The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-02-07

Sion.
Ios~smsss fro. ~ ~. Y. Hsaid.I
Il 10 our melancholy duty to-day 10 present 10 our
readers the details Ear they could be gathered
g sas s O. our ICING % pss q one Of ,s
destruction Of human life, that ever occurred in
New York.
The accident occurred at quarter 20 81 ghi O'Clock
ss ersas % - sds %
chino shop Of Mr.. A. b. Taylor. Nos 5 and Hague
street, within door twoof Pearl street A soon
~ the explosion took place. We are informed by
persons who witnessed the catastrophe, he scAols
building, sOhich scas six stories height actually
lifted from ifs Foundation 10 height II sx feet and
schsn reached that siepotion dtutisd doscs, crush
:. Il hs thai s.srt ssa
ing were scattered In every direction; the windows
IN the ncighborhood were broken; and large por-
ton Of the front wall Of the fatcd building was
thrown with Tremendous power into the houses
opposite. In fact. the building was completely
wrecked, hardly one brick being left standing ON
another, with the exception Of solitary piece of
wall eight or ten feet high, as If 20 indicate what
had been. In the firm Of Alvah b. Taylor 4 Co.,
there were about 66 persons employed. In addition
TO these, there were about the same number en-
ployed in another firm in the same building, name
ly, st. John Burr X Co., hattcrs In the basement
story was the engine and the blacksmith shop,
where there were -FOUR pairs of bellows and about
twelve at work, besides Crsscy, the engineer,
and his brother. The engine connected with the
was situated. by means Of shafts and straps. The
ground floor was occupied as hat shop, and eight
Incn worked at table in front, Of whom there 10
no account. The fourth story also belonged 10 the
The fifth story of the building was used AZ car
penter's shop for making models for the machine
shop. The sixth was occupied by Mr.. Singer, a
new invention. L Is believed there was no person
in this story at the time OF the explosion.
A building Immediately in the rear, occupied as
brush factory, and also as a watch case manuiac
tory, had the roof and portion Of the wall thrown
in by the falling ruins. The walls Of the machine
shop were very strong, being twenty inches thick
The building belonged to the Messrs. Harper. and.
we understand, was not insured. The stock and
engine, &c., we have heard were insured.
The soap and candle factory of Hull < Co., in the
rear, was considerably injured by the shock.
| So dreadful was the explosion, that the windows
| in several houses in Pearl street we're broken
Even the sashes of No. 35i were smashed. A gen
| tleman who was looking on at the time informed
us that the explosion was Like the rcports OF two
cannon fired in quick Succession, one after the
other. Doubtless the second report was the crash
of the falling ruins
Immediately after the explosion, FIRE burst from
the promiscuous heap Of bricks and beams, and hui
man bodies were seen with legs and arms sticking
out-some of them dead, some living The hre
alarm for the district was first given, and then a
general alarm, which brought the fremen from all
parts of the city to the scene of desoaton. Some
piled the engines while others assisted TO get out
| as many as possible of those who were under the
ruins. In short time the fire was SO far subducd
| that the firemcn could work more chectually in
| removing the bricks and timbers; and towards 10
O'Clock there scarcely any flame issuing from
the wreck; but the heat was very intense, and the
great difficulty to be avoided was, lest those be-
meath the pile should be either drowned or scalded
while on the other hand they might be burned to
death by the fire; and but little could be done to
these still living until the fire was completely
| brought under.
AS near can be estimated. there were a hun
bred and twenty persons in the building at the time
of the catastrophe, scattered throughout the ma
chine shop. and the hat factory above mentioned,
| in both Of which great many men and boys are
usually employed. Had the accident occurred an
hour or even half hour later the destruction Of
human life would unquestionably have been much
greater than it was, great many OF the boys, in
consequence Of the extreme GOODNESS Of the weather,
had not al that time arrived at their work As 1t
Is, however, the number Of persons killed Is dread
| full to contemplate
| In the machine shop and hat shop together, there
were usually about one hundred and thirty hands
| employed; probably there were from one hundred
| TO one hundred and twenty men and boys present
at the time Of the explosion.
| In the hat shop most Of the hands were present.
| In this establishment good many boys were en-
| ployed-in the machine shop there were few.
(Herc follows a List Of some fifty Of the hands in
| the machine shop)
Mr.. Taylor, who resides in Newark, had not ar
rived at the time of the accident; Mr. Putnam, his
partner, is also SAFE not having reached the prem
ises till after the explosion.
(Another list Of names Of those employed by
| Messrs. Burr 4 COY
For many Of these, their friends and relatives
who hoard Of the accident, entertained the worst
fears. Thousands upon Thousands collected around
The police, in short time, formed Gordon around
the building, at considerable distance, and al
immediate relatives of those who involved in
| the catastrophe The chief was in attendance, and
though wet TO the skin, kept his post and very
active and efficient. Captain Ditchctt, Of the
| were also very active. We also observed Captains
/ Wiley, Smith, and Williams doing good service.
The Chief Engineer of the Fire Department, Mr..
Carson, was using his utmost efforts and, above
every tongue. He was any where and every
where, where any thing was to be done.
The Recorder Mr.. Talmadgc) was on the ground
at an early hour, and when il was ascertained thai
the ropes which were used in removing the ruins
were used up, nc on his account ordered a coil o.
Manila rope for that purpose. In fact, he was un
renting in his cndcavors 10 release the unfortu
nate creatures whom it was expected were under
the ruins.
As to the Mayor and Mr.. Matsell, they were al
the Of the disaster without interruption from
the time Of the explosion until the last. Were il
not for the excrtons Of these three gentlemen, we
have doubt that the loss Of life would have beer
much greater than IL IL. The entire police force
exerted themselves manfully and were extremely
serviccable in the promotion Of order, and aided in
removing the rubbish from the ruins. II is need.
less TO partcularize, when all seemed actuated by
the same generous and determined spirit.
| As the bodies recovered, whether dead OF
alive, they were conveyed to tho Fourth ward sta
tion-house, in Oak street, around which file Of
police stood, 10 keep of the Thousands who thronged
around to get sight Of their friends, either killed
or saved, OF who were attracted from curiosity 70
| see the mangled and charred remains OF the shin
Some we're killed in the beginning by the falling
building; some were killed from exhaustion, or
| smothered, or drowned; and some were scaldcd
and some burned TO a cindcr, presenting the APP
70 the city hospital and some, who only
slightly injured, went TO their homes. Those taken
TO the station house attended by Doctors Will
liam O'Donncll, p. w. Mcdonnell, Undcrhi, and
J. Hilton. DIR. Traphagcn, Of Pearl street, in the
early part Of the scene paid every attention TO the
sufferers brought to his drug store. Among them
| were the two Smiths, of Frankfort street. Every
thing in his house at the service of the wound
cd, and his lady brought down the beds with her
own hands.
AZ II o'clock there were some twenty got out Of
| the building.
There were still. at IL O'Clock. number Of voices
heard under the ruins. Their cries all the forenoon
| utcre fx.s.s f1if.