The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-08-23
4 TeEribEe Poac.Ler ErpLoston.
LIGHTNING STRIKES AND EXPL0DEs ELEY-
EN HUNDRED KEGS OF POwDER-hANY
PERSONS KILLED AND INJURED
MUCH PROPERTY DESTROYED.

.
EN- HUNDRED KEGS OF POWDER-hANY
PERSONS KILLED AND INJURED
MUCH PROPERTY DESTROYED.
PoTTsvIILE. Pa, August 17.-At half
past t O'Clock this afternoon line of black
and terrifying clouds swept UP from the
west, and in a few moments the entire
heavens over Pottsville were crashing and
. blazing with electric discharges. The
storm ragged in sublime fury While the
sky over Potssyille was in full possession Of
the raging elements, shat. Of red-hot
. fOrkcd lightning descended with frig htfu
roar into the very foundations Of powder
! magazine. The arsenal belonged 10 IL. y.
; Weldy & Co, aud was situated on the
outskirts of the city. About eleven hun
dTed kegs Of giant blasting powder were
stored away in the recesses OF the massive
, building. The magazine and all the build
: ings around it were literally blown into
I atoms. 1t was ike the bursting forth Of
volcanic crater where explosive gases have
! been accumulating for ages.
I PCttsvillc is 4 large town. Its buildings
/ rest on solid rock foundations, but this af~
/ ternoon, when the l 100 kegs Of giant
! powder were touched by tie glowing light
ming, the town aud all the earth around
I shook as if a planet had struck them.
Inmates OF houses were hurled from
/ cGairs as if they were IN the path Of an
/ avalanche. Large and deeply-rooted trees
/ were torn asuuder. snapped OF like twigs,
/ while their massive fragments we're scat
I tered TO the winds. Twenty five houses
! were crushed as if they were eggs under n
/ locomotive. Solid and substantial houses
were literally torn into kindling wood
/ The fragments of all these houses and bus
iuess structures went fying through the
air like bursting shells. The life OF 10 one
! was safe. Slate roofs, masses of flooring,
II.
and foundation stones were all mingled to-
gether, and in the twinkling,of an eye they
were flung in the blazing clouds only to
I como laundering down again and crush
the tarriffed citizens Of PottsYille to mutt
lation and death.
1T the very moment when the appalling
catastrophe was about to occur a party Of
Young people we're holding a picnic in q
pleasant grove about half mile away
Suddenly the storm burst upon them, and
vivid lightning made the sky seem to :heir
young eyes as if it were filed with burning
| blazing ribbons. Iu the midst Of this
scene Of wild and awful splendor a long
ZigZag meteor hurled its dazzling mass OF
light into the bowels of the powder maga-
zine, and before The aslOnished company
could catch their lOSs breath a swath fifty
feet wide was mGwu through the forest.
the picnic grounds lay directly in its
dreadful path.
The thousands Of cubic yards of stone in
! the foundations of the magazine were rent
/ into squares as large as dry goods boxes,
( and propelled with the swiftneSs of birds
/ slot through the swaying trees, so that the
venerable trunks were cut of level with the
/ ground, and the bodies thrown with re-
mOrseless fury among the helpless children.
! Trees bOulders, timbers, roofs Of houses,
( blocks OF stone, foundations, iron girlers,
/ branches Of trees-all came laundering
, down amid darkness, ruin aud flying desc
! latIon. Ruin and death joined hands, aud
( they devastated fair and considerable
/ proportion of this prosperous city.
| The names Of the sufferers so far Rs as-
! certained are as follows
William Rees, II years of age, had his
/ rightleg so shattered that it was amputsted
I at the knee Andrew Gallagher, - years
/ old, had his head completely torn from his
( body, leaving nothing but PUPPY mass
/ scattered among the rocks Richard Vaug-
! han, a boy, had his leg broken in two places,
/ his hip and lower extremities smashed and
! torn so badly that his entrails protruded.
| he died at 6 O'Clock Richard Stevenson,
! 90 years old, had his leg broken in two
/ places and shattered. 1t was amputated at
/ the knee. Sadie Brasier, aged 10 years,
/ had her shoe torn from her foot badly
crushed.
! Two young ladies who were driving to
{ Minersville had n narrow escape. a large
/ descending rock struck the horse in the
/ side. tearing the astonished animal wide
/ open. The ladies Jumped from the car
| riage and ran for :heir lives. Every atten-
ton was given the sufferers by the physi-
, Clans of this city
The house of Henry Steahlo, was nearly
torn down, and MIR. and Mrs. Steahle both
received severe wounds. Lailin & Raud's
magazine near by, containing several hun
dred kegs of powder, was badly shattered,
I but there was no explosion.
Fishers huge coal breaker, one hundred
yards west Of the Weldy magazine, is also
badly damaged. 4 portion Of the engine
house vas demolished. The explosion was
heard eleven miles. The house of James
Ga'braith, at Mount Hope, is a complete
wreck. The total loss is estimated at S45,-
COO, The coroner viii hold an induest to-
morrow morning.
THE LATEsT-THE CORoNER's INQUEST.
PUTTsvILLE, Pa, August t8.-The scenc
oil yesterday explosion was visited by
several Thousand persons to-day, many
coming from the neighborirg tows
Among the wounded who it is thought
cannot recover are Mrs Steahle, an elderly
lady, whose skull WAS fractured. Last
night portions of it were removed in the
hope that her life might be saved, but no
hopes we're entertained by the physicians
to-day for her recovery.
Richard Stevens, who had his leg severe
~ cut and refused to have it amputated,
viii probably die. The verdict of the Jury
to-day was that Richard Vaughn and An
drew Gallagher died from tho effects of in
JuTIes received from stones thrown by the
explosion Of the powder magazine. They
find no persOus censur able for the explosion
and believe il was caused by lightning.
Additional discoveries made to day OF
the wounded makes the number eleven.
lHE NEXT PRESIDENCY In the course
OF conversation with MIR. Murat Halstead