The Delaware Gazette

A singular and unfortunate accident occurred in the city of Natchez a few weeks ago. A Mr. Wilks, sometime after sun-set, was examining some empty wine casks, which lay in the yard, and observing an unusual smell to issue from one of them, applied a lighted candle which he had in his hand to its bung. It instantly burst with a loud explosion. A piece of the heading struck Mrs. W. who was unfortunately in its way, knocked her down, cut her lips and nose almost entirely off, done considerable injury to her teeth and other parts of her body. She received the blow obliquely, otherwise the consequences had probably been fatal. So violent was the explosion that a piece of the heading which struck a water barrel standing at some distance, fractured several of its staves.

The cause of this explosion, which has excited considerable speculation and surprise, could be no other than inflammable air (hydrogenous gas) which had accumulated in the cask. The properties of this gas are well known to chemists. It smells like putrid fish, and cannot be very safely breathed even when largely diluted with vital air.

Pilatre du Rozier, a French chemist, however, mixed a ninth part of vital air with pure hydrogenous gas, filled his lungs with it, and set it on fire during the expiration--which produced an explosion so dreadful that the philosopher had like to have lost all of his teeth by the experiment.