The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1870-11-17
Explosion Of Eight Thousand Pounds OF Nj
tr0.Glycerine-Fairp Ohio, in Ruins
Four Men Blown to Atoms-W Windows Bros
ken Eighteen Miles Distant, &c.

Glycerine-Fairport, Ohio, in Ruins
Four Men Blown to Windows Bro
ken Eighteen Miles Distant, &c.
GAINESVILLE. ONO, Nov. s. Thirty
miles east Of Cleveland, on the line Of the
Lake Shore railroad is situatedthe quiet, un-
pretcntious little vill2ge, containing IA popu-
lation Of nearly four thousand Inhabitants,
the name of which heads this article. Three
miles to the north Of this place, at the mouth
of Grand river, and also on the shore of Lake
Erie, is situated small hamlet called Fair
port, containing mixed population Of per-
haps one hundred souls, all told This latter
place on the evening Of Tuesday, the 1st in.
slant, was the scene OF the most appalling and
horrible accident that ever happened in the
State of Ohio. | have delayed sending the
World an account of the affair up to this
time, in order to obtain fall and reliable in
formation in regard to it. A visit to the scene
of disaster, and careful inquiries of cye-wit.
ncsses of the accident. enable me to lay before
the readers Of he World the full and COM
plete details ofthc explosion Of 8 600 pounds
Of nitro gycerine at
| FAIRPoRT,
which is situated wholly on the east bank Of
Grand river and was in the palmy days of
steamboat navigation on the lakes place OF
considerable pretentions. 1t was a regular
stopping place for steamers running from
Buffalo to Detroit and Cleveland in 1850; but
Of late years the river at its mouth has be-
come filled with sand, trade has almost entire
| ly ceased, and all that ROW remains of the
once prosperous town is about thirty houses,
rickety and dilapidated, inhabited principally
by sailors and fishermen. There also stands
on the east bank of the river three or four old
warehouses. in one of which was manufacture
ed that terrible and myterious agent-nitro-
ycerinc-which has brought so much sor-
row and suffering to the Inflated little ham
lot. In the year 1878 a company was
formed, consisting of Messrs. King, Barber,
TIinckley, and Wheeler, for the manufacture
of
NITRo-dLYCERINE.
The company rented one Of the old ware
houses in Fairport. fitted it up for their bust
ness, and occupied nearly the whole year Of
1868 in experimenting in the manufacture
of the dangerous compound, and in preparing
for the trade Of the following year. In 1869
they had SO far succeeded as to turn out from
their works 1000 pounds Of nitro. gycerlne
per day, Of what they considered a prime
quality. For the reception and storage of the
| nitro glycerine after its manufacture the com
pany erected on the west side of the river,
and over seventy rods from any building, two
MAGAZINES.
They constructed them by excavating in the
sand space about ten feet square by eight
deep, and plading therein a frame building
about twelve feet high. The building was
banked up with sand to its top except at its
entrance There are two of these magazines,
about one hundred feet apart, in which were
stored at the time of the explosion 5000
pounds Of nitro glycerine.
BEFORE THE EXPLOSION
| Moorcd in the river near its west bal was
the Myra, little schooner Of forty tons bur-
den, which is used by the company in trans
porting the nitro-glycerine to market, all rail
road companies and other common carriers re-
fusing to receive it and ship it at any price.
Four men-Patrick Scribner, Edward Dun
gagged in cmptyng the nitro glycerine from the
stone jars in he magazine into sheet-iron car
boys, and carrying these carboys on board the
Myra to be shipped to the Lake Superior
Copper Mines. The schooner was loaded
with sand for ballast, and the carboys slowed
away in it with comparative safety from con
cussion.
THE EXPLOSION.
Suddenly at 40 o'clock, the people o f the
surrounding country for twenty miles were
startled by terrible conclusion of the doors
and windows, aud Earring of buildings, accom-
panied with deep rumbling sound, like dis
tant thunder or the firing Of a hundred cam
non. The earth literally trembled Build
ings were Jared and shook as by an Garth
quake. The people, both at Paanesville and
Fairport, rushed from houses into the street.
The rumbliug noise continued for five min
utes after the first shock was felt An i'm
mense cloud of blood rcd smoke shot up into
the air and spread itself in the heavens The
sight was terribly grand. Immediately sue
ceeding the explosion huge mass of debris,
consisting OF broken jars, splinters of wood
clouds Of sand and clay, rose in the air to the
height Of $50 feet. and soon after all was qui-
ct in the vicinity of the magazines. The peo-
/ PIE Vi IdtTpOIt HtQ Cd pGlleHCc0 ltiC SHGCb VI
the fearful agent some two month before
when 1000 pounds isnited and caused them
severe loss to their property. When the Sec
ond explosion took place they instantly rush
ed into the streets, frantic with fear, and the
scene that followed beggars description
Women and children rushed to and fro SO
completely stunned that they were unable to
recognize each other. The stout sailors and
workmen were so nearly insane that they did
personal violence to each other in the vain
effort to keep off some imaginary foe. Your
correspondent was at the scene of the explo-
sion in two hours after the event happened,
and had an excellent opportunity 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. Plaster 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 reigncd SUI
preme. Soon the men on the east side be-
thought themselves of the four men in the
magazine, aud crossed the river in boats. The
scene presented there was one Of PEE, feet des-
olaton. The only trace Of the men that could
be found was few charred and blackened
pieces of flesh no larger than ones hand, and
|