The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-06-23

Coroner's Inquest ON the Bodies of Six of the
Victims.

Joseph Ward Charles Schildt @. N. Escht, William
Reiner John Baird and Thomas OConnor are
the names Of the deceased persons The jurors pres
ent were Henry Therber Alexander Proudfoot,
Hamilton Evans. A. G. Kinney, B. II. Deeths and W..
M. Sherlock. J. Bass and ]. Quinn were absent.
TESTIMONY OF CAROLINE YUNGBLuD.
Caroline Yungblul being sworn, testified reside
at I32 Elizabeth street; william Reiner the deceased
was my brother; last saw him alive on Thursday
evening, when he was on q visit to me; he left me
just about time to 60 to his home, So Baxter street,
afterwards heard Of his death and that his body was
taken to the Morgue, when came and fully identi-
fed his body; he was a shoemaker by profession.
TESTIMONY OF STEWART CARSON.
Stewart Carson, being sworn, testined-I reside at
No. "a Pitt street; am foreman OF engine No. Q; on
the evening of the 18TH five minutes before nine
O'Clock, there was an alarm OF fire received from
station 81, which is located at Elizabeth and Canal
Streets engine lies at So East Broadway we pro-
ceeded to the Bowey, between Bayard and Canal
Streets in front of the Old Bowery theatre, and there
took hydrant; we stretched a line OF hose to SO
Bowery opposite where the fire was on the fifth
foor was at work there twenty-five minutes when
we got orders to shut or the water we stood fast
the ten minutes when we got orders again TO wash
the building out and start her again; we then got
orders from the engineer to stake up;n went to one
Of the front windows and told of the members on
the street to shut the water OFF and stake up; went
",
out the house when heard the noise; was standing
then near side window. heard the explosion and
saw the sparks lying; asked what was the matter
and was told the engine had exploded; walked down
the street and saw 1t was so half OF her was on the
sidewalk and the other half was in the gutter; the
boiler had exploded; saw some lying there wounded
and helped in taking care OF them; found the en-
gineer hurt and carried him away; Patrick w. Hand
was engineer and Daniel O'Keefe was fireman; Hand
engineer since the 18th of June, 1867 he has had
charge OF the engine since; 1t was first class
Amoskeag engine about three years old; sne was not
else that know OF was the matter with her; the en-
gineer only had her eight or nine hours before
at the repair yard and we took this instead;
we got this engine at eleven O'Clock that day; we
pair yard; tried her for half an hour and found
her working well with one hundred or ninety-fve
pounds Of steam Mr.. Giloertson was at the repair
we then went back and told Gilbertson that she
leaked in the tubes; me then told us If we could not
run that one that engine 80 was there that we might
then have; we went round and looked at her, and
me and the engineer came TO the conclusion that we
ould keep the engine we had; we took her back to
fore; here Is recommendation from q man he
worked for as engineer in 1852 another from the Full
ten Iron Works, another from the Etna Iron Works
and from n. Hoe h Co., and here Is license from
the Police Board; 1.-THE papers were producedD he has
worked at the business some fifteen years. he had
recommendation, too, from the Morgan Iron Works,
| but this he tore yesterday accidentally.
On behalf Of the Metropolitan Fire Commissioners
question was asked by an attorney to the effect IT,
under a pressure Of nnety-fve or one hundred
pounds the condition OF the engine was In perfect
order. The witness said the working condition Of
the engine perfect outside OF the leaking OF the
tubes. Another question was asked, to the effect If
| the engine was working within the fire lines, to
| which the witness answered yes Witness says that
Hand can hardly leave the hospital for month.
FIRE Commissioner Myers wished to state Few Few
not wish to interpose any objection and would pro-
pose to prove, when the time came, that MI. Hand
| was thoroughly examined by board OF engineers
before he was appointed and had passed three other
examinations Besides this, he had produced
written certificates from respectable firms to his
qualifications; the engine he supposed at first might
have been an old one, but lie found it was a first
,a engine Gn " ee years oa @
steam than 1t did at the nre; that 1t had been used
all day at the fire at Barnum's Museum; that lines
established at fires to prevent people jeopardzing
their lives; that II 1t had been private engine no
such notice would have been taken OF it, He DESIRED
moreover, to say That every precaution had been
taken to avoid ACCIDENT 1t was not strange that
out Of thirty-seven engines should explode at some
| TESTIMONY OF WILLIAM II. CLINCHY.
William Ii. Clinchy roundsman Of Sixth presinct,
being sworn, testifed-About nine O'Clock on Thurs
day evening was at the fire at So BOwery; Engine
| Company No9 had its hose attached to hydrant
opposite the pit entrance to the Old Bowery theatre;
1 the fire was soon extingushed and some OF the APP
paratus had been taken up; there were four five
engines there close by some OF them within three
adGer there about ee think the I'M
surance patrol were there's there were Tenth precinct
and Sixth precinct policemen there's there sixty
Oil told from both precincts; they Kept the crowd
back from Canal street and Bayard street. so as to
keep the BOwery clear over two hundred feet, from
Canal to Pell street; within that line, however,
boys were rushing from the theatre and from the
gardens; before the first act was over it was
clear; about . quarter to ten O'Clock they came
the gardens and theatre were kept out as well as
possible; still number came from the Atlantic Gar
den and the BOwery theatres at the time OF the ex
plOsiOn was In the act OF driving some persons from
the pit entrance and passing them around towards
Bayard street; when the explosion took place was
blown into the pit entrance; when recovered no.
tced had received slight scratch myself; helped
to put the dead and wounded into carriages; the
wounded taken to the hospital and the dead to
the Tenth precinct station house; had noticed engine
No. before ana did not think she was working
satisfactorily to the engineer; at times she worked
rapidly and then she worked slowly; she did
not seem to work regularly like the others;
did not say anything about IT. said anything
about 1t; saw the engineer last at hafpast nine or
twenty minutes to ten he was alongside the street
and seemed to be attending to his duty last saw him
at half past nine all noticed was she seemed to be
Kennedy. Sergeant Looney and Sergeant Weymouth
OF the Tenth were on hand the Fire Commits
sioners had nothing to do with the regulations OF
the pOlice Captain J0urd0n was In charge OF keep
ing order and preserving proper lines.
An attorney present desired TO know II the acct
dent had not occurred within the IRE lines, but the
question was not allowed.
TESTIMONY OF JOHN rooMEY
John Toomey, being sworn, testined-I am an
officer OF the Sixth precinct; first discovered the
fire at So Bowery little before nine O'Clock on the
18th; the alarm was given mme una, No. engine
front OF the Bowery theatre; she arrived little after
nine; when she commenced to work she did not
seem to work as fire engines usually do; sometimes
very slowly: I could not say whether at times he
let on more not; about twenty minutes past
nine the Gre was extingushed; some Of the engines
about leaving; word was given to the engineer
OF No. to stop the water five minutes afterwards
he received word to turn on more water, and two
minutes afterward she expoded the order was "turn
on more water" don't know whether he turned on
more water or not the explosion then took place;
was standing six feet from the engine at the time.