, 1865-06-03
TIE MOBILE HORROR
EXPLOSION Of the Great Ordnance
Depot--Thrce to Five Hun
dred Lives Lost.
Eight Mllllsn Dollars Worth of
Property Destroyed-Full De.
tails Of the Calamity--List
Of Sufferers,

dollars. It Is not Jet ascertsined by wha
agtucy the explosion originated.
| Various accounts OF the accident and In
! cidtnfs attending upon It have been LANDED
us. We snb}lon them, somewhat'condeused
but IN the matn as furnished. We were o1
the ground lew minutes after the expla
| sion took place and the scene would bafu
In Its description the ablest pens.
| cACsg OF THa EXPLOSION.
The truth Of the matter a. regards tn
| cause Of the accident will never bs known
for Of couE6a every one within or neas th
building WAS Killed instantly. 4 min wht
left the building some ten minutes before til
explosion took p}ace, is said by rumor to has
told Of man named Pat. -, striking
time In either filling or removing poWde
rom some shells stored in the ordinances
depot.
| Another rumor has 1t that shell-peycus
sion eht1i-was let fall By some one and burst
and thus ientted the balanco Of the ammuui
| ton in the place.
This is ali suppositiop, aud III no one G..
prove or dispute It, it will ever remain an IN
settled question.
| ON TIE SPOT MMED1ATELr.
| AS soon us the explosion was heard, Ma
| jor General Granger and Colonel Shipley re
paired to the scene Of destruction. wher,
they remained. giving directions and seeing
them carried out.
| The General dispatched messenger t.
! Drigadtef General Dennis, ordering him II
| detail nil the soldiers In tbs city and viciu
ity, and 10 impress all the men fauud In tht
| streets to nd IN 1t6cuinE the wounded aud
staying the progress of the nre, and in twenty
| minutes IN efficient body Of men were on tht
ground.
RECC1SG TIE LIVING.
Prominent in the work Of rescutng the poo,
F413T,N r5h tEa4tA hnA Ant,
of the falling buildings, were, as usual In
cases Of imminent danger, our brave sailor;
and soldiers. We saw sailors rush through
fire and falling bricks as though they were
proof against the accidents common to all
| men, and come out bearing III their arms
some poor fellow burned, or crushed almost
beyond recognition as q human being. Mum
bars of the sufferers were thus rescued before
the details ordered by Gen. Granger arrived
| aficr which each Wed With each other who
should braye the dangers Of tho deyouting
| element
TIE DEAD.
| VIC saw the bodies OF Mr. McAfahon. who
WAS in Charge Of the carpenter work, ol
| Captain Ford, Acting Quartermas.er. and the
was lying On TIE marine ways opposite the
city-Hbo Vas killed while sitting at his
| desk, by either piece Of one Of the uumes.
| ons shells which filled the ar in that neigh.
borhood. or by 8 fragment Of brick. Mr.
McMah0n Was On Que Of th. steamers near
the Planters Press, on duty when killed. 4
| 6ailor was killed By the explosion Of 4 shell
while working on the engine Of one Of the
] fire companies.
Mross1nIE TO RECOGNIZE THE REMAINS.
A number Of the bodies received are 60
bu1ntd and mutilated that recognition IL In.
| possible. Some OF them arc SO b1ackened
| that 1t WAS with difficulty their friends aud
relatives could identity them, even Wher
| not disfgured BY mut!la ion.
! L AuEARI-RESp1so SCENE.
The shrieks Of the poor wives, daughters
| ci the ruins, were hca.t-rtndinr-each ex'
pecting to find some loved ones mang1ed
and b1ackened corpse. Several fnlntel aud
were borne away on the stout arms Of thu
tender-learted soldiers present.
TIE NUMBER KILLED.
It fs estimated that the number Killed will
reach fully three hundred. When 1t is taken
into consideration thas nearly ali the work.
| ahops, foundries and cotton presses, &C.,
which covered the INST area destroyed were
employing quite a number Of men, and from
whom so tar no accounts have been received,
It viii be seen that our estimate Of two hun
d1ed will be below the proper figure.
A MOTHERS J0Y.
4 Esay-halred, venerable lady Was weeping,
b'oltn-heartec, over what she supposed to
be the 1.rnalns Of her boy, having, as she
thought, recognized him By ring on one ol
the tingers Of his hand, when her son, powdcr.
burnt and blackened, walked up to her and
raised her up, saying, Mother, I'm not
hurt !" The reaction was TOO great, aud she
swooneo away. What was joy to tee mas
bring sadness to so1na other loving heart
TIE WnuspED.
Among the most severely wounded neal
In 3xh ha n.
place vas James Riley And John Dooley,
the Plsntere' Press. ih.y, with others, were
caught under the falling roof Of the shed
and severely bru{eed aud crushed Dooley
had some serious cuts-one On the upper part
Of the tight shoulder md another on the
back part Of his head. The cthers were not
80 severely injured. John Evelfn, who was
In charge Of ONE cotton on the wha:f below
Planters Press, had one Of his legs cat oil
Just above the knee by shell, and four men,
engaged in some kind Of labor on the same
wharf, we're all ecsiously It not fatally " 3und.
I'd, most Of thrin farin1 their legs and nrms
broken.
CAPTAIN Ious c. FORD, ACTING ASSISTANT
QCARTERAAsTER.
This officer deserves praise for his utter dis
regard Of elsonal safety In getting at once
to the rescue of the men who were covered
with the falling walls aud roof of the Plaut-
ers' Press. Accompanied By Mr. Owen, ot
this office, he went where his sarVices could
be rendered more available fn this work, and
they have the satisfaction Of knowing that Z
number CT their fellow men owe TO them
their lives.
Captain F. Immediately notified the Cap
tAfns of the tugs In bis charge 10 proceed At
once to thu whatves opposite the scene oftke
explosion, aud remain ready to offer any aid
In their power.
BRAVERY AND GOODNESS.
There Was anothsr Captain, belonging to
the line Of the service, who distinguished
himself By his coolncas and daring amid the
dnneerous Undertaking to atford succoE to
the entombed sufferers. We Wish ne knew
the noble fellows name, to give him the
credit he 30 richly deserves.
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
The bell on the guard house tower rang out
an alarm nj fire as soon a. the deAfen:ag roar
Of the explosion had suhsfded little, and the
different engines we're taken promptly TO
near the ecene Of the condagrAt!on, bnt after
getting within two or three blocks Of the
Pl2uters' Press. the fremeu heArd rumoE
of there bring fifteen tons more OF powder
that would explode as soon as the fire reached
1t, and they filtered, and finally turned back, :,
but On being assured by the Mayor that such
WAS not the Gaze, And that the only danger
to bc apprehended was from the occasional
bursting Of shell as the fire spread. they at
once took up their positions and did good
work toward extIneutshlpg the flames.
The exempt steam engines we're brought
cut and put to work, We upds rstana, BY order
Of the military authorities. We shoa not
INNS, IN case like this, any authority
would be required for ibis purposs, and we
hope for The credit OF this brunch OF the de-
partment, that we have be en- misinftrmed4
SINGULAR.
General Granger aid Colonel Shipley made
their way In the Iemkihs Of building whica
had stotd nrar the magazine, ind found three
horses, all alive and kicking. and without q
scra1ch. How they could have escaped being
crushed BY the wells, and hetng completely
buried. Is mystery. The General and Col
onel shipley brought the animals out and
away from danger.
TIE DAMAGE TO PROPERTY.
No estimate can ret be formed Of the
amount Of damage done the city in pteu-
mary point Of view, We hare heard II vA-
riCusly estimated at from f 20 to ten millions
Of dollars. That IT Is above five and even not
much under ten millions, seems the general
opinion. Eight squa,es Of large and costly
buildings were completely demolished
scarcely one brick left upon nuotheT-pestdes
the immcnee damage done outside of this
named space, which PLACES this estimate,
seemingly low enough.
THE CUSTOM HOUSE,
The windows Of the Custom House on the
porth and east fronts were completely de-
nohshtd-nota whole pane remaining. With
the exception Of some portions Of the plas.
ter3pg on the inside Of the building betng
thrown. this vas all the damage sustained By
this building.
TIE DAT1LK noUsK.
The following note from Messrs. Nabriog
i Dnvalt, the Psoprictors, explains the dam
age done to this hotel:
BATTLE House, May Is, 1865.
EDITOR NEws: We estrxte the ds1laga to the
Battle House At from ten to 1lteen thonsand dol
art, eon1ned principally to the breaking 0? sl the
Httsh in the windows on tho nnfth SIDE, fronttog
St. Frplcis ereet falling Of ceiling IN few of The
Ecem', wreuchtnE of Ct doors, and other slight
uaIn&PfA.