The New York herald., 1873-11-12
Seven Persons Killed and Nine
Wounded in Harlem.
CareleSSness Supposed To Be the Cause
Of the Disaster.
List of Those Killed, Wounded
and Arrested.

Ou rOuILu avenue. III was 8ttdCucu 10 u uOlSLuB
machine, and the men employed upon it were in
the act OF moving the apparatus further up the
street. The report made by the escape OF the
imprisoned steam attracted the attention of Ser
geant Osborne, or the Twelfth Precinct police, who
was on his way to dinner, and ascertaining the
location OF the disaster by the screams
Of the wounded people he hurried to
the spot. Finding number Of. dead
bodies In the vicinity OF the burst
boiler, and injured persons running In all direc-
tions, be sent for assistance to the station house
in l26th street. AS soon as it possible Captain
Bennett despatched all OF the available iorce ut his
command to the spot and the bodies were removed
to the station hQgss,. An examination was
every one who appeared to know or have
seen anything OF the matter was qgeati9RsA
From aIl that could be learned IN She Confusion
and excitement that reigKed It appears that the
water In the boiler had been allowed 20 run down
rery low, and the man in charge OF 1t finding this
out suddenly turned on cold water and almost y.
stanians5usiy the explosion took place Several o.
the men working on and around the pachinB
ned at the fierce murmuring OF the
struggling steam. but I've OF the number were
killed. Pieces of the tube and SIDES OF the. boiler
were flung in all directions and made terrible and
fatai havoc. One OF these stray projectiles was
lady Miss Louisa Bassford, OF No. 81 East 125th
street, killing her. She fell on the sidewalk where
half OF the skull was carried some ten feet
distant. II was supposed. but not exactly ascer-
Bassford was sharp, thin piece Of the cover, N as
her head was literally
CUT IN TWO.
Beside her when she ieu were found some small
packages sne was carrying when death met her.
She had been to PHYSICIANS lower down the ave-
corner boiler to- '2sf 59 WIZ WIZ .ts e
severed part Of the head held on by bandages, was
conveyed 70 the station house with the others,
and was afterwards taken charge Of BY relatives uH
1ttIe--.tahan girl, Irene Beat, of "A Thompson
at isstn street, was Killed about midway in her
passage over the avenues and & &schoolboy,
W su tsn years o se Daa
intmated last night By the persons most con-
versant with the working Of the hoisting appara-
pounds OF steam in the boiler when it exploded.
Some Of these people pretended the explosion could
water wat s at the time, and that il was prOaused
by an entirely different cause. Others insisted
tnas IL was que ennrey 20 iae @ careessness OF Inc
his business and who threw in the cold water
when he should not. The man had charge OF two
boierS-tnlS one that burst and another several
blocks above on the same avenue. That he was
incompetent for the position he held rs proven by
as engineer and was refused one. Whether the
blame Of his holding such power over lie Is to be
yet to be decided. One theory started ON the sight
OF the calamity was that the moving OF the ap-
Ing the steam against the mead Of the vessel with
such violence tnat 1t tore its way through.
This, however; though probable. could scarcely
occurred on previous occasions for the machine
has been moved along the avenue daily for weeks
past and no accident was experienced before.
Tne whole apparatus, boiler and hosting machine
stood on oSdsn n
earth from the sunken railroad track In course
Of construction and depositing It on the bank
The track is on the east side of the street lying
between the blocks OF houses and the newly made
west The cutting IN which the track is to be laid
takes up good third Of this space and as nearly
as could be judged in the the m darkness @ last evening
about midway between the cutters. Gas pipesjhave
been put down on the other side Of the avenue
from the railroad cutting and 1t was to I'LL in the
pipe beds and equalize the surface OF the avenue
the earth was taken from the track. Buckets
attached to and lifted out Of the
cutting By strong rope which was
machine. When sufficient filling in material for
the immediate spot on which they worked had
moved the apparatus a little further north. or
course as much OF the embankment as could be
h MADE s was en not aneaa 81 ne
ton for the machine, but as a working
ground for the men. Whether the hoisting OF the
earth and the moving north OF the machine were
both going when the explosion took place
could not be learned last night, but If such was
the case the operation was an exceedingly dam
gerous one ana one that should have been con-
Quoted with the greatest caution. This would sug-
gest Itself to the duest mind when it is taken into
Consideration that on the narrow strip OF land
on the other (eastern) side or the railroad
cutting trains M "a are ,,is constantly esna passing and the
mated. The trains on the one SIDE run along close
up to the side walk. Yawning beside the track
in use Is the cutting for the new railroad bed the
remaining space LETT on the west, half OF the
road, IS cut up into gas pipe excavations,
for man. woman, child and beast to walk
into aud be killed. 1t seems amazing that the
awful death pit and have not caused the avenue nue.
to be boarded in when all tins work Is going on.
an appalling number Of lives and limbs are sacri.
chances are not left open for additional
destruction by the unprotected pits that
passed An hour or so after the mangled bodies
left by the explosion we're removed Last night
the Boston express. All this would seem to cry
out for carefulness and attentions bur there they
city; and when terrible calamity, like
this boiler explosion takes place people wiring |
ne @ e1 Is sn t 70 The
the greater the loss but it Is doubly painful TO |
see young and happy life suddenly cnt short IN |
lady, the only child OF wealthy parents, tripping
merrily along the sidewalk yesterday afternoon, |
Spa psp d1~r st~re sha was % her destination and
last night her heartbroken parents and relatives
luxurious home left in the morning, strong in
sne faith and security OF life. One OF the most dis
tressing scenes the casual tourist through the |
world could meet upon his road was the aniicton
OF the poor Italian father In the station house.
break the sad news OF his little daughters death
gently to him and ward the blow in some measur
by their sympathy. Strangers almost savagely
rushed into his room and shouted In his ears,
"YOUR DAUGHTER's KILLEDn
II almost drove the poor old fellow crazy He
beat his breast and ell upon the oor in paroxlsms
OF agony. They tired TO lead him to where the
body was resting, but he would not look at ii. He
could not. He called her name in every tone the
human voice Is capable Of but his frame shook at
the thought oflooking on her blood. Scarcely less
bitter, though not so demonstrative, was the
grief OF those to whom the school child belonged,
and when one remembers how remote these three
were from any connection with the cause of their
sudden taking ofr the careessness that killed