Georgia Historic Newspapers

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The Thoroughfare.
All (lay I watched the busy crowds
That j>re?s atoiu the street.
Have hoard, like rain drops on the roof,
The sounds of falling feet;
Finn morn till night this tide of life
Flow? like a ceaseless stream,
Like to those nameles* shadowy throngs,
Which pass us in our dream.
To those who've walked some crowded street,
Wher strangers c >rne and go
Lik" shadows—heedless whom you meet,
No faces t at you know—
I need not toll that ’midst the crowd
Which thronged the stteets today,
Y< n might have se. n the young, she old,
The sorrowful, the gay. **
For you, like I, have marked such crowds,
Have read them like a hook ;
And in the flushed and haggard face,
The frown, the smile, the look.
Have read the secret? of the soul—
Have seen the fond desire
For w> altli and fame enkindled there,
And burning like a fire.
You have upon that street, perchance,
As eye to eye yon met
Borne b ttuty whose bewildering glance
Dwells in your memory yet;
You there have read the sentiment
* H Joyousness and glee,
Upon the page* of that heart—
They were not writ for thee.
And on that wan and laggard brow
Have read how sorrow’s fangs
Have pierced tin- breast and torn the heart;
What <• uc-l, hitter pangs
ruthless hand has giv* n ;
What p vertv, what tears
The heart hen li, am hope all crushed,
The future nought but fears.
Business and pleasure, toil and rest,
Hath each its suitor here,
And some to-day the streets have pressed
Who’d weep when night appears.
I know not whence they come, nor where
Their eager st,*jis will thrust;
I know hut this ; t hey go at length,
At last, to death—to dust.
And other crowds will press these streets
F'or lucre, love and lore ;
Others will frown, and laugh and weep
When we shall weep no more.
The children of that coming day—
A better day, 1 trust—
Will little reek how sound we sleep,
Who’ve gone, to death—to dust.
The poem below is as seasonable as it is beautifully
expressed:
lalling Leaves.
They are failing, slowly falling,
Thick upon the forest side,
Severed fiom the noble branches,
Where they waved in beauteous pride.
They are failing in the valleys,
W hero iho early violets spring
And the birds in sunny spring time
F'irst their dulcet music sing.
They arc falling, sadly falling,
Close becido our cottage door ;
Pale a id faded, like the loved ones,
They have gone forever more.
They are falling, and the sunbeams
Shine in be uity soft around ;
Yet the faded leaves are failing,
Falling on the inos-y ground.
They are falling on the streamlet,
Where the silvery waters flow,
And upon the placid bosom
Onward with the blue waters go.
They are falling in the church-yard, .
Where our kindred sweetly sh'i /norc
Where the idle winds of suratra
Softly o’er the loved ones swdk Stea
They arc falling, over falling, iJ' '
When the autumn breezes sig™' I’d
When the stars in beahty glister...i.
Bright upon the midnight skr uul > J
They are falling when the temp;he chi'
Moans like pecan’s hollow rot
W hen the tuneless winds and bjrospci'L
Sadly sigh for evermore. £ j ]( (
They are falling, they are Newbi
While our saddened
To the sunny days of eluldl^^^^B
In the dreamy long ago. Con
Ami their faded hues
Idasted hopes t'lc.l
Faded like the falling w ].'.j
Cast upon the icy stream^^^^jP
' a const!
Uu Manage De Oonv^Bkf^^.
If yon saw my wife with her beauty rare,
Her elegant form aud her raven hair,
You would deem me ble.-sed and without a care.
For the light falls soft bn a sweet pale face,
On exquisite lips full of pride of race,
Ami a nock so white in its queenly grace.
But the novel rests unread on tier knee,
And the lire’s red rays reveal unto me
A lingering look 1 shudder to see.
I love her full well; but I’ve grown too wise
Too closely to peer in lier tell-tale eyes,
Or to seem to hear her suppressed sighs.
When the gloaming sad with its dying gleams
Again glimmers o’er the Paetolian streams,
And her dead love's face beacons through her dreams.
And I turn away ; for well do I know
That her heart is chilled as by Winter snow,
And never with love of me will it glow.
When I hear her tears on the pages fall,
The w andering win ’s a hushed requiem call
O'er the hopes I lay breath a heavy pail.
And the thoughts that come through tiie gath’rinsr
gloom
Are th 'lights of our lives and our bitter doom,
To be kept apart by a gaping tomb.
[ 1 tushy's Magazine for November.
In Memoriain.
D. J. R.
By (he author of “ The Conquered Banner."
Young as the youngest who donned the Grav,
Trim as the truest that wore it
Brave as the btavest, he inarched away,
til t tears on the cheeks of his mother lay),
Triumphant waved our Flag one day,
lie ?e 1 in the front before it.
Firm as the firmest where duty led,
Ho hurried witnout a falter—
Bold as the boldest, he fought and bled,
Ami the day was won-but the field was red,
And the lood of his fr. sh, young heart was shed,
On his country’s hallowed altar.
On the trampled breast of the battle p’ain
Wher • the loremost ranks had wrestled—
On his pale, pure face, not a mark of p a pl
tiiis mother dreams they will meet bcainv
The fairest form amid all the slain, ’’
Like a child asleep—he nestled. ’
In the solemn shades of the woods that swept
The field where his comrades found him— 1
Tt *\ buried him ther*—and the big tears crept
liite -troiig men s eyes that had seldom wept
tills me her, God pay her—smiled and slept,
Dre utug her arms were around hint),
*******
A grave in the woods, with the grass o’er grown,
A giave in the heart of his mother—
His c’ay in the one lies lifeless and lone ;
There is not a name, there is not a stone—
Ana only the voice of the winds maketh moan
G er the grave where never a flower is strewn—
But his memory lives in the other.
[Front the Cleveland Plain-dealer.
Thrilling Incident.
A MAX IN A TRANCE IS SUPPOSED TO BE I>EAI>.
ANT) IS DEPOSITED IN A VAULT—HE BURSTS
HIS COFFIN, ESCAPES, AND IS SHOT AT AS A
PRETENDED GHOST.
We have before us a private letter, detailing
events that ree. utly occurred in a Southwest
ern Ohio town, that £ive peculiar force to the
old adage, that “ truth is stranger than fiction.”
Mr. Delos W. is a wealthy and influential
rnau, residing near the village of I*. On the
Thursday preceding the prize tight between
Gallagher and Davis, the old gentleman was
thrown into a high state of excitement at learn
ing that his only son John had gone to Cleve
land with the avowed purpose of attending the
light, and his excitement was intensified at still
further discoveries that John had helped him- 1
self to his (the father’s) pocket-book, contain
ing S2OO. Mr. VV. fumed and fretted over the I
conduct of his son, and went to bed on Thurs- j
day night with a raging headache and marked j
symptoms of fever. He was about the place !
in a more composed state of mind on Friday,
but the interview with John on Monday after- j
noon, immediately after the son’s return, threw j
ihe old gentleman into a paroxysm of rage !
and grief, which was rendered doubly severe j
by John’s insolence and his acknowledgement j
that he had lost $l5O of the money in a bet on j
Gallagher. Mr. W.’s frenzied feelings finally :
got the better ot him, and he felled his son to
the floor with a blow of his fist, and immedi
ately thereafter fell down himself in a sense
less condition. Great excitement in the family
ensued. The mother ran screaming lor assist
ance, which was soon forthcoming 1 in the per
sons of several of the neighbors. Mr. W. was
found in an apparently lifeless condition, with :
blood flowing from his mouth aud nose. A !
subsequent examination by a physician led to !
the announcement by him that, Mr. W. had !
died from the bursting of a blood vessel. So !
evidently had the vital spark fl- and that no efforts 1
at resuscitation were made, and the “remains”
were prepared for burial as promptly as pt s- (
sible.
The funeral of the “ deceased ” took place |
the following Wednesday. Mr. W.’s body had
only been coffined the previous day—up to
which time it had lain draped in its shroud in
the parlor. Notwithstanding the wonderful
life-look ot the skin and the color in the face,
it occurred to no one to suggest a postpone
ment of the burial till death was absolutely
certain. The funeral was very largely attend
ed, and everybody remarked the life-like ap
pearance ot the deceased.
The “ remains” were temporarily placed in
one of the vaults of the cemetery, owing to the
fact that a brick tomb, commenced for their re
ception, had not been completed.
At 10 o’clock on Thursday night the village
was thrown into great excitement by the re
port that a ghost had been seen in the cemetery
a short time before, and that the old lady who
had first seen it had been frightened into a fit.
trom which it was doubtful whether she would
recover. Thinking that probably the ghost
was personated by some scoundrel, who had
played the same trick several times before, a
number ot persons armed themselves with shot
guns, proceeded to the cemetery, and com
menced a cautious inspection—their heart?
keeping up an anxious thumping in their
bosoms, in spite of their assumed bravado. —
They had not long to wait, for there, flitting
among the tombs, was a wiiite object, plainly
to be seen. With trembling hands the guns
were raised, and fired when—strange fact for a
ghost—they saw the white creature fail between
a couple of graves. Plucking up courage, they
cautiously approached the object, and turned a
d.wk lantern upon it. Their feelings can be
belter imagined tkau described, when they
found that the ghost was the lately “ deceased
Mr. Delos W. Whilst a portion of the party
picked up the bleeding and senseless body of
the old gentleman, and started homeward with
if, the remainder hastened to the vault. There
they found Mr. W.’s coffin broke open, and
lying upon the floor, aud the coffin ot a de
i eased lady, that had been placed upon it like
wise thrown down, from the shelf, and stand- •
ing on end, partially broken open, displaying
its ghastly inmate. The vault door, which was
a rather weak affair, had been forced open by
the resurrected W.
The party then went to Mr. W.’s house,
where they found that the wounds were not
serious, and that he had recovered his senses.
His story was briefly told: He had been carried
to the cemetery in a trance. Early on Thurs
day evening, consciousness returned to him,
and the horrid truth flashed upon his mind that
he was coffined alive. This led to additional
strength to his struggles to get free, and he
finally succeeded in bursting the coffin.
Mr. W. is now last recovering, and seems
good tor a lonsr lease of life yet.
John Hardy, editor of the Radical paper pub
lished in Montgomery, Alabama, has been con
fined in a lunatic asylum, and when we say this,
we do not mean that he has been chosen to the
State colored convention.
The “ American clown Agreat, called the man
fly,” according to a Baris paper, “ committed
suicide last week at Berlin iu presence or 2,000
spectators, by firing a pistol in his mouth at the
moment he wu hanging by his feet to the ceil
ing of the theatre.
The Wilmington Star relates the following
incident ot “ Human Progress
The following is said to have occurred at
l nion Superior Court. A colored gentleman
on the jury is objected to on the ground of in
competent v—the following questions pro
pounded by the counsel to a juror :
“ Sam, are you a free-holder ?”
“ Yes, Sar.”
“ Have you any land ?”
“ No, Sar.”
“ What do you mean, then, oy sayinir you are
a free-holder ?”
“ I means bein’ free and holdin ’ on. and so
on.”
“ What is a verdict , Sam ?”
“ I dun know, Sar.”
“ What is a plaintiff f n
“ I dun know, Sar.”
“ What is a defendant ?”
“I dun know, Sar; I’se green ’bout dese
tiugs.”
Here Gen. Canby’s order was read, from
which it appeared he was competent— so the
man and brother was duly “ cussed ” in and
took his seat.
Brilliant Career and Sad End of a Con
federate Boy. —We find in the last number
of the Winchester (Va.) Time a brief biograph
ical sketch of Capt. George Burwell, of Clarke
county, in this State, who recently perished in
the Imperial army of Maximilian.
This gallant Virginian was only fourteen
rears of age when the late war of independence
broke out, but despite the protests of bis friends,
enlisted in the Southern army, and fore himself
through all its coutests with distinguished gal
lantry and credit. Alter Lee’s surrender be de
termined to leave the country, and with this
purpose he went to Mexico and tendered his
sword to the Emperor Maximilian. In the Im
perial service he displayed the same ardent
valor which had marked his Confederate career,
and he rose to the grade of captain. In one of
the almost numberless atfiirs which were
fought in Maximilian’s last camprign, young
Burwell was mortally wouuded, and breathed
S his last on the field of action.
| There are but few heroes to whom are so ap
plicable the words of Byron—
*' Brief, brave aad glorious was his young career.”
I Louisville Courier.
AUGUbTA, GA., WEDNESDAY KORNING, NOVEMBER 27, 1867, ‘
Elegant Extracts. —We have published a
telegraphic dispatch giving an account of a con
versation which a correspondent of the Cincin
nati Commercial had held with the Hon. Ben
Wade, setting forth the vie ws of that persouag
in relation to the Ohio election, and other topi* s
i growing out of it. Since then the letter oflfj,
correspondent has appeared, detailing in fu'
! the political ideas of Mr. Wade, .as expresses
|in his own choice language. The following ex
tracts are specimens ot the style of the man
who now fills the second office in the republic.
Referring to the Ohio election, the correspond
ent approaches him with :
“ Well, old gentleman, how do you like it as
far as you’ve got ?” To which Mr. Wade re- j
plies : “ It’s the fate of war. We’re d—d badly j
whipped ; but it can’t be helped. We must get 1
ready for another round at ’em.”
Ot the defeat of the suffrage amendment he j
says :
“ I’ll be for keeping it up until we do win ; j
for by the Eternal God they can’t beat us all the I
time on a question like that! * * * I won’t I
back a d—d inch.”
Referring to weak-kneed Radicals: ¥ Hell’s j
full of such Radicals as we have now. There’ll
be the damnedest crawfishing you ever saw j
from this time forward.” In reply to a ques- j
tion whether Mr, Lincoln left little or no pro- i
perty behind, he said :
“ 3 and and lie. Mrs. Lincoln was very I
well off, and ctid’nt need even what she got j
($25,000) from Congress. She took a hundred j
boxes of something or other—l don’t know !
what —away with her, and the Commissioner j
of Public Buildings swore there were fifteen i
other boxes that she wanted to carry off, and j
he had to interfere to prevent her. At any !
rate, she cleaned out the White House. I \
didn’t know but she was going to run a big ho
tel with all she carried off.”
His opinion of -Stevens’ confiscation bill :
“A piece of and and foolery.” In regard to
impeachment: “ What the devil has an election
in Ohio to do with the matter?” He would
like to know whether Grant was “for Johnson
or for Congress, or what the devil he was for.”
When he (Wade) endeavored to eiieit from
Grant his views upon political subjects, he
turned the conversation to horses ! “Conser
vative devils ” is the complimentary phrase
Mr. Wade applies to those who cannot “ jumn
forward ” as far as himself. “We’ll give them
(the. Southern States) a republican form of
government in spite of the devil and all his
angels, including Andy Johnson.” We sug
gest to the party of progress, among their
other side issues, to put a prohibitory plank in
their platform against profanity, for their fine
“ moral ideas ” lose much of their weight
when set forth by their leading official func
tionaries with so many “damns” and “ devils.”
The Dignity of Labor.—The Boston Com
mercial Bulletin tells the following, which some
employers will not fail to appreciate :
We were never more impressed with the
dignity ot labor than while witnessing, a few
days since, a group of “ down-trodden work
ing men ” engaged in putting up some ma
chinery. There were five of them, or rather
ioui men and a boy, and at the time they came
under our notice, 5:80, p. m., one was engaged
in slowly turning over the contents of a box
in search of a screw, two were looking with
much interest for the labors of No. 1, the
fourth was slowly scratching a piece of ’iron
with a file, and the boy was Scratching his
head. No. 1 finally found a screw to suit him,
but during the search his pipe had gone out. —
Laying down the screw, he began to investi
gate his pocket for a match. Nos. 2 and 3
searched theirs in sympathy, while the filer
paused to see the result. Finally No. 2 found
a match, ignited it and handed it to No. 1 who
having accomplished a light, smoked tor a few
minutes to assure himself of the fact, while
the boy went to the other room to look at the
clock. No. 1 then looked at his watch aud
compared time with No. 3. Time, 5:40.
No. 1 then put the screw into position to
fasten a bar. No. 2 held the bar, No. 3 squint
ed at it from the other side of the machine.—
No. 4 inspected the whole operation reflective
ly, -as he slowly resumed his filing, and the
boy wiped the oil from his fingers. Time, 5:45.
Ax Editor Sued.—The editor of the Musca
tine (Iowa) Courier was sued the other day.
He took it philosophically. Hear him :
The dim recesses of our dark sanctum were
illuminated yesterday by the rubicund visage
ol our friend Constable Scott. Our hair stood
on end as with tears in his eyes he proceeded
to read a very nicely printed blank on which
our name figured conspicuously with that of
Justice Klein. To cut short a long article, we
were sued. _ Were you ever sued, reader ? Yes?
#*ice, ain’t it ? We put our pen behind our ear
and looked wise at the officer. He trembled a
little, for the idea of suing an editor was new
to him. He never imagined that anything could
be got of “them le'ffrs” ny suing—we didn’t
either. Wo don t now. The art of suing is a
science. Young lawyers anxious for suits some
times bring them lor luu. Old ones, however,
never do anything of the kind unless they can’
get something. We never knew anybody to
get anything where there wasn’t anything to be
hid. We hope they’ll get a judgment against
li', then we hope they’ll take out an execution,
and lastly, we beg they’ll execute it. If we’ve
got any property we’d like to know it. They
might garnishee a lot of other (ellows we owe
around town. _We guess they will If they
are sharp they’ll commence on George Schneid
er. W'e owe him for a glass of beer. If they
get that it. would help a little Failing in this
we recommend them to attach a box of soiled
paper collars we have on hand. They haven’t
b< • n turned yet, and they might use the clean
side. If this won’t do, we are unable to help
them. .
The Corruption of Ancient Pompeii.—A
correspondent ot the Tribune, who
lias lately ecu at the buried city* in Italy,
writes as follows :
There is one matter in relation to Pompeii
that is seldom touched on by writers, and
which I dare not touch too closely,to-wit': The
horrible depravity of the Pompeians, as illus
trated by the frescoes, sculptures and bronze
statues that are found. Huudreds of these vile
e jects have been carried away to the museums
in Naples, and put in a room which no woman
is allowed to visit; but there are still houses iu
Pompeii that are kept locked, and others that
have such sculptures over the doors on the
outside that the guides harry past them when
there are worn uin the party. Even iu private
houses there are scores ot frescoes—magnifi
ceiitlt executed, too—which one would dare to
visit only m Company with his earnest and
dearest friends, if ladies, and in other houses
pictures- and statues than which none can im
agine anything worse. I cannot understand
why the writers on these matters have beeu so
anxious to conceal the faults of the ancients.—
It is a fact that deserves to be generally known.
Great God ! what a picture of corruption in
imperial Rome is revealed to one who looks
into Pompeii with anything like thoroughness.
The very stone of the door-posts tells a tale
more damnable, than ever was invented by
modern thought. Sodom was clean, and Go
morrah was pure, compared with Pompeii.
Where was ever a people on earth, before or
since Pompeii, that “ advertised the ways that
lead down to hell ” bv sculptures placed' iu the
open light of the street? “Out, damned
spot!” cried the stili iufant genius of modern
civilization and Christianity, as it looked in
upon Pcmpeii, and Vesuvius responded to the
command and sent his consuming fires to do
t£e work.
I iter from Gen. Cialdini Lo Gen. Garibaldi.
’ he defeat of Garibaldi gives interest to
' following letter, addressed to him six
: y rs ago by an old comrade in arms:
Turin, April 21, 1861.
yJ-ENERAU : From the moment I knew you
I became your sincere friend, and I was so
when it was a cause of blame in the eyes
of a great number. I applauded your tri
umphs, I admired your powerful military
initiation,and with my friends, with yours—
in public, in private, everywhere, and al
ways—l have testified to you the highest
esteem, and declared myself incapable of
attempting what you accomplished at Mar
sala. Such was my confidence in you, that
when Gen. Sirtori pronounced those fatal
words in Parliament, I remained convinced
that you would feel the necessity of contra
dicting them. And when 1 knew that you
had left Caprera, landed at Genoa, and ar
rived at Turin, 1 believed that you did so
for that object solely.
The words you have spoken in the Cham
ber have most sadly but most completely
undeceived me. You are not the Garibaldi
for whom I felt so much affection. That
att'ect-ion is gone with the illusion I cherish
ed. lam no longer your friend : and, frank
ly and openly, I pass into the rinks of your
political enemies.
\ on have the audacity to put yourself on
a level with the King; you speak of him
with the familiarity of a comrade ; you pre
sent yourself in the Chamber in a grotesque
costume, in hostility with his Government
—calling his Ministers traitors because they
are not devoted to you—in hostility with
the Parliament, neaping blame on deputies
who do not think as you do, to the detri
ment of the country, on-which you want to
exercise a personal action. Well, then, there
are men who are not disposed to submit to
all that, and I am one of them. An enemy
of every species of tyranny, whether it be
arrayed in black or red, I will combat yours
to the very last. The orders given by you,
or yours, to Col. Tripoli to receive us in the
Abruzzi are known to me. I know, too, the
words spoken in Parliament to Gen. Sir
tori ; those that you uttered; and those in
dications let me into the secret designs of
your party. Your party want to make
themselves masters of this country and of
the army by menacing them with civil war.
I am not in a position to know what the
country thinks about all this; but I can
assure you that the army does not fear your
menaces, and that it only fears your gov
ernment.
. General, you have carried out a marvel
ous enterprise with your volunteers. You
are right in believing so, but you are wrong
in exaggerating the real results of it. You
were on the Y olturno in a most critical po
sition when we came up. Capua, Gaeta,
Messina and Civitella did not fall before
you; and 56,000 Bourbonians were beaten,
dispersal and made prisoners by us, and
not by you. It is, then, untrue to say that
the kingdom of the Two Sicilies was deliv
ered by your arms. In your legitimate van
ity, General, do not forget that our army
and our fleet had some part in putting hors
de combat more than one-half of the Neapol
itan army aud in taking four fortresses.
I cone*ude my letter in telling you that I
ha\e neither the pretension nor the mission
to s eak to you in the name of the army ;
but I think I know it well enough to have
no doubt ol its sharing the feeling of dis
gust and of pain which your excesses and
those of your party have created in my mind.
I am, &e., Cialdini.
[Fro in the St. Louis Republican, November 6.
An Amusing Scene—A Would-be Bride
Hesitates so Lons that She finally Misses
Being Married.
Injustice Jock’s office, yesterday even
ing, an amusing matrimonial incident oc
curred. The justice received notification
that h:s services would be required to unite,
in bonds of wedlock, two youthful lovers.
He consequently remained after business
hours ; the gas was lighted and all the
necessary preparations were made. After
waiting some time, a young man, accom
panied by a veiled female, was seen outside.
They appeared to hesitate somewhat about
coming in, and constable Berger, ever ready
to facilitate such matters, stepped out and
invited them in. The lady still held back,
and said there were “ too many men in
there.’’ This objection was removed by the
•justice ordering several deputies who were
present to leave, and when they, had gone,
the young woman and her companion en
tered. A conversation took place with the
justice, when, to the astonishment of her
companion, it appeared the girl did not
want to gat married just yet. She said the
man was “ in liquor,” and that she wanted
to see her mother first. Her lover expos
tulated and vowed that he was sober as a
judge, which was evidently the case. The
lady, however, finally declared she would'ut
be married that night, and the parties left
the office. In about ten minutes they re
turned. Lady still reluctant, but overcome
by the moral suasion of her lover. The jus
tice put the usual questions, which she
answered. Then came the question as to
her age. She declared she didn’t know.
as shq eighteen ? asked the justice. She
couldn’t tell, would have to ask her mother.
This kind of hesitation aroused the impa
tience of the justice, and he said he would
not perform the ceremony, and the young
people went away evidently discomfited.
Presently they returned, the young woman
approached the justice and whispered that
she had made a mistake, that she was over
thirty, and asked that the ceremony pro
ceed. But it was now the turn of the jus
tice to be obstinate, and he refused to marry
them at all. In vain the woman entreated.
The justice was inexorable. She said if
they were not married that night they never
would be ; still the justice refused, and,
finally, the disconsolate lovers left the office
to look for someone else to make them one
flesh according to law.
The town of Coburg, X. Y., was made fa
mous. two mouths ago, by the birth of an in
fant which weighed only one pound. The
child is now in the third month of her exist
ence, and has gained a pound and a half, kick
ing the beam at two and a half pounds. An
ordinary sized gentleman’s finger rin°- will
easily pass,over her arm to the elbow, and her
shoes are just two inches long.
The Roman Catholics of Loudon are about
to erect the finest cathedral in Europe, save,
perhaps, St. Peter sat Rom<*. One feature-is
i priests of every nation and language
are to be constantly stationed at the cathedral,
tor the purpose of hearing confessions and
of preaching to foreigners in their native
tongues.
APPALLING D SASfERS
TERRIFIC BOILER EXPLOSION ON
CANAL STREET, CHICAGO.
[From the Chicago Times of yesterday.
THE EXPLOSION ON CANAL STREET.
A short time before the Times went to
press yesterday morning, the city was visit
ed by an appalling calamity, so terrible in
its devastating effects as to blanch the faces
of the strongest with fear, and to cause
brave men to tremble who never quailed
before any ordinary peril. Beyond the sim
ple announcement that a most terrific ex
plosion had occurred in a flouring mill near
the business centre of the city, accompanied
by a great loss of life, and resulting in a
very destructive conflagration, it was im
possible at that time to give any details of
the terrible occurrence. And now, after
the lapse of an entire day in the investiga
tion of the sickening details, it is a difficult
matter to give a coherent and intelligible
account of the affair.
THE EXPLOSION.
The building-in which the explosion oc
curred occupied Nos. 23 and 25 South Ca
nal street, being very near the centre of the
block, on the west side of the street, be
tween Washington and Randolph streets.
It was a four-story brick structure, occupied
by Messrs. Marple & Fletcher as a flouring
mill. The engine house, also built of brick,
and the boiler were located in the rear of
the premises, near the alley. At a little
before half-past two o'clock, the citizens for
many blocks around were startled by a ter
rific shock, followed by a deep, dull report,
somewhat resembling the roar of a heavy
discharge of park artillery. The first im
pression by those awakened out of a sound
sleep by ’he concussion was that a violent
shock of an earthquake had occurred.
They were speedily undeceived, however,
jbr it was soon ascertained that the boiler
in the mills referred to had exploded with
indescribable violence.
In the whole history of explosions, noth
ing had been known equaling this iu severi
ty. It was more like the explosion of a
mine than any ordinary occurrence of the
kind. The scene is described by the few
eye-witnesses as being terrifically grand.
The boiler was literally blown into frag
ments, and the entire building was utterly
demolished. By the grand and terrific up
heaval, the whole structure seemed lifted
bodily into the air, falling back an unrecog
nized and chaotic mass. The air, to the
height of hundreds of feet, was filled with
a shower of brick, lumber, and other mate
rial, which, falling, strewed the streets
for blocks around with the debris.
LOSS OF LIFE AND MINOR ACCIDENTS.
At the time of the occurrence of thq ex
plosion various wild rumors in regard to a
great loss of life were circulated, the esti
mates ranging from eight to fifteen. Up to
a lat e hour last night, however, the remains
of only one person had been found, those of
James Connelly, the engineer. His remains
were found covered up with rubbish, about
twenty feet west of where the engineer’s
house stood, at about one o’clock yesterday
afternoon. He was considerably mutilated
and bruised, and from the wounds he re
ceived, and from his position when found,
there is no doubt but that his death must
have been instantaneous.
The unfortunate man resided at No. 57
East Kinzie street, to which place his re
mains were removed. He leaves a wife and
one child to mourn his most untimely end.
The only force employed in running the mill
nights was the engineer and miller, and
soon after the explosion a person was res
cued, at great personal risk, by Officer
Hinckley, of the second precinct police,
supposed to have been the miller. He was
badly burned, but is likely to survive his
injuries. This accounts for the two occu
pants of the mill, and it is probable that
but one life whs sacrificed in this terrible
affair. Charles Deeds, a boarder in the
Fort Wayne House, was somewhat injured
by the concussion, as was also a little son
of the proprietor of that house. These are
the only injuries reported, and the wonder
ful immunity.in such a wide-spread devas
tation seems little short of a miraculous
interposition.
INCIDENTS.
A butcher, whose name was not learned,
was driving in on Blue Island avenue with
a load of meat, and at the time of the ex
plosion states that he was looking directly
in that direction. Instantly the air was
filled with pieces of the wreck, many of
them going entirely out of sight. Some of
these missiles would shoot up like balls of
fire, making it resemble a grand pyrotechnic
or meteoric display. lie distinctly saw
three large pieces of the boiler in the air,
one of which came directly toward him.
The entire neighborhood was saluted
with fragments* of the boiler, which, as be
fore stated, was literally blown into pieces.
These shot off- in various directions, pene
trating buildings with great force. Only a
few of the largest of these will be noticed.
One large piece, several feet in length, was
thrown entirely across Washington street,
over the tunnel, and through the agricultu
ral warehouse there. Another piece, six !
feet long, went through the roof of A. Bish-:
op’s wagon shop, No. 4G South Jefferson ■
street, and did not stop until it landed on
the floor. Another, the flue-cap, or end of
the boiler, was thrown in nearly the oppo
site direction, and after demolishing a small
out-house, landed in the yard on the other
side of Washington street, having passed
entirely over the agricultural warehouse.—
Stili another, twelve feet in length, landed
in the alley, in rear of the new building on
the corner of Canal and Washington streets,
and another, still larger, being ten feet in
length, and of the estimated weight of over
one ton, went through the pattern shop
connected with Preble’s machine shop, hav
ing traveled nearly two blocks. The large,
new, four-story brick building, nearly com
pleted, situated directly in the rear of the
Barnes House, was terribly shaken, the side
next the mill presenting the appearance of
having been used for target practice. It
was stated that, had not the walls of the
building been unusually strong, the struc
ture must have been thrown down. As it
was, the walls showed large cracks over
the entire building. It was built by Mr.
Cnilds, of the Star Metal Works, cost SBS,-1
000, and was insured for- $25,000. The
Barnes House was made the recipient of an
immense shower of falling brickbats, which
broke the skylights, while, in many places,
from the force of the concussion, the plas
tering tumbled from the walls. A piece of
cast iron belonging to the boiler, and
weighing fifteen pounds, was thrown
VOL. 26. NO. 45
through the shed of Dr. Bames, Nos. 51
j and 53 Washington street, and was suffi
| cieutly hot to ignite the building. George
| W. Noble, Esq., who was confined to his
i rooms at No. 23 Clinton street, with a bro
ken leg, was startled by a large piece
which struck the cornice, nearly over Ids
head, but fortunately glanced - and fell to
the ground without doing any injure. The
i wo-story. No. 19, adjoining - the building
in which the explosion occurred, and own
od by the Star Metal Company, was occu
pied up stairs by James Tansey, *he fore
man of the works. He was awakened out
ol a sound sleep by the roof crushing iu
duectß o\ er his head, but every occupant of
the house escaped injury. These art;but a
lew ot the many incidents collected, but
will serve to show somewhat the effects of
the explosion. The door-bells of buildings
blocks away were violently rung, windows
were shattered, and but few buildings iu
that neighborhood escaped the effects of
the concussion.
THE CONFLAGRATION.
Simultaneously with the explosion, and
more resembling a flash of electricity than
anything else, the ruins and the adjacent
buddings were a solid sheet of flame." The
fire department were promptly on the
ground, many of the steamers having start
ed before the alarm was rung, being noti
fied of the occurrence by the report and the
.urid glare of the fiames that immediately
101 l owed it. For a long time they contend
ed manfully with the devastating element,
ami lor a while it seemed doubtful which
would win the mastery.
The immense volume of flame leaped,
many-tongued, skyward, most brilliantly
illuminating the surrounding buildings and
the shipping in the river. A large number
of steamers ranged in a row by the river’s
bank, like gnomes, spitting forth fire and
smoke, added not a little to the scene. In
about one hour the fire was essentially sub
dued, though it was necessary for the
steamers to jffay upon the burning mass
until daylight. Never had the department
more arduous duties to perform, and never
were duties more faithfully performed.
In its progress the tire had completely
demolished the entire row of buildings from
No. 19 to Washington street. * * * *
Some small buildings in the rear of those
mentioned were either destroyed or consid
erably damaged. The entire loss is roughly
estimated at $75,000, which is probably not
too high a figure.
FIRE IN NORTH WATER STREET.
Avery destructive conflagration visited
the North division on yesterday afternoon,
occasioning a loss of about $60,000, and re
sulting in the entire demolition of the block
of buildings and warehouses bounded by.
Wells, North Water and LaSalle streets,
and the river. The structures destroyed
were all frame buildings, those on Wells
street being used as saloons and boarding
houses, the remainder consisting of the
dock buildings of the Grand Trunk and
Northern Transportation Companies.
The Boiler Explosion at Pittsburg.
[From the Pittsburg Commercial, Nov. 9.
Yesterday morning, about half-past
eleven o’clock, the residents in the Ninth
Ward, lower part of Pitt township and
Lawrencevilie, were startled bj a tremen
dous report, as of an explosion, which
shook the foundations of the houses for
half a mile around. It was soon ascer
tained that an explosion had taken place
in the forge department of the Fort Pitt
Iron Works, owned by Messrs. Rees, Graff
& Dull, and located on the bank of the Al
leghany river, between Wilson and Boun
dary streets, in Pitt township, and fronting
the track of the Allegheny Valley Rail
road. The building had been blown to
atoms.
To add to the more horrible nature of
the catastrophe, the ruins of the building
had taken lire and were in flames. Not
withstanding the exertions of the firemen,
nearly all of the frame work of the build
ing was destroyed before the flames could
be subdued.
We arrived at the scene of the disaster
half an hour after the explosion took place,
and found the building to be a mass of
ruins. The ruins were in such a confused
mass that it is almost impossible to de
scribe them. The explosion had made such
a complete wreck that not a board on the
building had been left standing. A portion
of the structure used in rolling iron, and
located on the east side, and about twenty
feet from the forge department, was torn
down by the explosion. Two large smoke
stacks in this building were thrown down
by the flying timber, and falling on a shed
near by were bent very badly. I: ii forge
department, the ruins in some places had
massed very high. None of the timber be
longing to the building was blown any
great distance, but principally fell in a con
fused mass together. Singular to say, all
the chimneys in this building were left
standing, although everything else belong
ing to the building was a complete wreck.
A number of pieces of the boilers and tim
ber were thrown a considerable distance
from the ground.
As soon as the flames had been - ’.Jued
sufficiently to admit of the removal of the
cb .rred timber and iron, efforts were made
to take out the bodies from the ruins. Many
of the spectators present assisted in the
work, and succeeded in recovering about
half a dozen of the bodies, some of which
were so terribly burned as to be almost
unrecognizable.
The boilers (three in number) were par
allel with the river and Allegheny Valley
Railroad track, and about seven inches
apart. They were built in July, 1803, by
Carroll & Snyder, and [were 42 inches in
diameter and 30 feet in length, with two
18-iuch flues in each boiler. The shells and
flues were made of full quarter-inch iron.
The iron was manufactured by Shoenber
ger A Cos., each sheet stamped C. H. (char
coal hammered) No. 1. It is impossible to
ascertain which boiler exploded first, as the
engineer and fireman, the only persons
capable of giving such information, were
instantly killed. The probabilities are that
one of the boilers exploded and immediately
caused the explosion of the other two.—
I hey ail appear to have broken in the mid
dle, and the fragments were thrown in all
directions, the flue caps principally going
in the direction of the Allegheny Valley
Railroad track. From an examination of
all the fragments of boilers that were to be
seen, it appears that they were broken in
pieces where riveted together. Several of
the flues were collapsed, and but little re
mained by which a boiler could be identified.
Immediately after the explosion the build
ing took fire, and the damage was thus ren
dered much greater than it otherwise would
have been.