Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-02-20
ARSENAL !. EXPLOSION
Disaster Of Nearly Forty
Years, Ago.
A MONUMENT ERECTED
TWENTY oNE GIRLS IN I.ABoRA-
TORY BURNED TO DEATH.
President Lincoln and Secretary STAN
ton Attend Funeral Greatest
Fatality In City.


inscriptions. The inscriptions declare that
the monument was erected by citizens Of
the District in memory of those who lost
their lives In an explosion at the arsenal
June II, 1884, and also give the names Of
the twenty-one victims.
It was a bright morning in June, 1864.
The birds sang sweetly in the trees that
made the arsenal grounds bowerland and
the soft breezes from the lazy Potomac
lulled to slumber the soldiers who lay In
the shady hooks along the shore wall
watching the river craft plying to and fro.
Occurred on Friday, June II, 1864.
1t was Friday, that unlucky day, and
the stiffness was disturbed only by the
tread of the sentry as he paced the walk.
In one-story brick building. containing
four rooms located in the northern end or
entrance to the arsenal grounds, extending
east and west company of about one
hundred and eight young women were
busily engaged at work. 1t was the labora-
tory of the arsenal. They Were making
cartridges for small arms, called Choking
cartridges. This was during the war, and
the cartridges were being made for ship
ment to the front
Suddenly there was great flash of light
just outside of the building, and through
the open windows into the building went
udfl OI Name IIldt ran ike q Missing SER
pent along the table where the girls were
at work In an instant there was greater
flash of light that seemed to fill the entire
room, which was quickly followed by
deafening explosion.
The report came like an earthquake
shock People in South Washington rushed
out of doors to learn the cause. 1t was in
the troublous war times, and the people
for some years had their nerves wrought
up to a high tension, and their eyes and
ears nrmpd I'm and a1,xf hi ing
unusual with feelings alternating betwixt
hope and fear. II
1t was but a very BRIEF time before the
word passed from street to street that
there had been a terrible explosion at the
arsenal, and thither many hundreds of peo-
pie hurried for the horrible confirmation.
Explosion Of Stars Started Fire.
Shortly before noon a quantity of stars
intended for shells. that had been lying
outdoors in copper, pans to dry about
thirty feet from the laboratory building,
caught fire from the heht of the sun and
exploded. The fash from the exploding
stars entered the building through the adj
)acent open windows, igpiting the powder
and cartridges exposed on the long table
In front of the women, employees In an
Instant there was a. deafening roar follow
ed by a ire that seemed to take hold Of
everything in the room. The unfortunate
ing fire. IS 49, -. -.
This room was occupied by twenty mine
young women, and not aone escaped with
out injuries. The women in the east end
of the building escaped by jumping from
the windows, being close to the ground.
1t was this quick action that saved their
lives.
These stars that caused the explosion and
set fire to the building were composed Of
chlorate of potash, nitrate of strancia and
copul. There were about eight or nine
hundred of them in three metallic pans,
and they were used to produce white and
red stars in exploding shells.
the investigation by a corOner's jury
after the disaster revealed that the cause
OF the explosion was the criminal care
lessness of the superintendent in placing
the combustible stars in such close prox-
Unity to the laboratory
1t was a gruesome sight that met the
eyes when the flames had been subdued
and the work of recovering the bodies of
the victims had been concluded. Seventeen
bodies were laid upon the green sward.
Nearly all of the bodies were unrecog
nizable. The flames had done desperate
work. Some of the bodies lay in boxes,
some on boards and some in large tin
pans. A few of the bodies were burned to
finder and were incased in the wire hoop
skirts that were in vogue at that time.
Identification of Bodies.
Some of the bodies were afterward iden-
titled by a shoe or piece of jewelry that
had escaped the ravages of the flames. 1t
was noted as singular fact at the time
that the women who had worn hoopskirts
suffered the most from the flames, their
bodies being burned to a crisp.
This was the worst catastrophe that had
ever happened in Washington, and prob
bly, has not been equaled here since. The
jury that held the inquest over the remains
of seventeen of the victims were the fol-
lowing citizens, nearly all of whom have
long since passed to their reward: Asbury
Lloyd, foreman; James Lawrenson, Thos
p. Lloyd, Robert H. Graham, Herman c.
Loren. Ihos Taylor, VIM. H. Lusby, s. H.
Ingersoll. w. Fl. Rutzer, F. A. Boswell
w. FL. Gibson and Jos. Pullin. The jury in
its verdict recounted the cause of the ex-
plosion very explicitly, and rebuked the su-
perintendent, one Thomas B. Brown. who
had been a pyrotechnist at the arsenal
since 1871, for placing the combustible stars
SO near the laboratory, and said that he
Ineflted severe censure by the government
Tor MS cuipaDle carelessness and neglt-
gence and reckless disregard for life" In
the separate verdict in each case there
We're only two instances where the names
OF victims were used. In all the other
cases the word female" was used
beSlueS the seventeen dead bodies recoy-
cred there were four women who escaped
from the building. but who subsequently
dled from their terrible burns
MAJ. Jas q. Benton was the command
ant OF the arsenal at this time
Employees Vote a Days Wages.
meeting of the employees of the arsenal
was held that day, and it was voted to
contribute one days pay to defray the ex-
penses of the funeral Committees were
appointed to select site In the Congress
sionai cemetery for the dead victims, to ar
range for the funeral and procession, and
70 acquaint families and relatives of the
victims of the action OF the meeting and to
secure their attendance at the funeral.
one family named Adams lost a daughter
In the explosion. 1t was the third child lost
on Friday. and also from unnatural causes
Another incident of the explosion was that
on the morning of the day it occurred
young woman had been sent home from
work by the superintendent for laughing
and talking d,e-ing working hours. which
was prohibited by the rules. To this bit
OF discipline she owed her life. Another in
cident reported is that on the same day of
the explosion a letter had been received
by the authorities at the arsenal from the
arsenal at Allegheny. near Pittsburg, ac-
knoWledging with grateful thanks the re-
ceipt OF $l70 contributed for the relief of a
number Of sufferers from similar fatality
at that place.
Despite the ia II of ,,,,oarfa;ntv and oiaor,