The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1872-12-03
A Terrific Explosion.

The Oil City Derrick says The nitro
glycerine works of the Roberts Torpedo Co.,
some ten yards from the track of the Ale
gheny Valley railroad, about one-half mile
above Scrubgrass, exploded at halfpast 0
o'clock on Saturday morning.
The place was unfrequented, and located
with view to the safety of the neighbor-
hood should an explosion occur. AT the
time of the accident it contained eight,
thirty-fve pound cans of the explosive
agent, an amount sufficient to sweep Oil
City out of existence should it explode in
one of the business streets The shock was
like that of an earthquake, accompanied
by sharp peal of thunder The Oil City
accommodation, due at Scrubgrass at 9:20,
pulled out at $3.50, and had advanced about
one hundred yards ON it's way when the
terrific explosion occurred, shaking the sol
id ground on all sides. The concussion
seemed to strike the wheels of the loco
motive and cars, and for moment to check
its headway. The glass in the windows was
shattered to fragments, and the frightened
passengers were impressed with the belief
that the boiler of the locomotive was blown
up. It seemed as if old earth had conclud-
cd to 60 on a spree for brief period, and
chaos would resume its way. The concus-
sion seemed to go diagonally across the
river, and evidently followed the course Of
the same for some distance. The inmates
of a house nearly opposite were badly
shaken up. The house rocked as though
in the grasp of fearful hurricane, the
clock was thrown from the stand, the crock
cry from the shelves, and the inmates ran
out in great terror to find the cause of the
unwonted phenomenon. 1t was distinct
gentleman on horseback at the Martin
farm, six miles from the point.
An Oil City gentleman, who was at the
Sand wells at the time, heard the explosion
distinctly. He states that it was so load
that the workmen thought that boiler
had exploded near at hand. a little
boy standing near called out that it was
thunder. This point is fully twenty miles
from the scene of disaster, and how terrific
the explosion can readily be imagined.
The ground where the magazine had
stood was torn up as by some convulsion
of nature. The trees and bushes around
were shattered and divested of their limbs,
and the tops of large old trees were twisted
off as if they had been mere .wigs. The
site looked as though whirlwind had en-
yeloped it and exhausted its power for
harm. fY
AS soon as the explosion occurred, men
from Scrubgrass and the neighborhood
rushed for the magazine. A terrible scene
met their view, butwithout waiting to ex-
anime the site, they proceed to search for
the bodies of Wright and Noble. They
were literally blown to fragments, and
only occasionally could bit of flesh, bone
or clothing be found. Up to one o'clock in
the afternoon the only remains found would
scarcely fill cigar box. Bits of clothing
were found on the trees and bushes sur
rounding the cave on the river bank used
for the magazine. So complete was the
work of the destroyer it is supposed the
bodies were blown into atoms which fell in
the river.
The horse driven by Wright and Noble
was hitched to bush about 20 fee. distant
from the magazine. Singular as it may
seem, it escaped with the loss of one eye
The eye was torn from its socket, and the
bit broken in the animals mouth 1t was
found standing near where it had been hitch
ed, with two dogs lying dead at its feet.