New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-01-28
TERRIBLE CATASTROPHE.

day In the Brooklyn Gas Company's Works, On the cor
ner Of Plymouth and God-st., by which one man was
instantly killed and o great amount of property dc
stroyed. The first ntmation that was had Of the oc-
currence was the sound Of tremendous crash which
startled the resdents for distance around, and
caused a rush Of people TO the neghborhood. Tho
alarm Of fire also speedily given, and the Fire
Department and the police quickly responded TO the
The nature of tho catastrophe was soon as
ceraned to have the crushing Of the two large gas
holders reservoirs and consequent explosion one
Of them being filled with'gas.
One Of tho tanks holders out OF order and had
been filed with air, and workmen were engaged In
sliding 10 up and down to how worked One OF the
supports OF this holder gave way, thus tipping 1t over
against the iron column breaking the latter and precpi
tang 1t against the holder which stands nearest Gold
it, and crushing Its iron supports in Its course The
orders Of the first holder having support fell upon It,
crushing It in and breaking themselves In It's fall and
also badly damaging small buildings In which are
the valves that shut of the gas. As the second hoider
was crushed In, the escaping gas igned ana sent up m
immense sheet OF fame Frederick Andersen ASSISTANT
engineer OF the works, crushed beneath inc snns
cou,nns and his body was taken from the ruins IN .
shapeess mass The unfortunate man was IS years DID,
and leaves wife and two children In sweden ne e-
sided at No. - Huds0nave.
The roofs OF row Of frame dwellings Plymouth-st
caught fire from the burning gas but the flames were
speedily extinguished The Gas Company estimate tner
ose at 100000 which there s no insurance. Inc GU
ixeDs Of the neghborhood much alarmed by the
accident and kept away from the vicinity fearing tha'
the remaining holder might explode
Fire-Marshal Ready Immediately began an inVesuga
ton into the cause Of the accident and examined sew
eral witnesses under oath, as follows:
Malcolm Alexander said: live at No. 1H York am
Of the forenen in the gas works and Was IN me yara
was cause by VI the gas-holders esreeniDe over
against the 5 carrying AIRY. one away ana t
the frat filled with air. the other full OF gas,
which toos nTs but ald not eNPioas No %, Cumberland
st. and am Chief Engineer In the Brooklyn Gas Works
the breaking Of the column was caused By the orders OF
the grder wheels to catch which threw all the weight
% s mott haq In 0es se Sr s
was Iied with in order to test It to II Il wa.
the holder Tor tamil was anoa in &c feet Of water; was
Orde a' and ID I examined It every day; the wheels
not running smoothly. as they ought 70
/ did not consider II dangerous at all, because
there gas in 1T think the frost affected the cast
iron 80 that IL capable of resisting the pressure
the two explosions that have recently occurred in the
works were caused by leak from oreax IN ne sse t
the accident to-day no other person wac r sS
@ Of s s don % That the wafer
kept continually leaking out Of It, and On two occasions
the wnSs nS 81 a had
of the wall the tank and the pipes and thus threw the
S MAIDS perfectly light last summer
have been regar.g the r"a pyrt ana sv " onc
of the columns of the second holder falling upon the
sheet iron and tearngt open Ihe gas then sscapen
paired ''' ''''''''.' '''' o. ~
the holders whose place will be supplied with new ones
az soon as possible Coroner Jones will hold inquest
the body OF the man killed.
GAS EXPLOSIONS IN GENERAi-THE LESSON OF TIE
pNOOKIYN ACCIDENT
Such accidents "a these are, though much to be de-
plored not necessarily alarming They are happily,
rare but they from the very nature OF gas.
living next door to gashouse does not run any
thing like the risk that thousands Of run who night
after night oil In their houses. Gas Ia. in
Itself harmless No accident occur with gas uness
from careessness 10 far from easy 10 the same OF
kerosene One Of the most absolute properties OF gas,
when stored ready for In the holders Ia
It's noncx plosiveness. Could lame Of fire
be introduced into the holder, without at
the same time admitting oxygen 80 far from
exploding the gas would be extingushed by the gas
To render the gas nammable it must be mixed with at
least four it volume Of oxygen according to It's
richness. mixture Of parts Of air and one Of
eas considered to BE- the most explosive compound
mixture OF lcss than three of to one Of air or more
than Of air of gas not explosive compound
An explosion Of q glshoder only happen from this
admission of air. but 1t " this admission OF
plosions occur. The admission of air through
q small nssure would not be sufficient 70
cause explosion unless q sufficient length VI time
had elapsed after the frst bursting the allow
the air Ia perneate the whole volume OF gas.
WORKS in on the 10th December last when
the Mayor Of Worcester the President OF the company
fe the accident caused by the carcsssness
OF workman In leaving stopeOck Of the purifier open,
thus allowing the gas to Leak out and NIX Win Inc ar ~
flame The great explosion at Cincinnati ON jane u.s. 1862
has never been satisfactorily accounted for though It is
hn
roc} had caused il BY striking match light his
pipe having been found in che ruined holder II this
* tSe roof Where there il always great
srs % air. as% would ignite wi when exposed s
cause the resistance of Che gas is upward This small
rush Of air to Dire the entire body Of The entrance
of sufficient air be also caused by the holder catch
fitting on one side and allowing the air to- enter And
the again may be forced through tne water OF tne
let pipe into the holder, after the holder is
sion can take place in gasworks from natural
One of the most aacous OF popular ideas tho fear Of
ton rom the dread Of their exploding. The buildings
may utterly destroyed but should the plates forming
gas would not explode It is only negligence Of
poyes that bring about an explosion OF gas IN gas
under pressure win only ignite at the mouth Of
the pipe through which " 10 pressed; but should
the pressure taken Of the flame could then enter the
pipe and the gas In it would explode But this absence
OF pressure, provided against II s by the nadeQusey
of the power of the weights to support
the aid Of the bnoysncy Of the cannot occur In the
holders and produce consequent explosion without ea
pable negligence In tho Of the explosion at the
Brooklyn Gas Works yesterday the accident was caused
by the falling of All iron column from gas
holder which ct the time was under re
pair, on the top, Of another one :. flied xiIh
from nres This accident proves the neccs
sity Of law that gasholders belonging TO- the same
company should not be erected within certain distance
one OF tho other In addition to bodily injuries 70 some
the workmen Of the company, nine tenement houses
were shattered by the explosion What the result might
have been had the third gashoder exploded, 10 Is Ina
possible say but there universal surprise expressed
among scientific that IL did not do from the
lions Of wreck being driven through Its sheet iron
sides.