The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-08-10
a Terrible FIX plosion--The Bridesburg
Arsenal Demolished.
roc KlLLxp AND TWENTY-FIVE oTHEs sERl'
or,sfy 1Nu.Yrn- CAUSE nE TIE DIS ASTER.

outright ana tWSnty-lWO otueis "ete Sc
riously injured. The Telegraph. after re.
citing the preliminary reports, which were
thst thirty or forty persons had been Killed.
prints the following account, received by
telegraph from Frankford
At twenty minutes after O'Clock this
morning the acting commandant at the
| Briiesburg arsenal had bis attention direct.
ed to a snapping noise, ca dull thud," rs be
| called it. Accustomed TO such sounds and
| their significance. he at once interpreted It
| As indicating an explosion.
Upon investigation he found that an ex.
| poSion had occurred in the laboratory.
which Is situated III the extreme northwest
corner Of the arsenal grounds In this build
! ing or Hom there were some thirty lone boys
employed In what is termed emptying shells
| The process Of doing this Is entirely sale
when II is carried on according to the orders
| given for the work. The balls are extracted
first in another building. and the shells are
| then sent to the building in which the ex-
plosion occurred for the purpose Of extract
! ing the powder.
The boys employed in the latter building.
! 10 the number of thirty-one, ranged from
sixteen 10 nineteen years OF age. OF those
at work in the building about twelve were
| seriously injured by the explosion, and one
was killed.
Immediately after the explosion Captain
! Phipps, the acting commandaut OF the post,
sent for the post surgeon, DR.. Robert Burns.
His son, Robert Bruce Burns, was almost
| Immediately in attendance. .
1t was found upon investigation that but
half dozen Of the boys were seriously in
iurcd, and Daniel Mclaughlin was the only
one killed.
The deceased boy was struck By q splinter
in the breast and iustsrtly killed. He was
the son of soldier at the station, and was
fourteen years old.
THE INJURED.
The following are the names of the in.
jurcd as far as ascertained: Joseph Shield,
Henry Jacobs, James r. Vaosant, E. Shep-
| herd, Jsmes Muir, Edward Thomas, Henry
! Allemus, Wilism S;oneman. Robert Willis,
! Daniel Ross, j. Delardop, John Land, Ro-
her, Rea, Frederick Klotz,J. Farrell, Dluiel
| Mclaughlin, II. Sligan. Wilbur Hopkins,
William McMullin, William Deal, John
! Wortz, John Simpson, FL. kofkie.
| The foreman, Samuel Cole, stated that be
saw a ssh at the upper end Of the room,
and knowing by intuition what was the mat.
ter, he Immediately jumped outside. He
thinks the explosion occurred through care
! essness. &
In the handling Of she'll the illuminate is
not extracted when it reaches this room, aud
! the bows had been cautioned not 10 strike il
| in emptSing the powder, which Is done over
Il water-tark, with tools expressly prepared
! for the purpose.
| The only theory for the explosion is that
one boy, diSrcgardipg the repeated adrnoni.
tons, in attempting TO hurry the cmptying
of his shell struck the tulmnate;a and this
caused discharge, which tltme cOmmunl-
Gated 10 the rest of the shells. thus causing
general explosion.
The building was so constructed that in
the event OF IN explosion the sides and root
could be blown off and leave the framework
of the structure. This idea was successful
in this instance. a visitor TO the spot would
suppose that new building was going up,
Is hardly any chlrred timber can be seen.
! Z"lier one who was injured badly, lives
on Church street. Franktord. He is not ex-
pectcd to recover. lie is about sixteen years
OF aye.
Several others are not expected to sur
! viye, but at present it is impossible to get
their names. A majority Of those named
above, however. are but slightly injured.
1t is a curious circumstance thai all the
! boys who were in ured by the explosion re-
ceIved their injuries in the upper portion of
Their bodies, above the waist. They received
the best attention that could be commanded,
those seriously injured being carefully
wrapped up in raw cotton, while their
! burned and lacerated bodies were painted
with preparations to allay their intense pain.
| SCENE OF The DISASTER HISTORY OF TIE
ARSENAL.
rhn Iv,;tol St.t.e rcopa1 or pr6os
! (Which also goes hy the name Of the Frank.
| lord Ar>enaD stands upon plot of ground
containing siXy-,wo acres aud eighty-two
,qGare roads OF land, at the cor tluence Of
Frankfort creek aud the Delaware river, in
the Tweuty.thir ward. The western front
OF the properly Is on Bridge street, the prin-
cipal thoroHghiarc leading from BrdeSbuTg
10 Franklord. The northern boundary Is
the TacOny road. the eastern the Delaware
river, and the southern the Tacony creek.
The arsenal was established in 1916, du
ring President MaGi>0u'S administration
and the grounds originally comprised only
twenty five or thirty acres, extending to 4
line short distance beyond where the office
of the arsenal now stands, midway OF the
tract. About three acres were added in
1887. and the tinal purchase Of land which
brought The enclosure 10 its present limits
was made in 1910.
The institution is directly under the con-
troll Of the Chief of the Ordnance Bureau at
Washington. Facing the Bridge-street front
are the quarters for the officers, those Of the
commander being nearest 10 the main en-
trance, the others further 10 the north.
These buildings, which are specially fitted up
for the accommodation Of the officers, are in
three sets, the first devoted to the Use Of the
| chief officer huit of brick two stories in
height, IS 10y GO feet; the others, 20 by Oh,
used in common by the suboIdinatcs, each
house, though Joined to the other, having u
sep4tate entrance. The entire grounds are
most elegantly laid out with gravelled walks,
fine lawns, flower beds, and other evidences
OF comfort.
TIE BUILDINGS.
There are, according to schedule pre-.
pared recently, twenty.four buildings in all
inside the wall, the majority Of them built
Of brick aud stone. some Of them very large
and handsome. These buildings embrace
two three-story brick houses, with capacity
for four offices; two.story brick barracks,
with capacity for 100 single men, and two
buildings with quarters for twelve enlisted
men aud their families; eight large store
houses, principally Of stone and brick
twelve frame laboratories magazine, with
a capacity for 1000 barrels of powder; a
hospital containing four beds, 4 dispeusary,
and quarters for the matrou; large tire.
proof machine shop Of brick aud iron; a
large rolling mill Of the same materill office,
guard house, proving-hou>es, stables, ice
houses, etc.
The barracks, which are situated near the
centre of the place, just below the north