Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-06-20
EXPLOSION OF A STEAM FIRE En-
CINE.

Five Persons KILLED and Twen,y-thre.
Nounde dull Details OF the Cstss-
urophe.
TWAS stated an the STAR yesterdsy tb,t /,
shocking catastrophe occurred an the BO1eTy
New York, on Thursday evening duuag =
IRE, owing 10 the explosion Of a steam tire e.,
CINE, which resulted in the loss OF ave lives
and the wounding Of nineteen other persons,
which will probably increase the death roll.
The Commercial gives the following adjI-
uOnal particulars OF the sac catastrophe
fire was discovered about niue O'Clock Ia,
evening, the fifth floor Of No. 50 Bower
directly opposite the Bowery Theatre. First -
arrive en- the scene was Eagine Company No.
:, In charge OF Stuart Carson, foreman. and
Patrick w Hand, engineer. This engine took
position IN front OF the pit entrance 20 the Thea
tire, and began working The engine cont,ruat
10 work steadily and without incident for -
minutes, when an order was issued Ito take
up preparatory 10 going home. The mschsne
was not the one usually IN charge Of the Com
pany. but the original No. 4, the first OF tue
Amoskesg pattern bullt for the New York FIRE
Depaumsnt- and has been al continuous use
fortwo years.
As toe order 10 take up was given, al act OF
the performance in the thester concluded. snd
a crowd OF men and boys poured out OF the pet
and ether doors upon the sidewalk, directly an
the vicinity OF the engine. The engineer, up pa
receiving the order. turned on cold water upon
ms heated boiler, and the result was an instant
explosion, which hurled the engine an nid-slr
and falling an ruined mass upon the 81 L.
walk. Masses of iron, CRATE bars, and pieces OF
rails Were torn from the framework and huri-d
through the crowd OF human beings, bAtag
thrown in some Instances a distance OF one
hundred feet. The steam from the boiler seal 1sd
all within its reach.
The police of the Sixth Precinct proceeded %
extneate the dead and wounded. and found tae
bodies OF three men and one boy who had bseu
killed outright The wounded were taken -
the City Hospital, where their injuries reoei I'd
prompt attention.
The dead bodies We're taken to the station
house OF the Tenth Precinct for Identification
and an inquest The corpses were mutIatAd
IN the most fearful manner. The brains OF oae
Were dashed out on the sidewalk. the entrstls
OF an other protruded and the face was dread
fully dishgured, another had both his legs
broken and Was badly scalded, while another
a little bootoiack, was rum over. They wese
clad in the rough garb OF labor life and OF tbs,
thousands about, not one could tell what had
been the names and stations of those four man
gled bodies. but moment before filled
with vigorous life. One was that of A man
about thirty years of age, OF dark COM
plexion, black hair and whiskers, aud
OF about medium height. Another was that OF
a eaaaSerops BOY, not more than sixteen years
OF age, with light brown hair and smooth fair
lace Another was that OF a man Of about
twenty-five years, thick set and black haired
and Rot bearded. These three had each a leg
TORN literally 10 shreds, while the boy, an al
dltion, had the flesh shaven from the bones OF
the left arm as If denly done with a surgeons
knife. The fourth corpse was that Of 3 mau
about thirty-hye years OF age. He had re-
ceived but single wound in the back OF the
head, where he had evidently been struck by A
mass OF iron thar had crushed the skull
The engineer Of the steamer was lying under
one OF the heels OF ms apparatus W hen found
He Informed the Police Sergeant that the ex-
plosIon was caused by the letting Of cold wa
ter into the boiler while IL was warm IL Wa
further asceriaIned from other sources that the
engine had recently undergone cleaning ant
repairing at the Repair Yard of the Fire De-
partment, in consequence of the engineer re-
porting az be defective. One of the effects of the
vi In hal
end avenue cars, which was halted before the
BoweTy Theatre.