The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-11-10

aLA4AEr " HUI " CIT 4DOAL d lullAAl GU
feet apart, contained on Tuesday six.
teen thousand pounds of nitro-glyce-
rine, packed in stone jars, holding
about sixty pounds each.
SHIPMENT OF GLYCERINE.
All common carriers, such as rail-
roads, steamboats,, etc, of course will
not transport giycerine under any
circumstances. and the company own
a little schooner, of about tons bur-
den, called the "Myra," I" for shipping
their manufactures to market. A vast
amount is used in the Lake Superior
region, for mining purposes, and on
Tuesday preparations were being
made for loading all the glycerine in
the magazines upon the the schooner
for shipment to Marquette. The man
ner of packing is to transfer it from
the stone jars to sheet-irOn cans, con-
tanning forty pounds each. The ves-
sci is ballasted with sand and these
cans are then carefully packed in it.
PECULIAR PROPERTIES.
1t may be well to state-here a few
facts in regard to nitro-glycerine, in
which lie possible explanation of the
cause of the explosion. The process
of manufacture will be briefly describ-
ed hereafter. When it leaves the
mandatory. it is a liquid, about the
cOnsistence, as described by one of
the employees, ''of fresh buttermilk.u
1t is a singular fact that it soon con-
geals, actually freezes, by its inherent
properties, ice forming similar to that
by the natural freezing process. 1t is
also remarkable that glycerine will
not ignite or explode by the agency
Of heat until a temperature of about
three hundred and sixty degrees is
reached. a simple blaze has no ef-
feet whatever upon it, nOtwithstand-
ing which we can not conscientiously
recommend it for domestic use as fuel.
Conclusion however, is a sure way to
develop the explosive properties of
Neither does it re-
quire a severe blow to produce an ex-
plosiOn, the effect often following n
very slight cOncussiOn. This much
by way of explanation, inasmueh as
cOnfessing our own ignorance hither-
to, we believe that few persons have
a clear idea of the peculiar character
istics Of this mighty, mysterious
agent, which can scarcely be men-
toned without a shudder.
BEFORE THE CATASTROPHE.
Tuesday afternoon, three men
Nelson Malone, Patrick Scribner and
Edward Duncan-were engaged in
transferring the glycerine from the jars
to the cans preparatory TO shipment. |
The elder Malone, father of the first
named, over sixty years of age, who |
was employed as man of all work
about the establishment, was engag-
ed in digging for the foundation of a
third magazine a short distance from
the others.
A number of jars had been remov-
ed from one of the magazines, and
that portion of the contents which
was in q sufficiently liquid state
transferred by pouring into the cans.
That part which was frozen it was
necessary to ''thaw out" and the
three men, at the time of the eXplO-
sion, were engaged in carrying these
jars to the river, to be transported to
the east side for that purpose.
THE EXPLOSION.
Suddenly, at a quarter before )
o'clock, the people in that vicinity,
and, indeed, for many miles around
were startled by a fearful report, as if
a score of cannon had been discharg-
ed simultaneously, and, at the SAME
instant, the rattle of glass, the tum-
bling of chimneys and such a shak-
ing of buildings that they nearly fell
to pieces. From past experience ey-
erybOdy in FaiTpOrt knew what it
was, and the terrified people rushed
from their houses into the streets, aD-
palled with fear.
Immediately following the explo- !
sion an immense mass of sand and
the debris of jars, cans and magazines /
ascending in the air to the height of
two or three hundred feet, accompan- |
led by a dense cloud of smoke, the |
whole illumined by the blaze of the
burning glycerine, presenting the APP
pearance of a bright orange cO'or. /
This for a moment or two, and then 1
the smoke slowly drifted away upon /
the breeze, and all was as quiet as if
no such thing as nitro-glycerine had |
ever been discovered. Witnesses say /
that the sight was fearfully grand. /
The explosion of the second magazine /
caused by the conclusion of the first /
was so nearly simultaneous thatmany /
persons aver there was bnt one report. /
Others are'pOsitive they heard two /
reports, with but a second or
two intervening.
BLOWN TO ATOMS.
It was known that four men were
at work near the magazines, and the /
thought of them sent thrill of hOr-
rOr through every breast. Anxious /
eyes peered eagerly through the smoke 4
and dust, as they were gaadua4ly dis
PEELED, vainly trying to catch aglimps 1
Of the men. Not the slie iehtest sign of /
them was disceTnible. In n short /
time, when the terror of the citizens
had somewhat abated, the small boats .
were filled with people and rOwed .
rapidly across the river to the scene /
of disaster. With cautious steps as if |
fearing another upheaval, they search !
ed for traces of the dead. Here and /
there were found small fragments of |
flesh and bones, SCARED and blacken- |
ed, and these only worse left to tell /
the fearful tale of death.
The effect upon these men was one 4
of the most wonderful features of the /
They were not merely |
killed, they were literally BLOUn to /
atoms In the fast gathering darkness
but a mere handful of these frag- /
ments could be found, the largest be |
ing a piece Of rib, three or four inches /
in length. On Wednesday morning /
the search was renewed, and within a .
radius of 500 feet from the magazines /
were collected enough of these ghast- /
" remnants to fill, perhaps a half
bushel measure. and this was all that 4
was left of these four men. 1t is rare, /
indeed that such utter and complete 4
of human beings, done /
in the twinkle of an eye, occurs.
During Wednesday these remains I
Law in three or four little heaps, as /
they were Collected spectacle that I
made the flesh creep with sickening /
horror. Most Of them were shapeless I
bits of flesh or bone. il being impOssi- |
bic TO even tell to what part of the |
body they originally belonged. There |
were pieces of scalps with most Of the 4
hair burned off, and fragment Of a /
chin, with grey whiskers attached. /
The latter, alone, was identified as
being part of the elder Malone. There /
was the point OF what seemed to be a /
knee, with a shattered bone a few
inches in length, and ghastly shreds 1
Of flesh clinging thereto; and the
complete sole of a foot, even to the /
toes, all except the thick skin upon .
the bottom, being absent. The larg-
est piece found at all was what was
supposed to be part Of a thigh, weigh