Washington Navy Yard Station entry for Saturday July 27th 1861.

Francis C. Brown and John P. Furguson although not named in the Station Log entry below were the two men killed in the Rocket House explosion. Also below is an article from the Washington DC Evening Star with full details of this tragic accident.

Station Log entry July 27 1861
Fore part of the day cloudy stiff Western Breeze At 3 A M Schooner Sarah Reilly Captain George Dawes from Harve de Grace with coal. At 8.30 AM Schooner Marion with coal from Harve de Grace. At 9 A.M. Steamboat Mt Vernon left the yard and returned at 1 P.M. Robert Leslie left the yard.

At 2.30 P M an explosion took place in the Rocket House by which 3 men injured 2 of which died during the evening. At 3.15 P M arrived propeller C.R. Alger Robert Leslie left the Yard At 3.15 Baltimore left the yard

3 P M M. Flynn left the Yard and returned at 8.15. Philadelphia worked down the river and returned at 9.30 P M At 6 AM Steamboat Philadelphia left the Yard Latter part of the day clear & warm None Sick

The Evening Star, July 29, 1861
Terrible Explosion at the Navy Yard
Two Men Killed and Two Wounded
Last Saturday afternoon a terrible explosion occurred at the Navy Yard resulting in the death of two men and seriously wounding two others, one of whom now lies in a very critical condition. The rocket house just west of the ordnance department had four men at work in it, preparing detonating powder, etc. and it is thought that the explosion resulted from ignition in a copper vessel suspended from the ceiling in which powder was pulverized with a large copper ball. This, however, is not certain, and the whole affair is involved in considerable mystery. The powder in the vessel and a quantity in an iron tank was all that exploded, although there were several boxes and a barrel of powder in the room at the time. The building is nearly destroyed, the roof barely retaining its position, and the walls cracked and weakened. The windows were blown out, and everything about the building blasted and charred as though it had been in a furnace.
Francis C. Brown was burnt to a crisp, and died shortly after the explosion. He was 26 years of age, and a native of Philadelphia, but has resided in Washington for about six years. He was a plasterer by trade, and leaves and wife and one child. John P. Ferguson was very badly burnt, and died on Saturday evening. He was unmarried, 26 years of age and a native of Washington. William Martin and Nicholas Ray were badly burned, and Martin is not expected to recover. Ray, it is thought will soon be able to get out again.