Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-04-09
PETERSBURG'S CALAMITY.
Fourteen Persons Killed by an EN-
pIOsiOn.

An explosion and fire, resulting in great
loss of life and property, occurred at Pc
tersburg Saturday afternoon. The killed
are: John b. Bland. tobacconist; Charles n.
Romano, manufacturer; Capt. James T.
Tosh, Robert Rowland spectator; James
Rowland, Prince George county; James
Perkins, employee, head blown off; Edward
Traylor. employe; Thomas Woolfork, col
ored, engineer, burned to a crisp; James
Bryant, spectator. tailor; John Wells, John
+. Harris, Charles Traylor Quincy Lufsey
and colored boy. The wounded are: Edgar
Farley, chief engineer, fatally; Charles
Short, seriously; W imam ParAer, seriously
Sam Drew, coiored, baaly; A. W. Redgrave,
ia tally; W alter Nunnally, badly.
the lire originated IN the large fireworks
factory of Messrs. Romano brothers, in
bianu1ord, where was stored a large guam
THY OF powder used for manufacturing pur-
poses. slight fires have occurred IN this
factory before, but they have always been
suppressed by prompt action.
1t was with the nope and expectation of
suppressing this fire that so many people
VINO went to help to eXtinguish the names
were killed and injured. The fireworks fac
tory consisted of a number Of buildings,
some fifteen or twenty, few feet apart, in
each Of which only one party WORKED a
storehouse in which the combustibies were
Kept and packing room for the storage of
the manufactures. They We're all small
frame buildings.
1t is learned that the fire originated 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 live minutes later and the last,
slight one, about 4 o'clock
The second explosion is said to have been
the fatal one Nearly every one of the bod
les 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 build
ing. Besides powder, there were said to
have been in this building potash and sui
phur.
The total loss by the fire is estimated to
be In the neishborhood of $4,000.
Bland Brothers q Wright have an insur-
ance of $lo.OOO on their stock of goods and
building.
Romaine & Brothers carried an insurance
or $25,OOO on their building and stock and
the Bryant building was also insured
Inc elSht dwellings destroyed were all in
sured In sums ranging from $500 to $3.50
each.
An Inquest Begun.
An inquest was held before DR.. H. G.
Leigh, coroner, at the court house yester-
day, and a good deal of testimony heard
Pending the examination of witnesses an
adjournment was had to this afternoon at
l o'clock.
Yesterday at noon a special meeting of
the city council was held and appropriate
resolutions adopted on the death OF Messrs
Z. n. Romano and John b. Bland, whose
funerals were attended by the entire coun-
Gil.
Yesterday afternoon at 3 o'clock, in pur-
suance to a call of the mayor, a mass meet
ing OF citizens was held in the corporation
court room to take such appropriate meas
ure of sympathy and relief as the occasion
may require. There was very large at
tendance Of Petersburg's most prominent
and influential citizens, including ministers
of the different churches. Mayor Collier
presided, and the meeting was opened with
prayer by Rev. II. w. Battle, d. d., pastor
OF the First Baptist Church.
subscription list was at once opened as
many of the families of the dead and
wounded are in urgent need A committee
of six from each ward in the city was also
appointed to solicit contributions from the
citizens. The funds collected are to be dis
tributed by the ministers of the city. At
the meeting about $3.50 was contributed
The meeting adopted a resolution asking
the city council to make a donation to the
relief fund. 1t Is expected to make the fund
5000. kilograms Of sympathy were read.