Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1882-02-18
PENNSYLVANIA

A Terrific Explosion of Firevvorks-A
Number of Persons Killed and Injured.
CHESTER, Feb. 17.-An alarm of fire from
the Jackson fireworks factory and magazine
was sounded at o'clock this morning. Five
minutes after the fire department was
throwing water on the burning building.
Suddenly terrific explosion shook the city.
The noise reverberated throughout the coun-
try as far as the Jersey shore A mass of
flame shot high into the air and the frag-
ments of the building were hurled about. A
quantity of gunpowder had exploded. It
was then felt that the danger was over and
the firemen approached the flames until
within touching distance without arprehen-
sion, as did large crowd of spectators
thinking that all danger was passed. But
another explosion much more fearful than
the last suddenly gave terrific shock to the
earth The scene was awful, and so horrible
that it is impossibl to describe it. The crowd
of firemen was scattered in all directions,
many of them with their bodies mangled be-
yond recognition. Some were so badly torn
that it was impossible to tell what part OF
the body the shreds of flesh be-
tators also were killed and
more wounded. Those who we're not rushed.
through the city spreading the horrible news.
Almost instantly the thousands of people
stricken with terror poured from the adjoln-
ing streets to the scene of the disaster. The
news quickly spread to the country and
hundreds of people came from there. The
cries of women and children who had lost
husbands and fathers in the calamity and the
wild inquiries of others added to the terrible
effect of the mass of bloody corpses and
wounded bodies. All the physicians in the
city and all the priests and pastors were on
the spot in q short time to dispose of the
dead and to assist the wounded. The near
est house was about one hundred
yards away. Many of the sufferers were
taken there and every other house i'll the vi
cinity was thrown open, and kindly hands
ministered to the relief of the victims.
Wagons were hastily transformed into ambu-
lances and everything that could be was done
to mitigate the horror. In little time ru
NOR got abroad that the now rapidly spread
ing flames were approaching another large
quantity of dynamite, and rush was made
from the vicinity. The list of killed numbers
fifteen and about seventy were more or less
seriously injured several fatally. Areporter
who was hurt remembers nothing about the
explosion. He did not even know that an ex-
plosion had taken place. and when he recov-
cred consciousness had to be informed how
he received his injuries.
Professor jackson, who was not in town at
the time of the tire-his home being in Phila-
delphia-has arrived here, and is unable to
give any correct theory of the cause of the
fire, except that it resulted from gas
escaping from the stove used to heat
the rooms, The gas, he thinks, ignited
some unfinished rockets which were
stored in the place. This caused the
first explosion according to his theory,
and the second explosion, the fatal one, was
caused by the defamation of some colored
stars used for filling up burnt shells. The
proprietor estimates his loss at $4,000, on
which there is no insurance.