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which had been destroyed, while those of the upper classes received half of the value of their property. In 1811, £18,066.5s.10d was evenly distributed among those who had claimed damages. A wine merchant named
Woodhouse lost a large amount of wine and the government provided him with extensive storehouses at the former
218:. The Birgu magazine was located close to civilian housing, and the residents had complained about the dangers before the explosion. Preparations had been made to find alternative sites but nothing had been done; the storerooms that were meant to store gunpowder were being used as barracks or military hospitals.
281:
damaged or destroyed during the explosion. Birgu's cityscape was also altered by the explosion, since a large number of houses were destroyed or damaged by the explosion itself and by the rocks which fell from the bastions. Four hundred ninety-three people reported property losses due to the explosion.
257:
Anderson were preparing a consignment of shells from the Birgu magazine, which was filled at full capacity with 370 barrels containing 40,000 lb (18,000 kg) of gunpowder, as well as 1,600 shells and grenades. Anderson was using a metal chisel to remove the fuses from live shells, which was
310:
Victims and their families were paid partial compensation, and Ball set up a committee overseeing aid distribution. He also urged the government to pay full compensation. This was initially denied, but eventually the poorer classes received a compensation equivalent to two-thirds of their property
280:
The magazine was located within the city's fortifications, and a section of the walls "went up in the air" and left a large breach. The city gate at the Porta Marina, a small bastion, and part of a curtain wall were all destroyed and were never rebuilt. Parts of the Navy Store Houses were also
330:(Maltese for "Polverista Victims Street"). The Vittoriosa Historical and Cultural Society installed a plaque at the St. Lawrence Cemetery on the 200th anniversary of the disaster in 2006, where most of the victims were buried.
269:. Between 150 and 200 civilians from Birgu were also killed, and approximately 100 others were injured by falling debris. The explosion frightened the inhabitants of Birgu, and it was also heard in the nearby cities of
346:
Comparing 19th-century costs and prices with those of the modern period is challenging. £18,066.5s.10d in 1811 could be equivalent to between £1.2 million and £78.4 million in 2016, depending on the price comparison
206:. This was an improvised measure; the casemate was not intended to be used as a gunpowder magazine, but such practice was common at the time. Gunpowder was also stored in casemates at other locations, such as
305:
those
Maltese who had already become disaffected with the Government, fanned the embers and fermented great agitation by magnifying the casualties and working upon the weakness and credibility of the lower
186:, mistakenly detonated. The explosion killed an estimated 200 people, including British and Maltese military personnel, and Maltese civilians from Birgu. Parts of the
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190:, some naval stores, and many houses were destroyed. The accident was found to be the result of negligence while transferring shells from the magazine.
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In July 1806, British forces in Malta were preparing artillery shells for shipment to Sicily, as ammunition stocks there were depleted due to the
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The 1806 explosion was not the first time that a gunpowder disaster occurred in Malta. On 12 September 1634, a gunpowder factory in
Valletta
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Many
Maltese people were angered at the loss of lives caused by negligence on behalf of the military. Civil Commissioner
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Triq il-Vittmi tal-Porvlista, with similar magazines built in the same period still intact or partially intact
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in
Valletta as a compensation. The initial total estimated damage for rebuilding was estimated at £35,000.
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contrary to instructions, and this resulted in sparks which caused a massive explosion at 06:15.
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Anderson and the working party were killed instantly, as were three
British soldiers of the
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In the 18th and early 19th centuries, the main gunpowder store in Birgu was located in a
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for "the destroyed"). A street close to where the explosion occurred is now known as
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by the French. On 18 July, a working party of 13 men commanded by garrison gunner
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613:"Five Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a UK Pound Amount, 1270 to Present"
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584:"Short stretch of stepped curtain wall leading down to Birgu Creek – Birgu"
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686:
Arx – International
Journal of Military Architecture and Fortification
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exploded after being hit by lightning, but there were no casualties.
591:
National
Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
563:
National
Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands
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On 18 July 1806, approximately 40,000 lb (18,000 kg) of
66:
514:. Military Historical Society (Great Britain). 2006. p. 147.
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Wood, John; Arajo, Rui; Quinn, Paul (January 1, 2008). "Notes".
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521:
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Bugeja, Lino; Buhagiar, Mario; Fiorini, Stanley, eds. (1993).
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Malta bil chzejer tehne u li ghadda min ghaliha: L'euel parti
160:£35,000 (c. 1806), £3,212,222.22 (incl. inflation up to 2020)
534:. Vol. 1. Malta University Services. pp. 159–160.
511:
The
Bulletin, Volume 57, Issue 225 – Volume 58, Issue 232
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225:, killing 22 people and causing severe damage to the
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Officer, Lawrence H.; Williamson, Samuel H. (2014).
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488:"200th anniversary of the explosion at l-Imgarraf"
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492:Vittoriosa Historical & Cultural Society
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233:. In 1662, gunpowder that was stored in an
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16:Munitions depot accident in British Malta
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410:Medical Officers of the Malta Garrison
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202:within the city walls, close to the
467:"The Maltese Provincial Battalions"
263:39th (Dorsetshire) Regiment of Foot
318:The affected area became known as
14:
682:"Hospitaller Gunpowder Magazines"
406:"Explosion Polverista Vittoriosa"
709:Tragedja Kbira fil-Birgu (1806)
469:. maltaramc.com. Archived from
265:and 23 Maltese soldiers of the
651:10.1080/00253359.2008.10657056
593:. 28 June 2013. Archived from
565:. 28 June 2013. Archived from
531:Birgu: A Maltese Maritime City
1:
754:Non-combat military accidents
494:. August 2006. Archived from
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328:Triq il-Vittmi tal-Porvlista
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20:Birgu polverista explosion
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724:1806 disasters in Europe
688:. Occasional Papers (2).
267:2nd Provincial Battalion
31:The site of the magazine
42:; 218 years ago
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237:on one of Valletta's
227:Church of the Jesuits
188:city's fortifications
100:35.88583°N 14.52194°E
639:The Mariner's Mirror
416:on 22 February 2017.
744:Explosions in Malta
704:, Volume 1, page 86
678:Spiteri, Stephen C.
473:on 3 December 2017.
96: /
21:
739:Explosions in 1806
617:MeasuringWorth.com
600:on 19 August 2016.
572:on 20 August 2016.
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231:the nearby college
146:Non-fatal injuries
120:Gunpowder magazine
105:35.88583; 14.52194
71:Malta Protectorate
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40:18 July 1806
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749:July 1806 events
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620:. Retrieved
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595:the original
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567:the original
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496:the original
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471:the original
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454:Spiteri 2012
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439:Spiteri 2012
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427:Spiteri 2012
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414:the original
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368:Spiteri 2012
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170:stored in a
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429:, p. 6
103: /
78:Coordinates
718:Categories
355:References
320:l-Imġarraf
255:Bombardier
235:echaugette
194:Background
176:polverista
130:Negligence
91:14°31′19″E
88:35°53′09″N
47:1806-07-18
659:220331019
285:Aftermath
245:Explosion
168:gunpowder
122:explosion
680:(2012).
275:Cospicua
200:casemate
172:magazine
63:Location
556:"Birgu"
324:Maltese
271:Senglea
223:blew up
141:150–240
45: (
657:
622:23 May
538:
306:ranks.
214:, and
135:Deaths
734:Birgu
655:S2CID
598:(PDF)
587:(PDF)
570:(PDF)
559:(PDF)
347:used.
334:Notes
216:Mdina
184:Malta
180:Birgu
178:) in
127:Cause
67:Birgu
58:06:15
624:2017
536:ISBN
273:and
229:and
116:Type
55:Time
37:Date
647:doi
152:100
720::
684:.
653:.
643:94
641:.
615:.
589:.
561:.
520:^
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479:^
446:^
408:.
387:^
210:,
182:,
150:c.
139:c.
69:,
661:.
649::
626:.
544:.
322:(
174:(
49:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
