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Letter from Charles L. Powell (Richmond, Va.) to Family (Winchester, Va.)

14 February 1862

Powell Papers - 65 P876, Box III, Folder 1

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                                                                        Richmond Va  Feb 14/62

In answer to your letter which is the

next in order entitled to a reply.  I have to inform

you all of the almost miraculous escape

which we have had from a fearful accident,

with frightful consequences to Sister Rebeccas friend poor Mr Hubard.  On Thursday afternoon I was

sitting in the parlour reading the paper, having

left the others at their dessert in the basement

below when a terrific explosion was heard, fol

lowed in rapid succession by two others.  We all

rushed to the street.  Presently Mr Hubard passed

us blackened & bloody.  I had heard some weeks

ago that he was perfecting an invention of some

thing like Greek fire which he hoped to sell to the

Government.  A few days ago Frank told us it was

a fulminating powder & that he had a contract

with the Government for filling some shells. Fred

insisted upon it, that it involved great danger of

setting fire to our house & that Frank ought to go

to Mr Hubard & protest against his operations in the

small house very near to us, when he was doing the

work.  I supposed that the quantity of fulminating

[2]

powder he would have on hand at a time would only

be a small quantity for scientific experiments & did

not share in Fred's alarm to any great degree.  I thought the dan

ger was mainly, if not exclusively to Mr Hubard, & remarked

several evenings ago that he was a D'Alasco who wd

blow himself up yet.  Frank who is very fond of

Mr Hubard, & who had been interested in his success refused

to urge him upon the subject, saying he had been assured

by Mr Hubard there was not the least danger about it – Im

mediately after Mr Hubard passed us, having taken out

Mr Franks we went to the house where he had been

at work at which several others had gathered, &

found it full of smoke & on fire in several places

where the bombs which had exploded had passed

through.  The day was fortunately very calm, & we soon ex

tinguished the fire.  We then proceeded to clear out

the papers & litter with which it was filled, lest some lurk

ing fire should renew the Conflagration.  Papers &

other rubbish were lying charred over the floor. 

In cleaning it out, Fred came to a box on top

of small cupboard, blackened papers were

around it & on the top shelf, outside & inside

the doors had been charred by the fire, and on

the lower shelf were from 15 to 20 loaded bombs. 

In the adjoining room, the extremity of which is

a yard & a half or two yards from our house & the

[3]

door of which separating it from the one in which

the accident occurred had been blown out by the

explosion, were open papers of common powder

lying about, several boxes closed & several open

half barrels about half full of the coarse ex

plosive powder used for blasting rocks, enough if

the fire had reached it to have blown our house to atoms

& to have prostrated probably every thing else

within a hundred yards around us.  The gathering of

all the material together, the venting of the house

& the carrying on such operations without a war

ning to us, without our knowledge of the extent of our

danger (lulling us into a false security) shows a blind

ness & recklessness amounting almost if not quite to

madness on the part of Mr Hubard.  Poor fellow, the

penalty is very heavy upon him.  The contents of

the shell which he was supposed to have been hand

ling, mutilated him terribly.  He had had his thumb

& the ends of two fingers of the left hand & his

right leg more than half way up the thigh am

putated.  He has stood the operation well - It shows

the pertinacity with which genius near allied to mad

ness clings to its projects, that while in this condi

tion he enquired of his son Willie what had been

done with what was in the house & when told

that it had been removed, said he wanted every

[4]

thing to remain just as it was when he left

it.  His family an affectionate & interesting one is

proud of his genius is of course greatly distressed.  He has two children a son about 17 a very ____

sensible and good youth about 17 & a bright

daughter about 15 years old.  Their lamentations

were very touching.  Mrs Hubard exclaimed that she

had lived in constant dread of such an occurrance. 

"Oh why did he have any thing to do with it!" " Ah! I know

it was to put bread into our mouths."  His little

daughter Ella said "If father had been a drunk

and or a lazy man I could see perhaps why this

should be so, but that such a man as father

should be made to suffer so, seems strange, but per

haps God meant it, to bring him closer to Him."

Saturday Morning.  This is a crisis in Mr Hubards

Case.  His system is very much prostated

by the shock & the operation.  His head was not

wounded, but the missles from the exploded

shell passed so near to it, that they passed I think

through the rear of his hat which was all crushed

& torn away except the part immediately in front

- Saturday Night - Alas it seems poor Mr Hubard

has paid the penalty of his infatuation with

his life - The powers of his system were exhausted

beyond recovery.  The stimulants which were

given him in large quantities through the day

could not produce a reaction - Life was gradually

& quietly exhausted & became wholly extinct to

night about 9 oclock.  Your Aunts are over there doing

all they can to aid & comfort the family - who can not be com

forted - They of course can not recognize the fact that so fixed

was his infatuation that this calamity has probably prevented

a much more extensive one.  I thank you for your

letter - Good night                                          Yr very fond father

                                                                                                C. L Powell