The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-03-05


% their Familics-Sccncs and Incidents.
About two o'clock last Thursday afternoon a large
steam boiler which had recently placed in the ex
tensive railroad factory Of Messrs faye cray
situate in Potter street Hartford Conn., eIpioded WIN
tremendous report and such force as TO shAter inc
greater part of buildings to pieces, inmedatey KIN
ing thereby sixteen persons and fatally or otherwise in
juring twenty two others.
Our extended telegraphic dispatches from Hartford
published in the various editions Of the HERALD issued
since contained the chief points Of the and
consequences this disaster from which it will be
that the catastrophe bore sad similarity in its effects to
the Hague street explosion which occurred in this city
few years since.
of special reporters proceeded to Hartford
Friday and found the city in unusual excite
ment On every side people hurrying to and fro
Some the weeping relatives Of the deceased others
sympathizing friends visit Of consolation many
going give testimony before the Coroner but all wend
ing their way toward the fatal spot where many of
their colaborers and fellow citizens had lost their lives
DESCRIPTION OF THE CAR FACTORY.
The range Of brick buildings in which the accident
CURED Is situate Potter street. extending in line
towards the river The is known the "Grove
Nooks " and most of the houses four story high.
The Of the line in Potter street. and the only
trance the different shops occupied by the workmen is
by gate connecting with the private Office Of Messrs
Faye Gray, the proprieiors of the establishment The
main building Of the factory two hundred feet long
by sixty feet in depth. addition had been made to
this extending fifty five by twenty -four feet This wing
was situate due west o. the boiler wnca exploded;
hundred by sixty feet stood south OF the main build
ing and the boiler separated from the former by
eighteen inch wall In addition there Stood before the
explosion bolt shop three stories high machine shop,
large shop in which the timber material prepared
for use and where the finished portions of the
were joined together which was two stories high,
paint shop, carpenters shop, spring makers shop
one s.0r h roop or o an old and ne boiler
There also chimney stack reaching to height of
two hundred and fifty feet Messrs. Fayle Gray had
conducted this extensive for the past five years
with much success, and employed three hundred
hands in it, the greater part Of whom resided in the vi
cnity, happy and contented, with their families
THE ExPLosION-ITs PROBABLE CAUSE AND FATAL
CONSEQUENCES.
The men went to work as usual on Thursday morning.
and continued until little before two O'Clock in the
afternoon when tremendous report was heard to come
from the neighborhood of the engine room and imme
ately after the bricks and wood which formed most of
the above named buildings were seen to fly in every d.
rection and several of the houses fell to the ground
Some of the broken beams thrown to height OF
two hundred feet and sticks tossed into
Potter street and the pond opposite to the factory
good many persons who passing at the moment
ceived severe bruises from the falling materials
Soon the dust and smoke cleared oil terrified men
might be struggling to burst from the ruins
through the half rent doors whilst others eaped from
the windows the street beneath conveying the mourn
full to the collecting crowd that all their COM
papions who remained behind must be either killed or
of this atesed by the heartrending groans which
were heard to arise from the ruins.
These reused thopeope from their stupor,
and all vigorously to work in order to rescue the suf
ferer In this the unnured citizens and Hart
ford remen participated the Mayor leading the way point
ing to the place where the blacksmths shop had Stood
they that the exploded boiler was located
hard by. The work very difficult for in many in
stances the wounded completely buried under
the fallen walls from the torn beams Of which human
blood might to flow into the rain puddles around
This sight rendered the rescuers nearly frantic, and
nho afta fnur lock bnd tax
crushed and mutated dead bodies with large number
of wounded The former were stretched in the paint
shop and the latter placed in the private office OF Messrs
Fayle Gray mentioned above
They were Immediately attended by Doctors Brown,
Jackson and Ellsworth, of Hartford. -.
At this moment the appearance of the ruins and the
around truly melancholy. The bolt shop, the
Two blacksmith shops the lumber shop the freight shop
and the boiler rooms, either totally blown up ter
Iibly shattered Nearly all the windows were broken
the long wall roters street leaned and had to be
propped up whilst the atoms OF non, fragments OF gear
Ing ropes timber mortar, and stone formed heap OF
promiscuous ruin rarely witnessed
In the main building and directly opposite the boiler
stood llact smiths shop Between the shop and the
be Ter there brick wall OF eighteen inches the
boiler stood within two or three feet Of this WALL the
old boiler resting upon its old bed few from that
The boiler and west and force OF the explosion
mostly from its sidesrushng forth north and south,
tearing down the machine shop the north and strange
TO say, killed in 1t, though dozen or more per-
sons were at work there at the time
On the north another blacksmiths shop; this was
razed ground the building being shivered to atoms
carrying away the solid brick wall that separated 1t from
between
Rsn' shop IN TINS place was 'ne s's'' OBSTRUCTION
During the search for the bodies and after they
were extrcated might be fathers mothers, wives
brothers. sisters and little children, clamberng through
the dusty and boodsained in search Of PARENTS
husbands fathers for many had failed to recognise
the scalded and bruised remains those Of their de-
friends Amongst the crowd outside the gate was
discussed the probable cause Of the explosion PENDING
that, far our reporter could CLEAN the opinion
Of the people, it occurred in this manner For For
at work which heated by two fues This
boiler required considerable time to generate
rapid of business the delay much felt by the
propretors lately and they contracted with Messrs
Woodruff Beach to make boiler of larger capa-
city This boiler xed upon the premises about five
weeks ago and cost 81 000 1t required five aues to
heat the contained and it generated steam very
quickly. John McCune (now dead, the engineer en-
Iloyed by the firm had worked for long time with the
condemned boiler, and the opinion was that he had not
sufficiently accommodated his mind to the rapid action
the from the slow work done by the old and
hence that water laterly consumed sooner than ne
conceived should BE- On AIT % ne was IN en-
steam and is supposed that he found at the close that
the water exhausted, and that in hurry caused by
surprise he let in quantity Of cold water the hot
metal and when this converted into gas the fatal
explosion followed at least this the opinion gener-
ally entertained on Friday.
NAMES OF THE PERSONS KILLED.
The following IL a list of the and employment
OF the persons who either taken out dead had
died up to Friday afternoon
OF. Mt McCune has left wife and family Of young
children
2 Daniel 8 Camp, carpenter, and his brother Samuel
H. Camp, foreman of the blacksmith's shop Each man
had q wife and family.
g. James Purcell; left wife and family. Was rescued
alive and taken into the Office but when his wife
he was unconscious and died in her she was
imploring him to give her look Of recognition His
body was taken to his late residence in Morgan street.
where fond and agonzing brother, who had been ele
gaphcd at New York. visited it the evening of Friday
No words could pourtray the agony OF this young man
WI en- be looked upon the widow and her family. De-
ceased was a native of the county Of Kilkenny in Ire
Land and aged about thirty Five years. He had wife
ard three children.
A. Andrew J. Crane, blacksmith, single man.
s. Daniel A. Newell blacksmith has left wife and
two children.
g. Alonno Allen, blacksmith, has left wife and three
young children.
4 John Crecden, blacksmith's helper leaves a wife.
g. Robert Mountn, blacksmith carried home alive
TO his wife and died shortly afterward; children.
O. Richard Mountn, blacksmith brother of Robert,