Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1865-04-27

THE CITY MAGAzrSE.-To the curious, the site
of the late city magazine will repay visit. It
will be recollected the magazine was blown up by
the Contederates just before sunrise on the morn
ing Of the Sd instant-eleven inmates of the city
almshouse and one old .colored man living on I'd
street being killed by the explosion, and thousands
of panes of glass in the city smashed BY the
conclusion. We have no means Of ascertaining
the quantity Of powder in the magazine at the
time it was blown up, but presume it must have
been several tons. The magazine, a small brick
building twenty feet wide, by thirty long and
twenty high, surmounted by steep slate covered
LOOT and surrounded at the distance of six feet by
a thick brick wall which rose above the ewes, was
situated on the southern slope of hill one hun
dred yards east Of the northern extremity Of
Shockoe Hill Cemetery, and about the same dis
lance north Of the buildings occupied by the Su.
perintendent of the Poor and the city paupers.-
The building faced due north and south. On the
morning Of the evacuation, the Superintendent
and inmates Of the Poor House somehow became
aware that the magazine was to be blown up, and
all hustled out and ran In their night clothes over
the neighboring hills and stopped in what
they considered places of safety. Having
waited some time, and no explosion taking place.
number Of them determined TO return and save
their clothing. About the time they reached the
places where they had left their clothing and what
ever other little property they possessed, the ex-
plosion occurred. The four walls of the magazine
were blown not equally in every direction, but in
four volleys towardsthe four cardinal points Of the
compass One of these voleys raked the Aims
house premises, making a wreck of one-half of the
main building and utterly demolishing several of
the smaller buildings. Eleven of the paupers were
killed outright either by flying brickbats or the
conclusion, and several others seriously injured
Another vOlley thrown westward up the hill to.
wards the cemetery, about twenty yards Of the wall
of which was knocked down level with the earth
Many of the bricks and other rubbish were thrown
much further westward, to Second street and be
You'd. An old cOlored man. lying asleep in the
upper story OF his house, on Second street, was
killed BY a brick which passed through the roof
and struck him in the temple. The other two vol
leys, flying east and north, expended themselves on
the hills. Nothing but long narrow trench in the
ground, looking like the grave of resurrected
giant marks the spot where the magazine stood
II is astonishing into what atoms the brickbats and
timbers Of the buildings were for the most part
blown. They have more the appearance of having
been ground in grist mill or quartz-crusher than
blown up. None of the rubbish fell back into the
foundation. From each side spreads out over the
green hills the puveriEed brickbats, like four euor-
nous pale-red faces.
By this explosion the City Hospital and the new
Poor House had most of their glass broken, bit
received no other considerable damage. Had the
magazine not been situated. somewhat in rayIne,
the injury to the city and the loss of life resulting
from its being blown up must have been much
greater. We have not learned the name Of the in
aiyidual who applied the torch. We wish we we're
able to state that he lost his life by the exploit.
TIE VALUE OF CONFEDERATE NOrEs, on evacua-