Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-04-08
Many Killed and Injured in Z Fir'
Works Factory,
NEAR PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA.
Three Members Of the City Ooun-
oil Happened to Be in the Build
ing at the Time, and All Three
Were Killed-The Fire That
Caused the Explosion Spread
to Other Buildings and Did
Great Damage.

PETERSBURG, VA, April Fully fifteen
men were killed and half as many more
wounded by an explosion Of powder in the
fireworks factory Of Romaine Bros, near
this city, this afternoon, a few minutes
before o'clock. Just prior to the
explosion, Mr.. Charles N. Romaine,
the senior member Of the hrm,> Mr..
John Bland, the senior member OF
the tobacco manufacturing firm OF Bland
Bros. s; Wright, Captain James Tosh, q
prominent citizen, and Charles Bland, OF
the firm Of Bland Bros, were engaged in
conversation in the Office Of the fire works
concern.
Fire was discovered In an outbuilding
and these gentlemen went to the assistance
Of the employees and tried to extinguish II
by throwing buckets Of water on it An
alarm had been turned, and just as Chief
Engineer Farley, OF the Fire Department,
drove into the yard the explosion occurred,
Messrs. John Bland and Charles Ro-
maine
WERE KILLED INSTANTLY
and their bodies horribly mangled. Both
were member of the City Council. Chief
Engineer Farley was fatally injured and
died in two hours. Captain Tosh's body
was burned almost beyond recognition.
The other dead are Robert Roland, James
Roland, James Perkins, William Tyler,
John T. Harris, Red Graves, and i've 9TH
ers not identified.
Among the wounded are Charles Short,
John Wells, and several Italians, who will
IL a hav N
yet been ascertained.
Later details show that about fifteen
minutes after the first, there was second
explosion. These explosions were dis
tinctlv heard for over mile. The flames
were quickly communicated TO the other
buildings used for the manufacture OF nre
works, and there were frequent small ex-
plosions. 1t was reported tnat there was
LARGE QUANTITY OF POWDER
stored-exactly where no one appears to
KNOWN these buildings and kept tho
crowd from venturing too near the fire.
On the opposite side Of the street from
the fireworks building, all OF which were
frame structures, was the trunk factory OF
Messrs. Romaine Bros, and close by was
the large brick tobacco factory OF Bland
Bros. q Wright and the old whisky dlstll-
lery now unused.
All tneSo DullulnRs, WIN blOCA hHu mh-
chinery were burned to the ground, as was
q large quantity Of lumber.
There were three explosions. The hrst
was a small affair. AS soon as it occurred,
Messrs. Romaine, Bland and Tosh rushed
into the drying room ana there the second
and fatal explosion occurred and they were
killed. A number OF girls employed in
the fire works factory escaped just
BEFORE THE SECOND EXPLOSION.
A public meeting will be held tomorrow
at the Academy at the call Of Mayor Col
lier.
The killed now number ten, some Of the
wounded having died since the first re-
ports.
The killed are:
Charles N. Romalne, Captain James T,
Tosh, John b. Bland, Robert Rowland,
VIM. Traylor, Edward Traylor, James
Bryant, Quincy Livesay, James w. Per
kins, Thomas Voolfolk (colored).
The wounded are:
Edward Farley, A. w. Redgrave, VIM.
Parker, Charles Welt, Charles Short,
Walter NunnallV, Esteith Beasley, Sam
uel L. Daury (colored) and Charles Emory.