The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1888-09-22
The Greatest Known Explosion.
Chambers Journal.

stood IN the early part OF this century,
the town and fort of Hatrass. The town
was the centre of the dominions of an in
dependent Rajah, and was separated from
the fort by distance of less than half a
mile. The town was one of great strength,
and the fort was not less strong in its de-
lenses. The walls were thick and high,
strengthened by several immense bastions,
while bitches thirty yards wide and twenty
five feet deep, with five feet of water, sur
rounded both town and the fort. The con-
duct of the Rajah, Dyaran Jacoor, had
given cause of apprehension to the East
India Government as to his designs against
some of their possessions. Accordingly, in
1917 he was summoned by the Marquis of
Hasting to dismantle his Notifications and
disband his troops. At first he made pre-
tense of complying, but afterwards refused
the demand. A considerable force was
therefore dispatched against him, under the
command of Maori General Marshall The
town was first attacked. The batteries
poured into it an incessant shower of bombs,
shrapnel shells and Congreve rockets. The
courage of the defenders was far inferior
to the strength of the Notifications, or the
besiegers would have found their under
taking very difficult, if not impossible. As
it was, in three OF four days, before any
important breach had been made, the gar
rison evacuated the town and took refuge
in the fort. On entering the town, which
they could do only by means of scaling
ladders, the besiegers found the gates bar
ricaded with Stones and immense bales of
cotton.
The full force of the cannonade was now
directed upon the fort, the defenders return
ing the fire with much energy. They
seemed determined to resist to the last.
The British General nobly offered to guar
antee the preservation of their property if
they would send their wives and children
to be guarded out of the Rajah's dominions
They were deaf to all his entreaties and
were resolved to face the worst The worst
soon came A dire and unexpected calam-
ity saved them the horrors and sufferings
of protracted siege. A large shell from
one of the British mortars penetrated the
great powder magazine of the fort; a ire
CAplOsiOu was luG lCoulI. uC
store of powder in the magazine was i'm
mense, the accumulation of many years,
amounting to at least 1000 maunds of 80
pounds each, or 100000 pounds avoirdu-
pois. The magazine consisted largely of
stone vaults, extending far under ground.
This will account for some of the phenom-
ena and for the distance to which the agi-
tation of the ground extended. 1t is sup
posed that many of the garrison, with the
major part of the women and children, had
sought refuge in these vaults from the
British shells, which were very destructive,
and that many of these were entombed
beneath the ruins of the building.
The English guns suddenly ceased firing,
few knowing why, until the dreadful explo-
sion almost paralyzed every observer.
From the narrative Of an officer, we cite
few interesting particulars: 81 was on a
working party with 100 men, and had
Just arrived in the tool yard, about three
hundred yards from the left of the trenches,
when I was thrown fiat on my face by
some violent shock of the earth. Before
the general shock, the earth seemed in
violent commissions. The walls surround
ing the tool-yard were propelled forward
from the fort and fell to the ground.
Stones, bricks, pieces of wood, and, nearer
the fort, bodies and limbs were to be seen
soaring in the air in all directions. For the
moment CONSERVATION and dismay were de-
picted in every face. When arose l felt
much alarmed; the earth seemed still to move
under me; and at first l thought some
thing had happened to me alone; but, on
looking round, found my men, some in
the attitude of prayer and others lying
down, hiding their faces with fear. Hav-
ing recovered my senses, looked toward
the fort, and saw it enveloped in one dense
cloud of smoke or dust, and now and then
streaks of fire issuing from its battlements.
In the midst of this momentary alarm,
there was an indistinct buzzing that the
grand magazine of the enemy had been
blown up. The report having reached my
ears, | ran, or rather rolled, along the
trenches, and was informed that their grand
magazine had really been blown up by one
of our shells. Again looking toward the
tomb of destruction, what sight met the
eye. The smoke which arose from the
ruins seemed to be solid and substantial
structure, gradually and majestically ascend
ing to the skies, bearing on its top varie-
gated volumes of vapor, that seemed to
ride upon it. From this ascending noun
tain were ever and anon vomited forth
sheets of vivid fire, and glittering sand fell
in showers upon the spot. Through this
dense but really unsubstantial mass was to
be seen the setting sun, spreading his lumi-
nous beams through the gigantic phenom-
enon and the beauty of the sight was beyond
human fancy to imagine. The tremendous
volume of smoke seemed to rise almost
perpendicularly, bearing off little with
the wind, which scarcely breathed. When
it had assembled so that the sun was visible
under it, the mass above changed color,
and you might trace on it the most brill
liant rays of the rainbow This continued
ascending in various forms, until at last it
was lost in the distance; after which every
eye was directed to the destruction below,
and the sight was frightful indeed. Heads,
bodies, legs, arms, hands, spears, guns,
muskets, planks and colors lay indiscrimi-
nately among the piles of ruins"
The shock was SO terrible that it was
distinctly felt at Meerut, distance of $50
miles.
The interior of the fort, some four or
five hundred persons, horses and cattle of
all descriptions were destroyed; but the
defenses of the fort were very little injured,
so that the firing on the part of the besieged
was soon renewed and Kept up the remain
der of the day with even greater spirit.
This was a ruse, however, to cover the
intended evacuation of the fort, which took
place the same night. Many of the fugi-
tives were cut down by the British, but
many made good their escape, among whom
was the Raiah himself The fort and the
town were afterward completely dismantled.
What Society Woman Says.
A well known society woman, speaking