ILLINOIS GENEALOGY TRAILS
EXPLOSION OF THE POWDER MAGAZINE
in Alton
Telegraph, June 23, 1840
written by Judge Bailhache
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Although this county has since its occupation by the white man been hitherto fortunately free from volcanic eruptions, yet in the night of June 20, 1840, the site of Alton City was shaken by an artificial "EARTHQUAKE," the recollection of which is still fresh in the memory of many of the older citizens. The account of it here presented is from the Telegraph, June 23, 1840, and was written by the late Judge Bailhache.
"A little before twelve o'clock on last Wednesday night the citizens of Alton were aroused from their slumbers by an explosion incomparably louder, as well as by far more destructive, than the discharge of one hundred pieces of the heaviest ordinance. Hundreds hurried towards State street, from the direction of which the report seemed to have proceeded, when it was acertained that it was occasioned by the blowing up of the Powder Magazine, situated on the bluff a few rods west of the Penitentiary, and containing at the time upwards of six tons of powder. To describe with some degree of minuteness the damage done by this explosion would fill up several columns of our journal; suffice it, therefore, to remark, in general terms, that scarcely one single building within the thickly settled part of the city remains uninjured; and that some of those nearest the site of the magazine have been literally reduced to a heap of ruins; chimmeys demolished, roofs started and nearly blown off, windows and window frames shivered to atoms, are among the results of the explosion. But althought fragments of the stones of which the magazine had been constructed were hurled with resistless force in every direction, some of them to the distance of upwards of a mile, perforating houses and overthrowing every thing which stood in their way, no life has been lost as far as our information extends, nor has any serious injury been done to the person of any one.
Of the many hair-breadth escapes which have come to our knowledge we may briefly notice the following:-Mr. J.H. HODGES and his wife were sleeping in their house on Market Street, about one-third of a mile from the magazine. A piece of stone supposed to weight about fifty pounds, preforated the roof of their dwelling, and forcing its way through the garret floor descended in a slanting direction within a few inches of their heads, and broke through the petition into an adjoinging room, without doing either of them the least injury. Mrs. TOMILSON and her daughter were in a like manner asleep in the same bed at their residence on Third St., having between them a child about two years old belonging to a citizen of this place who had lost his wife, of whom Mrs. T. was taking care. Seeing the flash the worthy lady, alarmed for the safety of her precious charge, snatched it up and hugged it to her bosom, when a heavy stone bursting through the building fell between the mother and daughter,in the very place preciously occupied by the child, without touching either of them. Another large fragment of stone forced its way through the building occupied by the family of Mr. T. CLIFFORD on State street, and fell in the corner of a lower room where his children had slept for several months past; but his wife, by some unaccountable impulse; having moved their bed a few hours precious to a different part of the house,they all escaped unhurt. Two young girls, whose names we have not learned, were also sleeping in the same bed in another part of the city, when a heavy stone fell between them, slightly grazing the limbs of one, but inflicting no material injury on either of them.The belief universally prevails that the explosion was the work of some villian or villians; but although every exertion has been used for the detection of the perpetrators, they still remain undiscovered. Two individuals were arrested on suspicion of Wednesday, but were discharged after being subjected to a rigid examination, no evidence sufficient to justify their detention being brought against them. A reward of five hundred dollars has been offered by the Commom Council for the apprehension and conviction of the offenders. The damage done to buildings and other property is estimated at not less that $25,000.