The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1870-11-10
The Terrible Nitro GIycerine Explosion at
Fafrporf

L
to five O'Clock, the people of Pains
vile were startled by sudden con-
cussion of the doors and windows,
jarring of buildings, as though some
heavy body had been hurled against,
or heavy tornado Of wind had sud-
denly struck them, with a force al
most sufficient 10 crush them in. This
was followed byga dull heavy rever-
beration, similar, yet still unlike, the
firing of heavy guns at distance.
Buildings were Jared, and trembled
as though shock by an earthquake.
Instantly people were seen rushing
into the streets to ascertain the cause;
many were seized with sudden pan
ic and fear that we were being Wis
tied by one of those disasters. The
reverberation and rolling sound as of
distant thunder was still aperceptible
after many of the people had got into
the streets, at least FIVE minutes after
the first concussion was felt. An i'm
mense cloud of blood red smoke was
first seen to arise in the direction of
Fairport and then to change its color
to a lighter hue, and spread itself out
in the heavens. This terrible phe-
nomena at once seemed to explain the
cause of the great commotion. All at
once understood that it was either the
explosion of the nitro-glycerine man
ufactory or their magazines. Teams
were Immediately brought into requi-
sition and quite a number of our
citizens started for the scene, to whom
our reporter is much indebted for
some of our Information of the dread
nj 10 Of Ta "
port, it would be impossible to de-
scribe the scene which the town pre-
sented. The whole place seemed at
first q complete mass of ruins. The
buildings were shattered, the doors
blown off their hinges, the windows
all smashed in, plasteriIg off, crock
cry, lamps and looking glasses demol-
ished, chimneys torn down, stoves
overturned and everything in the
houses in utter chaos. But if the
scene was terrible within, it was still
more SO without. The whole popula-
tfon nearly were in the street, wild
and crazed. The crash had come so
sudden, and the ,concussion had been
so great, SO affecting their minds and
nerves, that many OF them for the
time were perfectly insane. Some of
the men, we are told, were for a few
moments attacking each setherT and
women were insanely struggling,
while all were loudly weeping and
wailing. Children . were running
wildly about screaming in terror, as
if seeking, protection,a while others
were struggling and screaming in the
arms of their mothers, who were
rushing hither and thither, not know
ing what to do or where to go. l,#
It is said to have been one of the
most heart-rending scenes which
could be imagined. In a few mo-
ments it was ascertained that both the
magazines Of the Glycerine Company,
situated ON the west side of the river,
had exploded, and that four men who
were at work in or near them were
blown to atoms. And here a new
scene of terror was witnessed. The
cries and grief of the wife and little
ones of one of the lost men, ON learn
ing his fate, filed the stoutest hearts
with pity. It was a scene never to be
forgotteii. 1t was some time before
the facts or particulars could be ascer-
tanned. It seems that there were four
men at work in and about the maya.
zines, which were located about IF
teen rods from the west side of the
river. Their names were Pat. Serb.
ner, Ed. Duncan, NJ. Malone, and N
Malone, son of the former. ..,,
The immediate cause of the expIo.
sion is not and never will be known.
digging a pit for a new magazine, and
that one of the men was engaged in
putting glyeerine into cans from the
Jars in the magazine ready for ship.
ping, while the other two were in
some way assisting, by carrying gly.
cerine backwards and forwards be-
tween the magazines and the manu-.
factory. The explosion of the two
magazines, which were near each 9th.
er,, was simultaneous, so,7far as the
people in the vicinity could Judge
they hearing but a single report
The men were all blown to atoms
So far as we have heard only one
piece of flesh, has been found, moi
larger, than mans hand, and bone
apparently part of a rib. r..-,...
The concussion, or force of the ex,
plosion, preceded the report by sew.
eral seconds, so that the first warning
the people, of Fairport had was the
crushing in of their doors and win.
dows, the falling of plastering, upset.
ting of furniture, and racking and
cracking sof the buildings. People
both in and out doors, were thrown
violently down, and. Several made fol
a short time insensible. lAs'si'A' - -
There is not q house or building, a,
we understand, left in Fairport, which
is now in any wise tenantable. n - .l.f
Tuesday night was q terrible on,
for the people of Fairport, who. wer,
turned into the. street instantly, anG
exposed to the cold winds of the night
To add to their terror, 1t was reported
that there was at least O. Thousand
| ponnds of glycerine in the manu-
factory, almost in their midst, whicl
might, at any moment explode, ani
finish the . destruction of property
with, perhaps, greater loss of life.-
Some fled to gainesville for security
while others gathered in groups il
their broken homes and tattered hous
es, wearing the night away-as bes
they could. rJ
The explosion was felt even in BUT
falo, distance Of one hundred ant
sixty miles. Soon after it occurred
despatch was sent over the wire
from the city of Cleveland and ,othe
points on the lake shore, asking if the,
had again been visited by an earth
quake. In Painesville the shock wa
very severe, especially in the soutl
part of. the town, where the clay o.
hard pan comes very near the surface
In one small house we have heard of
things were thrown from the shelves
and bedstead moved near two feet
It is supposed that the explosion mus
have reached the clay or hard PAL
some thirty feet below the magazine,
with such force that houses built OF
that stratum, though some miles dis
: tant, were more effected than those OF
the sand much nearer. I;gy ~
"A RBMARKABLE PHENOMENON occur
red the day on which the shock o.
earthquake was felt, about three miles
back of 'Loudonville, at place called