, 1866-09-08
THE WATERFOWL ARSENAL
DISASTER.
Three Buildings Destroyed and
Others Damaged.

A Large Number of nras@ Flcld Pieces
and Thirty Iona Of Saltpcsre De-
stroyed.
From The Boston journal, sentcnbcr 81
A contlagration, aeeompanisa BY n expl9.
soc II c I
early hour Sunday morning. Probably not
less than hundred and ffty or two hundred
Thousand dollars worth of property was to-
tally destroyed, md besides this there was
considerable damage caused to other build
explosion. For = distance Of two miles
around there was scarcely a house IN which
some Of the windows were not broken, and
those in closer proximity had nearly every
pane Of glass shattered to pieces, The
effect upon all the buildings within the
Arsenal grounds wa. destructive in the
extreme. The roofs Of some were.
loosencd, the doors of others blown down,
and the windows Of all completely ruined.
The fire broke out at about five O'Clock, and
the explosion followed about half Or three
aroused thousands from their slumhers.
Many Of the Inhabitants in WatertoNn were
confident that an earthquake had actually
occurred, The very ground shook under
thcn. and It seemed IN some Instances as If
the immediate nclghborhood Of the arsenal
were fairly lifted from their feet, and others
were prostrated to the grouud as If By d
stroke Of lightning. Not only in Watertown
was the shock severely felt, but in some dis;
Boston, Chelsea Besch, Roxbury,. Charles
town and other places. In some Of the
etreets at the West End windows were
broken, and there was also one instance Of
this kind reported in Springfield street:
cults was Undoubtedly the rork Of an In
cendiary. It was about i've o'clock when
the flames were first discovered bursting
from one Of the three large stose-houses To-
Gated on the front Of the Arsenal grounds,
enlya fey feet back from tic Highway lead. ID.
store-houscs was a large brick structure,
generally regarded as fire proof and the
other two we're wood, aud al we're IN close
! proximity to each other. as soon As tie 1rc
people arrsved, they went to work getting out
gun.carriagcs aud other portable property
| from the buildings which were yet unibiured.
Over thousand gun-carriages we're saSed,
together with large amount OF other pro-
pcrtF.. While tile citizens and frcmcn
became apparent that the brick store. house,
containing saltpetfe and other explosives,
| would be consumed, and terrible explo-
slon, Of course, would take place. Beside
the thirty Or forty tons Of saltpetre, there
ceti ard = small quantity Of percussion and
other powder stored here. This building
WAS first discovered burning on the roof, and
MS It MAS dangerous TO re1nnin near 1t ,veEy lit
tie effort WAS made to save 1t. The word o1
"dauger" was sounded among tho flremer
and others all got respectable distance
. away from the burning building; portion
Of the roof fell in, and then followed three
:. terrible explosions In rapid Succession, eacf
one seeming TO shake the earth to its ve1,
foundati9u: Tl,e whole ~ building 1hd %s1 t,,o; o
with flying bricks, timbers aud burn
hsd only fairly dawned, and h
spectacle WINS both terrible and beautiful
| The fragments Of the wooden storehousc
eoWn pes dirceto and
the yigorous efforts Of the tiremen to proven
the burning OF other buildings in the vicinity
It II no less fortunate than singular that 4
lives were lost and that no person was ser
, oualr injured. Que Of the Brighton f1remcr
, named Parks. had one Of his hands bu,nes
| scratches from some Of the flying missile
!. It ras impossible yesterday to ascertain ii
/ precise amount Of properly destroyed In th
i stosehouse where the explosion occurre!!
/ bnt. including the cost OF the building, prol
ably one-ha1f Of the whole loss was sustainc
: here.
: In one Of the wooden stozehou<es thel
8 was 1aI@e number Of gun-cArriages, for 81
: and ten Founders. together with derrick
I field -pleces, &c. Most Of the guu-carriagc
: several hundred in al, were removed
{ safety, but some eighty brass ,tield-piee
: were destroyed. They we're worth about
: Thousand dollars cach-a total Of cigh'
q thousand dollars. Probably most Of Il
= metal eau be cast over again.
The other storchousc, also wooden stru
Il turc, was h1led NTH lumber-a}l first elias
J. we'll seasoned, and specially designed for gn
n curriares. With what WAS contained in Il
o storehousc and In the store outside, nearly
- million feet WAS consumed altogether. Tt
o loss will be greater hihdrancc to the resurn
: tiou Of work than any other sustaincd By Il
If fire, as the timber was Of rcry peculiar a1
n excellent quality, and cannot be replac
q for q long time. The total loss, as befu
d stated. will be about $300. .00O, on which the
~ | Is M insurance whatever.