, 1864-08-19
WILLIS DANP0hIH,
Sergl. 1v4tl Ill. Vol. Inf.
FROM TEE JAMES RIVER

TIC Late Explosion at CITY Point
| Twelve Eoa.e- and TsTentY :8aEe o,
! FraEnar MS lnrertct1-..peculutl
aud ancIoeuts.
| lFfona CarrespGndeh. Sew York Trihra.J
CRY Po!sT, Va, = eduesdav Aue. Ii. isS1.
The esrIe Gtgeer's report is In, and twelve
| whole bodies Al1 twenty tags Of fragments
| have been Inferred, besides these thar 1aay
! not yet have been collected, and the greater
| number that have found a -aterv gaye, and
tLat daily, one b. one, or fragment by frag-
| ment, stleI tly report to the hsrbor master
Tor tue burial rite Poor Fowler, Of the eOth
| n. J.. :. N who vas Oh guard duty atsor
near Inc ammu1lt ion boat at the time Of the
! explosion, wss blown in tn o. aud the upper
part OF his body was found on land, nearly
bali mile from his lover cxtremities
His rmails were Identified by Ills conrndes
from being marked In peculiar manner
with India Ink
1tnay be asked what good II does to>fec1ts
au these horrors. In reply have to say til It
II Is go pleasant taEk, but let uH get the full
benefit of the Lesson, whatever it may be, A
lesson that hes cost Us eixty or seventy Iiyce
with all these horrors, aud perhaps some
thing 1eRe than two millisus Of dollars. will
20 doubt Immediately result in the amnnruf-
tlon depot being put At q wharf well Oft to
itse,t, where i can have al Its explosions to
1tself, and Lot in the most busy aud yitaI
part o. the tow, The very point where the
MIL boat arrives and departs, and conse
qnently " here all commerce and commuui-
CATION between the army and the people ut
home arc concentrated in a mutual locus,
lint the expulsion originated from the
careless handling and management Of the
ammunition seems now to be tue settled
theory. At any rate, such care1e6sness has
frequently been noticed and spoken of, a..d |
sIprehenstons expressed Of an explosion on
thht account The theory OF. a rcbcl torpedo,
though strenuonsly urged By Its origiuators,
Las few esponssrs, and 1t seems to b. going !
further than Is necessary for the solution Of !
the dreadful catastrophe. 1fthere had bsen |
no ammunition 10 the neighbofhoou, to say |
nothing about TIE cartlcss handiing Of it a !
torpedo, OF eometliug OF the kiud, would be |
necessary for solution; but as it was, i
! think the theory is making confession !!
giving thtm credit fnr military enterprise /
1bat they do not deserve. / have heard no |
argument in favor OF The torpedo theory that |
Goes not apply equally well to the other,
- ! 1e isct q part OF hulk being thrown up |
into the town AS IT By torpedo underneath,
wbilc it was most extraordinary md fright. !
ful occurrence, is coupled with another !
known Glct, that the most Of the hnIks
s: cmtd to have had downward tendency
But let the torpedo theory have its good re-
game that the rebs might undertake to nIsV
upon us here or elsewhere. As to the The.
ory Of u rebel emiessry h4vipg applied fuse
our ammunition, coupled with the apochrV.
phal statement that one or two euepfclons
looking individuals had been seen ruuntnn
away from the barge iust before the e1plo.
sion, have .ried to Offset this By suggesting |
that ut many suspicious looking fndI. |
Tlduals ere seen runnipg awav about the
tine Ct the explosion, but confess that the
joke 70 stuck ip my throat, on account Of its |
seriousness, that It did not have much effect
- r q N
ory would. inaesd, assume great :1axftf on |
the part of the cuetodiaus OF our ammuninI-
tiun, and eEpsciolty on 1tte part of tao. Door
fellows Of the o0ta y. r, who were instart-
guarding it.
Well, ! tutnk l am about done writing.
morning dispatches on those ammunition
boxes II that Is the way they act
I understand that ten Grant also had
pretty loud call or: the occasion of the ex-
or TWO shots or shells having
obtruded themselves into the tent in rather
ar uncerem',njons manner, and nade them
selves 1t home among his maps and panerS,
% degree hardly warranted hy 20 short au
1t is said be treated them very
.ivii}y, however, and handed them over to !
IN orderly to receive the hospitAlities Of the l.
camp, ! won0er, by the way, II the Lien.
tenant Generals first Thought Was not that
'he rtos bad got the range Of certain i'm.
pcrtant point. ' -
sever;i persons we're killed on the hill BY l.:
ING milling and flying debris. Que, or two, I
"hose : na1nes have sent yon, Tone by rag.
:, ! ca piece Of ship timber, near Gen. Grants
headquarters.
handsome, girllike boy, named HAYDEN. +
connected With the Qaartermaster'R Depart
n,ent whom any fond mother could cse,Iv
soonze, aid any father have an cxcusable
~eaknsss 'a towards had nearly Ill his ciothes |;
injury oa1 otaee