20 tons Of powder 49,
Fortunately, only 2 persons were killed and
about 20 woupded, but the terrible power Of
such a mass of gunpowder is better shown by
the effects Of The explosion upon the surroun
ding country Below we have compiled, from
considerable number OF reports the note
worthy phenomena OF this remarkable acci.
dent
At more than two miles from the spot not
only we're doors and windows smashed in, but
houses we're partially destroyed One resi-
dence was injured to the amount OF 5000
One hundred yards Of river embaukment
we're blown away; fortunately the tide was
low and the damage was repaired with great
celerity, else large and populons region,
the whole Of the Firth and Belvedere districts,
would have been submerged, A watchman
at Gravesend, some miles of, one of the very
few who saw from a distance the great Gatas-
trophe, az well as heard the awful thunder and
felt the shock, says; "0n turning round saw
as it were pillar OF fire rising to the clouds,
which it appeared to strike and then spread
out like huge fan, presenting most beau
tilul and grand spectacle
The destruction of houses and other mate.
rial near the scene of explosion was, of course,
complete Que report says: "The buildings
that lately covered some acres are heaps Of
tumbled earth and bricks and massive frag-
ments of timber; beams Of half a ton weight
have been blown like feathers across the ada.
cent fields" The property destroyed in the
surrounding districtsiis estimated at S6,000,-
900. A clock in house seven miles away
was stopped by the explosion, At Wool
wich, four miles from the magazines,
shower OF letters, invoices and other papers
fell shortly fle, the explosion, and an ex-
animation Of these first informed the people
there of the accident. Persons OF that place
report Immediately after the calamity an
immense pillar of smoke rose from the spot
high into the air, thick, black and palpable,
with huge spreading top, and about quar-.
ter OF an hour elapsed before it died away
In and near Firth, Two or three miles from
the magazines, for some moments after the
explosions "the earth heaved and trembled
Men we're thrown violently from their beds ;
scarcely house in the place has pane Of
glass left whole. At Woolwich, four miles
distant, doors and windows frames and sash
es-were smashed 10, portions of the ceiling
and walls shaken down, many persons were
thrown violently from their beds, and several
persons we're injured In connection with
the showers OF papers a singular circumstance
occurred A lad named Eayes was standing
near the royal gun factories at Woolwieh, in
which he was employed, picked up one of the
torn pieces of paper which fell around him.
He found it to be part Of the page Of a ledger
in which his uncle, foreman employed atrhe
exploded mag gazines, had that morning en-
tered memorandum He had attached his
signature to the foot, together with the date
of the entry-namely, October lst, 1864 AT
Chatham, 25 miles distant, the windows in the
great workshops we're forced open
At Debtford, four or Eve miles of, $50 gas
lights in large factory were blown out at
once This same thing occurred at the police
station in White Chapel, London The peo-
Pile of Soham, so miles from Firth, heard a
noise resembling thunder, and telt shock,
which they attributed TO an earthquake. The
sound Of the tremendous report spread even
further, for it was supposed TO be distant thun-
der at a place 30 miles away In The Crystal
Palace, in London, some doors we're violently
thrown open, and paintings knocked down
| from the walls The most remarkable effect
OF the explosion was upon animals in the re.
giou around The mortality among canary
birds four miles around was very great
They dropped from them perches, and died of
/ fright or OF concussion. Parrots were badly
! frightened, aud dropped from their perches Ia
/ the bottom of their cages, refusing TO speak
| for some hours. Dogs, cats and other ami
mails, manifested symptoms of the greatest
alarm. For many miles from Firth the cattle
/ 10 the fields, at fret struck dumb and motion
less, at the stunning report, presently sci Of
in the widest excitement, racing around tn,
Enclosures, and could not be quieted for ours
Two women's dresses we're seen to fall a
Woolwich, four miles off, and human fnge
fell at Deptford, about as far away,
Ra- The Chicago Tribune, q red-mouthet
Republican sheet, is growing and snarlinI
because the Craftsmanship Of the principa
Congressional committees is bestowed on tn
/ Yankees The Tribune is unreasonable sine
New England ideas ere to rule the continent
it is proper that all the committees should b
under New Englan control
B1-Ths Democracy of Philadelphia inten
10 celebrate the eight Of January in good OLD