The New York herald., 1878-08-18
RECORD OF DEATH.
4 SWath Fifty Feet Wide
Cut in a Forest.
A PICNIC DEVASTATED,
Stones, Tlmbers, Trees and Roofs
Flung at Children.

Stones, Tlmbers, Trees and Roo's
Flung at Children.
[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD
PoTrsvILLE, Pa, August IL. 1878.
AT hali-past four O'Clock anis sfhsmss a OF
black terrifying swept up majestic gran
deur from the west and In few moments
the entire heavens over Pottsvle crashing and
blazing with electric discharges. Tho storm ragged
sublime fury then spread It's wings to distant horizons
and sped on toward the East While the sky
over Pottsville was in full possession OF
the terrible storm. and bolts OF electric
fluid playing among tho neighborng noun
tnins, q shaft OF red-no. forked lightning
descended with frightful into tho very founda
tions OF powder magazine Tho arsenal belonged to
wcldy Co. About eleven hundred kegs Of giant
blasting powder stored away In the OF
the MASSIVE building
THE MAGAZINE sxpLopEs.
But with the indescribable brightness OF the light
ming the magazine aad sll the buildings around Il
were literally blown into atoms Words can give no
idea or tho shock.
II was like tho bursting forth Of volcanic crater,
where explosive gases have been accumula,ing
for ages Pos,sville s large town. Its
buildings rest solid rock foundations, but
on this afternoon, the 1900 kegs OF giant pow
dor wero touched by tho glowing lightning the town
and all tho earth around it shook asM a planet had
struck bem. To recount tho numbsrless distant win.
| dows destroyed on this remarkable occasion weud
give but faint idea the terrible force Of she pow.
| der 4a
THE sCEKK IN P0rfsvILLE.
| Inmatos Of houses hurled from chairs as II
thoy wero In tho path Of an avalanche. Large and
deeply rooted which had withsood the elemental
fury Of hundred storms torn asunosr, snapped
on Ike swsgs, while their massive fragments were
scattered to the winds All this was but the work Of
an instant yet the destruction terrible CON-
pietc. twenty-five houses were crushed as the
| they were eggs undor locomotive. Solid and sub
s,sn,,al houses wero literally kndling wood
MOMENT pEsoLArIoN.
Cheerful hearthstones aud pianos was hurled into
cutters mile away. The fragments Of a these houses
and business structures went Tying through the air
ike bursting shells the life of safe.
sAss roots masses nsosfnr huge sections sfsmbsr.
mingled together and Ia the twnking OF an eye they
wsre nuns into the blazing clouds only to
derug down again and the ,crrnsd citizens OF
Pousviiis TO mutlatiou and death.
| A PICNIC DxsrROYRp
A. the very whom the appalling esssastrophy
was about to occur party ofyoung people were hold
ing picnic IN pleasant grove half mile away.
Girls were chatting with their partners, children
wore nIi,ng tho woods win their happy
voices, when suddenly the storm burst upon
tnem, and viva nghtnipgs made the sky
ssom 70 their young eyes as II n were
filed with 10000 burn,ng, bssz,ng ribbons. rn the
miost OF this scene Of Wild and awful splsndor long
zigzag meteor OF light hurled IT'S dazzling
mass OF light into tho bowels OF the powder
mnsa zinc and befors the asonishcd company could
catch their lost breath, . swath nhy feet wide was
mown through tho forrest. Tho picnic grounds lay
directly In It's dreadful path.
MISSILES o. pgArH.
Tho thousands OF cubic yards OF stone In the
undations OF tho magazine rent
into square cannon balls IS largo 40 dry
sw,nnsss Of birds snos through the sway,ng trees
30 that venerable trunks were cut on level with
tho ground, ana the bodies thrown with re-
morselcss Jury among the helpless chill
\ 10 owav
no time to call mother no time to shelter De.
hind the adjoining rocks. All natuss was N combs.
all nature vas ssexipg the nnoeeoI pleasure sesksra
TO destroy them. rroes, boulders, ,imbsrs. roots o
houses, blocks Of sone, ioundstisps iron g,rdsrs,
branches OF trsss-sIi came Numbering down smio
darkness, rain and flying dssol,tion.
I have walked over tho ground and the sight re-
voaed Is simply beyond description. Rum and death
have Joined hands, and they hsvo devastated a falI
and considerable proportion si our prosperous city
rng LOSSES UNKNOWN.
with coufusiop all around, aud tho groans Of surer
ing aud dying, with mothers looking Tor lost children
with children seeking mutla,sa remains OF parents
Ia difncul, to get full details Of this carnivai o
meteorological honor. give tho names OF sufferers
10 far ss c,n be ascsrtsincd.
PARTIAL LIST or surygRsRs.
WILLIAM REEs, seventeen years OF age. had hi
right leg 80 shattered that II was ampu,a,sd st th
knee.
ANDREW GALLAGHER, twelve ycars old. had hi
head completely torn from his body, ienvus no,h,nI
but pulpy mass scattered among the rocks.
RICHARD VAUGHAN, boy, hsd hts log broken .,
two places, ME hip sud lower ex,rem,,iss smasbe
and torn SO baoly that his sntrsIls pro,rudsd. II
died st six O'Clock.
RICHARD STEVENSON, 90 years old, had hi
lea broSen In two places and shattered. II vas sm