The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-12-27

.G.L for voting won't TO III TINS IiiSt'tiicc.
We are CRYING for bread, don't give llsV votes !;
We want whiskcy. don't give lis water.
DanrNc, Va. SoulhslpE'
From the New York Tribune.
Terrific Explosion In the metropolitan
Gas Cnmpuny's Works.
A terrible gas explosion occurred ut e Z.
NJ. on Saturday in the purifying house at the
METROPOLITAN Gas Compiny's Works, III
Foity-&cconl street between Eleventh and
Twclrih .,yenucs. The force of the eXplo-
sion was so great rs to completely wreck the
building in which it occurred. The tene-
ments in the vicinity were shaken as though
by IN earthquake. and every pane OF glass Ill
the window. was shattered. Soon after the
explosion took place gas was Withdrawn
from the entire district supplied by The com
Danv. extending from rhirty-lnnrlh to Scv-
enty-nintll streets and from the North To the
East rivers, and this large section OF the city
Bas for short time wrapped III total dark
ness. This added to The confusion that pre-
saiIr.i in the vicinity OF the scene OF the cN-
ploSion. and many We're rendered almost
fluutic. and fed from their houses in con-
sentence of reports that another and
more terrible explosion might be mo-
mcn!ariiy expected. 1t is possible that
snch a calamity nigh, have happened but Tor
the presence Of mind Of one Of the work
men, who shut the gates leading to the mains
and holders At the time of the explosion
the holders contained L. 900 cubic feet Of gas,
and if This bad ignited there would lave been
an explosion compared with which the one
that did take place would have been trivial
in it, results. Many Of the employees work
ing at Il COZ 'dcralc distance from the puri-
fying-h0use were thrown down, and all the
CLOCKS in the buildings were stopped. Car
No. II, of the croSs-toWn line, was passing al
the time ol tie explosion. The conductor,
D. StodC'ard, and the driver were thrown
down and partially stunned, and qll the Win
.iows in the car Were broken. The windows
in train Of ears OF the Hudson River rail
raid, passing up Tehth avenue at the time,
wee shattered.
Ii WAS believed for time that several per-
soil, were very seriously injured, but this
conjecture proved to be incorrect. The only
or. seriously hurt was Patrick AIcGrath, Il
fireman, Whose ctrclcssuess is believed to
have caused the explosion. He was ut work
I'm the pIlrilyur-house, and it is supposed
that some one had carcleSSly left stop-cock
open, and allowed the gas to escape. Nc
Glath entered the room with a lamp, and
the explosion followed. lie Was very badly
burned about the face, head, and bands, and
was considerably bruised, having been hurled
Backward for a considerable distance. He
was removed, inSenSblc TO Bellevue Hos
pitaI. William Ncliar was also burned in
the hands aid face.
The ruins took fire, and it required the
eyertions OF the Fire Department for two
hours to subdue the flames. Many absurd
ru,nors are current relative to the explosion,
hut those who witnessed il, and were able to
f.,tl- Il,rp f ufe hot
was n loud, dull sound. followed almost i'm
mediatcly By n bright flame, which shot up
ward to .rreat height, and was followed IN
another instant by darkness. An esamna-
ton of the wreck of the purifying-house
shows that the force OF the explosion must
have been very great. The brick-work of the
2 house Is scattered in all directions, and the
machinery used in the purifying process is
torn and wrcnchcd apart, II was alleged by
&. tenants living in the vicinity that bricks were
thrown to distance of half block, The
- am1nnt of gas in the purifying retorts was
= snail, being Only Il few hundred feet The
loss to the company property amounts prob.
ably TO Sl5,000 or $a0, 0G0.
Tue Inconvenience occ,isioned to the in
hatltanis 81 this large section his been, and
T. will continue - be for several DAVIS, YER,
great. Most OF the tladesincn along the va
: rious avenues had laid jap heavy stocks OF
goods in anticipation Of the holidays, Ordi
. lrrily saturday night is considered tlle best
night Of the week for trade, and on the Satur.
day before Christmas an even greater amount
OF business than usual was looked for. The
sudden deprlratIon Of light interitre,i sadly
with the calculations of the tladesmen. Few
- OF them bad supply Of lamps, nor could
:. sufficient lamps or candles be procured to
:. make any display Of goods in the stores and
: Esho,s-windows. These needed articles ire
! bled iii Price in very few miuutes-so soon
as it becsmeh,.own that the lack of gas would
:: be likely 10 last ior considerable time
!. Many were inclined to think for u
!. time That the damage In the works would
y soon be repaired, especially as In some quar-
y, tiers the gas, when lighted, for nearly half an
hour after the explosion, burned with flick.
srihsss, unsteady light; but after, this interval
= 1t Went ont, and all attempts to ignite it failed.
=, Inc supply III the mains had become utterly
:. exhausted. 1t seemed singular to pass from
the brilliantly-lghted upper or lower s,ortion
!; Of the city into this dark section. and having
: trayersed it again emerge into light. Fortli.
nately there are few large hotels in this sec
!. ton, the st. Cloud being, perhaps, the most
pretentious. There are eWo large private
markets, however, in Seventh avenue and
Broadway, and the msrketmen and eTocers
! must have lost Il considerable amount Of
: poultry and game Of various kinds In eonsep
quenee Of their failure to make sales.
THE scENE LAST NIGHT. j
= No trouble was experienced out Of doors
last evening, as the moon shone beautifully
: and ilaslained almost every section Of the diff.
. ferent streets. II was in the houses that
the greatest discomfort. was felt, as the
! sYealthiess and most arislo cratie families were