Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1870-11-18

pany erected on the west side of this
river, and over seventy rods from any
building, two
MAGAZINES.
They constructed them by excava-
ting in the sand a space about ten feet
square 10y eight deep, and placig there
in frame building about twelve feet
high. The building was banked up
with sand to its top except at its en-
trance. There are two of these maya
zines, about one hundred feet apart, in
which were stored at the time of this
explosion 5000 pounds of nitro-glyer-
inc.
BEFORE THE EXPLOSION.
Suddenly, at 4:45 o'clock, the people
of the surrounding country for twenty
miles were startled by a terrible con-
cussion of the doors and windows and
Earring, of buildings. accompanied
with deep rumbling sound, like dis
tant thunder or the firing of hundred
cannon. The earth literally trembled.
Buildings were Jared and shook as by
an earthquake. The people both at
Painsville and Fairport, rushed from
houses into the street. The rumbling
noise continued for five minutes after
cloud of blood-red smoke shot up into
the air and spread itself in the heavens.
The sight was terribly grand. Imme-
diately succeeding the explosion huge
mass of debris, consisting of broken
Jars, spliuters of wood, clouds of sand
and clay, rose in tie air To the height
of $50 feet and soon after all was quiet
in the vicinity of the magazines. The
people of Fariport had experienced the
effect of the fearful agent some two
months before, when 900 pounds ig-
nited and caused them severe loss to
| their property. When the second ex-
plosion took place they instantly
| rushed into the streets, frantic with
| fear, and the scene that followed beg
CARS description. Women and children
rushed to and fro so completely stun
ned that they were unable to recognize
| each other. The stout sailors and
workmen were so nearly insane that
| they did personal violeace to each
| other in the vain effort to keep of
| some imaginary foe. Your cores
pendent was at the scene of the eXplo-
| sion in two huErs after the event hap
| pened, and had an excellent opportu-
nifty to observe It.
| TERRIBLE EFFECT.
Fairport was in ruins. Doors were
| torn off, every window was shattered
into fragments, and the window frames
| taken out and broken to pieces. Plas-
| ter was torn off, dishes broken, stoves
| and beds upturned and broken, roofs
| of houses blown off, and everything
| was in a ruined condition. Utter chaos
reigned supreme. Soo;. the men on
| the east beihOupht themselves of the
four men In the magazine, and crossed
| the river i'm boats. The scene present
| ed there was one of perfect desolation.
The only trace of the men that could
| be found was a few charred and black
| ened pieces of flesh no larger than ones
hand, and very few so large as that.
| The only thing found to identify the
bodies was us NAL b IN Of gray Whis-
kers, which is supposed to have been
torn from the face of the elder Malone.
or all the lumber from which the
magazines were built not a piece OF
fragment so large as q mans hand
could e found. Where stood the mag
azines WAS huge cavity in the earth,
partly filed with water, which re.
sembled the crater of volcano. Ac-
tual measurement shows one to be
sixty-seven and the other seventy-siX
feet in diameter snd thirty feet deep
Immense pieces of clay were heav. d
up and away from the cavity-the
clay at this point being Twenty-Five
feet below the surface of the ground.
noticed one piece nearly the shape Of
a cube, the dimensions of which on
each side were about six feet. The
morning after the explosion piece o.
the breast u: arm of man to the ell
bow was found on the east bank of the
river at the enormous distance o.
eighty rods from where they were al
work. 1t weighed ab, ut fifteen pounds
and was the largest piece found, but
could not be recognized. On thursday
afternoon of this week the mortal re-
mains of the Inflated men were follow
ed to the grave by their late comrades
and large concourse of strangers. AL
of the remains that were found up tt
the time of burial would not fill an or
binary sized market-basket. The work
of the terrible compound was no less
than utter and complete annihilstion
Fairport, to-day, is an utter wreck, anC
there Is not a tenantable house in tn
entire place. The entire effects of the
explosion were not confined to Fair
port alone.