The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1870-01-04
An Artificial Earthquake.

1eLrOEs
From the Titusville (Pa.) Herald, Dec. III
About clock and forty five minutes,
yesterday afternoon, our citizens were
deafened and appalled, by conclusion
which shook every building to its Toun.
dation, ;prostrated men in the streets,
shattered windows and doors, and seem
ed vcritably the "crack of DOOM"
At once there was rush of people to
the scene of the disaster, a few rods
north and east of the driving Park, be-
yond the city line, and about one mile
from the Post office Hundreds of peo-
pie were soon congregated near the
smoking debris of what was known as
Roberts q Co.'S nitro -glycerine magazine
but no one ventured to approach it with.
in hundred yards.
DR.. Walter B. Roberts, who was soon
on the ground, expressed the opinion
that a considerable quantity of nitro
glyccrine remained unexploded, ,and there
was imminent peril of second eXplo
sion the magazine contained six thou
sand pounds of nitro -glycerine. He said
that the only person known to have been
in the magazine at the time. of the ex-
plosion was Patrick Brophy, employed
by the company as an agent. Brophy
had stated that he intended TO visit the
magazine that afternoon. for the purpose
of thawing out some glycerine. The
THAT there was at least one victim OF
the casualty was plainly apparent in the
fragments of a human body and shreds
of clothing which were found scattered
about the fields, and were collected to-
gether by pitying hands The deceased
was young rnar, formerly and for a
long time in unemployment of the Wes-
tern Union Telegraph Company as Su-
perintendent of Construction. He leaves
wife and child in Titusville.
THE EFFECT OF THE EXPLOSION.
For hundred yards in every dlrec-
tion the earth was torn and plowed up
as in a newly plowed field. Trees a foot
in diameter were cut off, and splintered
as if by the lightning's stroke,and those
still left standing were nearly denuded
of limbs. Heavy logs were lifted from
the ground, where they had lain imbeded
for years, and hurled an eighth of a mile
over the tree tops. Stones weighing
from ten to five hundred pounds, were
thrown over one e-sixteenth of mile from
the scene Of explosion,one granite bowl
der weighing sixty pounds being picked
up near Buckland's tavern, on the Hyde.
town road. The high board fence sur
rounding the race track was thrown in
every direction, while the ground for
many yards beyond the scene of destruc.
ton was covered with fresh earth, bits
Of timber, splmters and fragments of the
shells, or cases, used to contain the glyce-
rine when in the torpedo. The entire
field occupied by the race track, togeth-
er with the highway leading from this
city to the trotting- course, was literally
covered with pieces of cast iron, which,
in many cases, were driven far into the
earth by the effects of the concussion.-
The windows and doors of the new and
substantial addition to Schwartz's brew
cry, which stood fully quarter of q
mile from the magazine. and seemingly
protected by the spur of woods and bluti
that interviewed, were driven in and bro
ken in every manner, one door that was
locked being splintered as il by shell
and the lock broken into small bits. A
| five-pound weight, used in the weighing
room of the magazine, was picked up
one eighth Of mile distant,in the woods
Even.animals and fowls exhibited the ut
most terror, and fed in all directions =
Many individuals were thrown to the
earth by the shock.
There were but few buildings in this
city that escaped the effects of the ex
ploslon. Two panes of the large plate
glass front of X. T. Hazards dry goods
establishment were broken into minute
particles, and added to the general ter
ror of the pedestrians upon the street
by its crash upon the sidewalk. Nearly
the entire front Of Patrick Goodwin's
saloon was thrown in and splintered, as
were the windows OF many residences
upon Spring street. In Fletcher's Block
large lights of glass were shlvered, as
were those of nearly every building OF
Franklin street, clear to the bridge tina
crosses Oil Creek. Several windows Of
the Union School building were shatter.
ed, and the scholars in all the depart
ments rushed unanimously out, scream
ing with fright. Ladies and children in
the streets were prostrated to the ground,
and, as if to add to the general conster-
nation, three double teams ran away, EN-
dangering the life and limb of every per-
son in the streets. Happily, mo accident
resulted from this cause, though the
streets were crowded at the time.
! At Shamburg the concussion was fel
perceptibly, people rushing out of door
snpposing that an earthqua Ike had takel
place. At Tideoute, Nieltown, Pleasant
vile and Oil Gty--thc latter eighteel
miles distant-thc conclusion was dis
tinctly felt, the residents supposing ;
boiler explosion had occurred in the i'm
mediate vicinity. Teams were thrown
upon the ground in the city.
THE BUILDINGS DESTROYED.
These were three in number. One wa
a wooden building, with cellar beneath
used for storing powder and compound
and for filing shells. The second build
ing was used for thawing out glycerine
and for preparing the same for use ant
sale, while The third was used as store
house for glycerine and the manufacture
of the same. All of these buildings wer,
totally demolished. The explosion /.
supposed to have originated in the mag
azine or storing house, from the appear
ance of the ground and the direction il
which the remains of Brophy' were pro
jected--though of course the facts of thu
case will remain mystery. The glyce
rine in the third building was not entire
| ly exploded, but was tumbled out by th,
concussion. This glycerine was packed
according to the regulations of an act o.
Congress, and consisted of from fifteen
hundred to two thousand pounds. Th,
glycerine was packed in cans, that wer,