Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-04-11
TERRIBLE FATAL EXPLOSION.
Fourteen Killed Outright, and Several o
the Wounded Will Die.

and fire, resulting in great loss OF life
and property, occurred. The killed are
John b. Bland, tobacconist; Charles n.
Romano, manufacturers; Capt. James
7. Tosh; Robert Rowland, spectator;
James Rowland, Prince George county:
James Perkins, employee, head blown
off; Edward Traylor, employee; Thomas
Voolfolk, colored engineer, burned to
crisp; James Bryant. spectator, tailor;
John Wells; John F. Harris; Charles
Traylor, Quincy Lufsey and colored
boy. The wounded are Edgar Farley,
chief engineer, fatally; Charles Short,
seriously; William Parker. seriously;
Sam Drew, colored, badly; A. W. Red
grave, fatally; Walter Nunnally, badly.
The fire originated in the large fire
| works factory of Messrs. Romano
Brothers, in Blandford, where was
! stored large quantity of powder used
for manufacturing purposes. Slight
| fires have occurred in this factory be-
fore, but they have always been sup
pressed by prompt action. 1t was with
| the hope and expectation of suppress
ing this fire that so many people who
| went to help to extinguish the flames
were killed and injured. The fireworks
| consisted of number of buildings,
some fifteen or twenty, a few feet apart,
in each of which only one party work
ed; a storehouse, in which the com
bustibles were kept, and package
| room for the storage of the manufac-
lures. They are all small frame build
ings. 1t is learned that the fire orig
mated in what is known as the dry
powder-room and that there were three
explosions. The first when the alarm
was first given, at O'Clock, the second
| five minutes later and the last-a slight
one-about o'clock.
The second explosion is said 30 have
been the fatal one. Nearly every one
of the bodies of the persons killed was
found in a radius of a dozen yards from
the building, which caused the second
explosion, and which was known as the
magazine building. Besides powder
there was said to have been in this
building potash and sulphur.
Sunday morning another dead body
was found near the river bank, but it
could not be identified. The poor fell
and carried a distance of several hun
dred yards. A jaw bone with the teeth
was found Sunday half mile from the
scene of the deadly explosion. Three
hearts and any quantity of bones of
human beings were found in the debris.
These were placed in a box and buried.
One of the female operatives in the
fireworks factory when the second ex-
plosion occurred became so frantic with
fright that she rushed from the build
ing and ran to the river and jumped
| into the stream and would have been
drowned but for a boatman who hap
pened to be coming up the river at the
time in boat and who rescued her.
Rev. Henry Williams, pastor of the
Gilfield Baptist church, colored, mar
rowly escaped being killed by piece of
flying timber.
| The head of Mr.. James W. Perkins
was found some distance from the
scene of the explosion. Had the ex-
| plosion occurred half an hour later a
hundred or more persons would have
been killed.
The total loss by the fire is estimated
to be in the neighborhood of $4,000.
Bland Brothers & Wright have al
insurance of SIS 900 on their stock OF
| goods and building.
Romaine u Brothers carried an insur
ance of $4,000 on their building ant
stock, and the Bryant building was
also insured.
The eight dwellings destroyed were
all insured in sums ranging from $20(
to $3.50 each.
Rev. Sam JOnes's Opinion Of Senator
Patrick Walsh.
The Washington Post of April 4th
represents Rev. Sam Jones as saying
in reference to the appointment o
Patrick Walsh as U. s. Senator
1.-The appointment is an eminently
fit one to have been made. Col. Walsh
has been one of the sturdiest and mos
devoted fighters in the Democrat,
ranks in Georgia and the South. have
known him and his political work since
he was a member of the Legislature
and was a reporter in that body il
1876. He was the stalwart friend al
ways of the dead Senator whom h'
succeeds and is in every sense capable
of maintaining the integrity and repre-
sentative dignity which Colquitt gave
to the.seat.
protectionist. During the period O.
the New South boom that was SO elo
quently championed by the lamenteC
Grady, l think Col. Walsh was strong
ly inclined to favor such form of tar
iff as would encourage the investment
of large blocks of capital in certain
lines of Southern industries and man
ufactures. But since the dire effects
of McKinleyism have become manifest
and the resultant panic has showr
how easily artifcially fostered indus
tries, even in the South. are subject tx
the caprices and conspiracies of com
bines and trusts, am sure Col. Walsh
stands solidly, as his strong sense Of
patriotism naturally inclines him, with
the opinion of the masses of the South
ern people. Scarcely doubt can be
felt that he will be found other thar
one of the most strenuous champions
in the Senate of the tariff reform and
the currency policy that his fellow
Georgians and himself advocated as
the true intents of the Chicago plat
form Of 1892
Personally, he is a splendid charac
ter. He is rich in honest Irish humor
and the master of an earnest and pleas
ing eloquence. No man in Georgia il
more loyal to his friends, faithful to
his party, or devoted to his country's
welfare. He will be popular with his
colleagues and Senator of whom his
| fellow citizens will no iuStIv nroud