Daily national Republican. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1862-1866, 1864-08-11
Terrible Explosion at
City Point.
BOATS LOADED WITH AM
MUNITION EXPLODED.
TERRIBLE LOSS OF LIFE AND PROPERTY,
Buildings Demolished, Tents
Thrown Down, Horses Killed
THE NEW DEPOT BUILDING A MASS
OF RUINS.

A letter from City Point, dated August 10Th.
says "About II O'Clock yesterday noise,
resembling the explosion Of a magazine, was
hear at headquarters Army Of the Potomac,
and many surmisos were INDUCED as To the
direction from which II came and It's cause.
Daring the afternoon word came that boat
loaded with ammunition had exploded at City
Point, causing frightful loss of life.
The correspondent of the Associated Press
reaching the scene of disaster, spectacle was
presented to him utterly indescribable. Build
ings demolished, tents thrown down, horses
killed, the depot building, just completed, a
mass of ruins; while the ground, for hundreds
OF yards, was covered with property OF almost
every description. The dead and wounded had
been extrieated from the ruins and carried
back-thc former for burial and the latter to
the hospitals.
A boat loaded with various kinds Of ammu-
milton was being unloaded by the negroes of
the qusrtermaster's department, nearly hun
dred In number; and the only theory advanced
as to the cause OF the calamity is, that shell
must have been dropped by one Of them, thus
| communicating the fire to the entire mass.
The noise lasted about thirty seconds, as wit
nesses say, and the shock was felt long dis
tance.
On the side OF the road, in front Of the land
ing were located number of Offices and stores,
among them the post office and Adams FIX
press, which were almost utterly torn down,
the larger number Of persons occupying them
escaping with slight bruLcs.
In rear OF this is a steep bank, covered with
fpn tfa F,ft RA aht taO hx- hp
colored laborers aud their fam lies. Had the
ground been level the loss Of life would no
doubt have slr exceeded that which resulted.
Shells, balls, &c., struck the bank In q per.
feet shower, while the ground In tho vicinity
is actually covered with all kinds OF stures, q
large number OF old saddles and pieces Of har-
ness being among the debris.
| A boat loaded with these stores was lying
alongside another, and was torn TO pieces, a
large portion being raised completely out OF
the water, and thrown through the storohouse
on the dock. ...
Capt. Benedict and Capt. Ames, Of the Com
missary Department, were In the building at
the time, and were buried beneath the ruins.
After Considerable labor they were extrieated
from their perilous situation, neither being
Capt. Daniel D. Wiley, who was in his tent
quite distance from the spot, was struck In
the head by q piece of shell and injured,
though not dangerously. His clerk, J. W
Mckee, was go severely injured at tho same
time that he cannot recover.
A. ". Baxter, citizen, from Cold Spring,
New York, was killed. He kept a sodN.wateI
) stand.
Privates Ansell and Metcalf, of the 9th cav
, airy, were killed. 4 sergeant named Harris
: in the ordnance Office, was injured, and dieC
! soon after.
Lieut.. Lane, Of the cavalry depot, was slight
ly injured, as was also a citizen named Wight
james Thorp, clerk IN the ord nance Office
killed.
Mr.. Fay, Of the Sanitary Commission, sligLt
. ly Injured, and Richard Stone, citizen, killed.
, Mrs. Spencer, relief agent, received slight
injuries.
Tho casualties arc believed ~ be al least fifty
killed, and nearly one hundred wounded.
A number Of bodies of colored persons hayi
been found, besides those aforementioned
and there arc sixteen in the post hospital, Will,
others arc scattered In different localities.
twenty-five colorrd men, more or les
hospital, under charge of DR.. Calhoun, wher
several amputations were performed.
Five shells passed through the roof OF th
= Sanitary Commission boat, but NO one upon
e was injured. 1t is believed many bodies wer
y blown into the river, which W Ill never be re
n cJvered.
Capt. Schuyler, provost marshal, who wa
;. sitting on top of the bank, under his fly, wa
thrown a distance Of ton or twelve feet, receiy
ing shower Of shells around him, but escape
without scratch. The loss lie put down b
him at about thirty killed, and seventy or eight
,. Wounded-twelve of the killed being soldiers.
y Nothing has been discovered as TO thu cans
!, Of the calamity.
: In the eommissary department six men ar
n known to he killed, and some twenty .lly
wounded.
n Twelve men belonging to tho railroad wer
: injured.
The loss of property is not known, but wi
c prove TO be very large. The Goth New Yor
n lose six killed aud seventeen wounded, and th
q l4sth Ohio lose three xii cd and four wounded
y The boat Lewis (dre and Wreckiug tug) ia
is ashore an Oxtingnsher hose, threw six stream
J.. on the nre, putting out the flames, and thu
Is saving the entire ammunition In the building.
y Considerable firing Is going on at the from
a this morning.
One of the gunboats opened during the nlgl
and threw a number Of shells at what was suI
II posed IN he moving rebel force