Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1864-06-18
previously being white oues,t and stated that
there was blaok aptfmony IN themIIFU
mr.. Taylor. {a'j trythan -" BlA0kaA imony

previously being white oues,t and stated that
thsTs hM vas va elseE tas.msny ,n .hsw s,e ,u
contains sulphur
Mrs BreWn sconttnued-~stating that TIE in
gradients used in the stars were not the same
as laid down in Mai. Benton' s mannaf being
less dangerous. Witness did not think thes tsrs
could be ignfted by concussiop. p.-
Ny Jes g, Beaisn, swornmWitne: ts com.
v hen the explosion took PIacs, but rsached
the spot spon afteB and took steps 70 PR vent
,ne spread of the flames to the other buildings.
BY the time witness arrived all thoee Inside
must have been dead Witness had seen the
pans, and they N dicated IN af an explosion had
taken place from them. There was sn explo-
sion Of rockets during the fire, Witness had
frequently examined the building to see that
all " as right, and had freq uentiy Cautioned
Mr. Brown, not because he was careless, but
as precautionary measure, knowing the
great Importance of being careful. Witness
thinks that 1t " as an oversight that Mr.. Brown
placed the stars SO near The building in such
quantity. fWitness here exhibited a plan of
the building, and explained what each part
was used for.l He had heard that one of the
girls working at the table where the fire first
Major Benton here described the manner in
which the bali cartridges were placed by the
girls while at work, the pointed BAH being to-
wards the body, and indicated the opinion that
at the time Of the explosion more or less injury
WAS done 10 the girls by their being struck by
these balls as the cartridges exploded. The
oI in ion OF witness was that the stars, lying on
black metallic surface, which naturally alb
sorhs the heat, were expiodeA. by spontan eous
combustion. There were seven wounded, three
OF whom will likely die, and there have been
seventeen bodies gotten out already. Witness
cons ideTed Mr. Brown q careful man. but IL
was certainly imprudent to place any qusntity
Of stars together on the pans. Gen. Ramsay
in ormed him that stars had been heretofore
dried in the same place. Witness did not know
I whether Mr. Brown knew that thestars would
explode by spontaneous combustion. Brown
is not scientific man, but good practical
chemist, and he had found him a very compe-
tent man In his business. There were three
Henry SeuBerle, sworn.-Witness was en-
ployed in the building, and at the time was
looking towards the south end of the building,
when he saw blaze come in the window, and
he Immediately halloaed at the top of his voice,
and rushed ont while the flame was spreading
around. He pushed two young ladies Oft the
porch who were washing their hands. Wit
ness ran off little distance, and turning, saw
two gentlemen bringing away Miss Sarah
Gunnel, who was badly burned. Witness
saw the stars in the morning, in three pans,
containing perhaps two or three hundred each.
After the explosion he did not see these stars.
Witness could net recognise any of the bodies.
to Mr. Brown, and was present when the ac-
cident occurred. Witness was standing talk
ing with Major Stebbns and Mr. Brown when
some one gave the alarm, and saw light pass
before the window, and he thought the explo-
sion had occurred in another building Wit
ness Immediately made his escape from the
building. Witness saw the stars In three large
pans-there were about eight or nine hundred.
There were about thirty girls at work in the
room.
Witness now looked at the plan Of the build
ing and stated that on the south side of the
table which ran east and west, the following
girls were at work:-Maggie Yonson. Julia
McKewen, Miss Dunn, Kate horan, Mrs. Tip
petit, Johanna Conner, Ellen Roach, Willie
Webster, Susie Harris, Bette Branagan, Eliza
Braylor; Eliza Lacey, Sarah q aunneil, Minnie
were Mrs. Bresnahan, Miss Lloyd, MeIisss
Adams, Kate Palmer, Rebecca Hun, Annie
Bache, Catharine Goldsmith, Dena Clements,
Florence Kennedy, and Jane Shilds There
may have been some others which witnesa
could not recollect. The books and rolls were
destroyed in the building. Each Of the girls
had probably five hundred cartridges befors
her, each containing 20 grains of powder-tha
points Of the balls were pointing towards them.
EdUard NJ Stebbins, sworn.-Witness is pay
master and military storekeeper At the post,
and was present at the time. Witness was Sit
ting at the table and saw something hylpe
about out OF doors, and walked out! Tue fire
communicated at once to the building. Wit
ness burst the doors open. Two boxes ex-
ploded. Witness helped about forty girls from
the building, some on fire, and he wrapped q
tarpanlin about them and extinguished the
flames. When witness came out of the build
ing he saw the stars flying about, and he thinks
some few as far as the river, (about forty feet)
There was no loose powder in the room unless
a cartridge had been broken. The stars were
usually dried where these were set, and these
had been out two or three weeks. Witness does
uOG tniuh tudt any SlTlS On the 9Outn ElQe Oh
the bench could have got from their seats
Clinton Thomas, sworn.-Witness works in
the gun carriage shop, and at the time was in
an outbuilding and looking directly towards
the building which was destroyed. Before the
building caught witness saw fire. works hack
Of it explode, and thought at the time that Mr.
Brown was setting off fireworks. The next
moment the whole building was in blaze
The coroner here stated that there were
several other witnesses who could TESTIFY in
relation to the accident, but the jury expressed
themselves satisfied with what evidence had
been given in, but some who could identify the
bodies might be called. .-I n -
Charles s. Cartain testified that he recopnizea
among the bodies that OF his sister-in.Iaw
Johanna Conner, by small portion of her
dress on the remains, and her belt She was a
poor girl, the daughter OF widow, whose
husband was killed while working in Arsenal
by sun stroke two years since
, Bdrthotomeao Mccarthy also identified Miss
Conner's body
Mrs. Honora Murphy identified the body of
her sister, Margaret Koran, by portions OF her
clothing and some ornaments found about it,
The evidence here closed, and the iury re-
tired to the Commandments office, where, after
mature deliberation they retur med the following
verdict in each case: "That the body Of fe-
male came to her death by the explosion of the 4
laboratory OF the Washington Arsenal, where
she was employed choking cartridges; that the
said explosion took place about ten minutes to
12 m, and it was caused by the superintendent,
Thomas b Brown, placing three metallic pans
some thirty feet from the laboratory, Containing
chemical preparations intended for the manu-.
facture Of white and red stars that the sung
rays operating on the metallic pans eanseS
spontaneous combustion, scattering the 1ire in
every direction, portion flying into the chok-
ing room of the laboratory through the omen
windows, igniting the cartridges and CAUSING
the death of the said deceased. The Jury are
of the opinion that the superintendent, Thomas
b. Brown, was guilty of the most culpable
carelessness and negligence in placing highly
combustible substances SO near q building filled
with human beings, indicating a most reckless
disregard for life, which should be severely
rebuked by the Government. They also find
that the deceased had no property
In the cases Of the two recognized bodies.
instead OF using the term ga female,p the YER
dict was made to read, "the body OF Johanna
Conner, aged about 20 years, and Margaret
Horan."-Reporter]
L.f a- CASUALTIES. - s=-E
Miss Kate Palmer, residing on 18th street,
between g and d, Island, was hurt by q niece
of iron sticking in her neck as she jumped from