The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-11-10

TIKI CIRCULATION OF THE DtIPAICE
Is LARGER THAN TaE COMBINED CIR
TuLATIoN OF ALL THE OTHER DAILY
OF TIE CITY.
of Eight Thousand Pounds
of N1fro.GsycerIue- Eatrport, Ohio,
I'm Ruins-Four Ssen Blown to At.
ens - Windows Broken Eighteen
Miles Distant. dc.
PAlSESvILLE, OHIo, Nov. 3.--Thirty miles
east of Cleveland, on the line of the Lake
Shore railroad, is situated the quiet, rmprc-
ientiouS little village, containing a popu-
lation of nearly four thousand inhabitants,
he 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 Falrport, containing Il mixed popu-
lation Of perhaps one hundred souls, all
told. This latter place on the evening Of
Tuesday, the 1st inst. was the scene of the
most appalling and horrible accident that
ever happened i'll the State Of Ohio.
| have delayed sending the World
an account Of the affair up to this
time, in order to obtain full and reliable in.
in regard 10 it. A visit to the
scene Of disaster, and careful inquiries OF
Of the accident, enable me to
lay before the readers Of the World the full
and complete details of the explosion OF
s zoo pounds Of nitro-clycerine ut
FAIRroRT,
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 regular
for steamers running from
Buffalo to Detroit and Cleveland in 1850
but Of late years the river at its mouth has
become filled With sand, trade has almost
entirely ceased, and all that now remains OF
the once prosperous town is about thirty
houses, rickety and dilapidated, inhabited
principally by sailors and ti-hermen. There
also stands on The east bank Of the river
three or four old warehouses. in one OF
which was manufactured that terrible and
mytcriouS agent-nitro-glyc lyceriue - which
has brought so much sorrow and suffering
To the ill-tated little hamlet. In the year
lSG1-S Il company was formed, consisting OF
Mc>-rS. King, Barber, Iiinckley, and " hee.
Ter, for the manufacture of
NITRO GLYCERISE.
The company rcntel one OF the old ware.
houses in Fairport, fitted it up for their bll-
sincss. and occupied nearly the whole year
of 1868 in experimenting in the manulac.
turc Of the dangerous compound, and in
preparing for the trade of the following
year. in 1860 they had so far succeeded rs
to turn out from their works 1000 pounds
Of nitro-glyccrine per day. of what they
considered Il prime quality. For the recep.
ton and storage Of the nitro-Slycerine after
its manufacture the company erected on
the west side of tbs river, and over seventy
rods from any building, two
MAGAZINES.
They constructed them by cxcayating in
the sand space about ten feet square by
eight deep, and placing therein II frame
building about twelve feet high. The build
ing was banked up with sand to its top eX.
cept at il entrance. There are two Of these
magazines. about one hundred feet apart
in which were stored ut the time of the eX.
pIosion 5000 pounds of nitro-glycerine.
BEFORE THE EXPLOSION.
N00rcd in the river near It's west bank
WAS the Mlra, Il little schooner of forty tons
burden. which is used by the company in
The nitro-glyccrinc to market,
all railroad companies and other common
carriers refusing to receive and ship it any
price. -Four mon-ratflck Scribner. Ed
ward duncan. NJ. Malone, and Nathan
Maloue-were engaged in cmptying the
nitrc-9lyceriue from the stone jars in the
magazine into sheet-ron carboys, and car.
Nin@ these carboys on board the Myra, to
he shipped TO the Lake Superior Copper
tOr ballast, and the carboys slowed away
in it with comparative safety from concus-
SION.
THE EXPLOSION.
Suddenly, at 4:t5 o'clock, the people OF
hn n trv w loo
were startled by terrible conclusion OF
the doors and windows and iarring,
Of buildings, accompanied with decp
rumblng sound, like distant thunder or
the firing of hundred cannon. The earth
literally tremblcd. Buildings We're Jared
aud shook rs by an earthquake. The peo.
pie, both at Painesville and Fairport, rush.
ed from houses into the street. The rumb.
ling noise continued for five minutes after
the first shock was felt. An immense cloud
OF blood-red smoke shot up into the air and
spread itself In the heavens. The sight was
terribly grand. Immediately succeeding 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 80 feet, and soon after all was
quiet in the vicinity Of the magazines. The
people of Fairport bad experienced the ct.
feet of the fearful agent some two months
before, when LOGO pounds ignited and
caused them severe loss to their proper ty.
When the second explosion took place they
instantly rushed into the streets, frantic
with fear, and the scene that followed beg.
gars description. Women and children
rushed to and fro so completely stunned
that they were unable to recognize each
other. The stout sailors and Workmer
were so nearly insane that they did per-
sonai violence to each other in the vain
effort to keep off some imaginary foe. Your
correspondent was at the scene Of the ex
plosion in two hours after the event hap
pened, and had an excellent opportunity tc
observe it.
TERRIBLE EFFECT. ..
Falrport was III runs. Doors were torn
off, every window was shattered into trag.
ments, and the window frames taken out
and broken to pieces. Plaster was torn
of, dishes broken, stoves and beds up
turned and broken, roofs of houses blown
off, and everything was in ruined condi
ton. Utter chaos reigned supreme. Soor
the men on the east side bethought them
selves of the four men in the magazine, and
crossed the river in boats. The scene pre-
sented there was one Of perfect desolation
The only trace Of the men that could be
found wasa few charred and blackened
pieces of flesh no larger than ones hand,
and very few so large Us that. The only
thing found to identify the bodies was 4 small
bunch Of gray whiskers, which is sup
posed to have been torn from the face oi
the elder Malone. OF all the lumber from
which the magazines were, built not a
piece OF fragment SO large us mans hand