During the Civil War, Allegheny Arsenal is a Federal Government facility which produces ammunition for the war effort. Most workers are female since it is believed they are better suited to the detail work that cartridge making requires. On September 17, 1862, a wagon delivers musket powder, but as the deliveryman departs, he sees a flame racing toward the arsenal. In seconds, it reaches an opened barrel of powder outside the cartridge room, which sets off a series of explosions. Loose particles of gunpowder have been allowed to accumulate in the cracks between the stones and roadway outside the laboratory, and an errant spark is all it takes to ignite the residue and kill 78 workers.
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