The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-11-14


The BOILER EXPLOSION II New YoEK-
FURTHER PAETIcULARs.-The New York
World gives the following account Of the
boiler exp!o>ioa in that city,.
Four laborcrs, charming girl Just bud
dug into womauhood, q tcn-year-old school
boy, and an unknown Italian harp-girl,
were hurried into eternity at One Hundred
and Twenty-eighth street and Fourth ave-
nue. about Il quarter.past 1 O'Clock 2. n.
Yesterday. amid the groans and shrieks of a
dozen persons MANNED, wounded, and scaded
by the explosion Of IN Intended boiler at
tached to a derrick used i'll sinking the
tracks of the various lines of railroad that
use Fourth avenue.
The engineering operations at this point
are very extensive, and in sinking the track
many derricks are used to hoist the earth and
de5ris out Of the cutting and to lower stone
and other building materials used in build
ing the tunnel. Yesterday afternoon full
steam was up, and it was found necessary to
move il aud the machinery from little above
the corner of One Hundred and Twenty
eighth street and Fourth avenue towards
one Hundred and Tweuty-linth street.
For this purpose several laborcrS, provided
with crowbars, were engaged in building q
plank platform and in pushing the fatal ma.
chine along it. John BarEuln, WHO was elm.
ploycd rs engineer TO the boiler that cX.
plodcd, supervised the operation Of moving
il and the machinery, but it is supposed that
at the time Of the accident he was not closely
attending to his duties, rs he escaped unin-
jured.
The boiler had been movod opposite J.
Ormston's lagcrhccr Saloon, No. 1910 Fourth
avenue. West Of the boiler and the eXcaVa-
ton number of lAborcrs were engaged in
living Ga<-ppeS for the Harlem Gas Company.
The Sidewalks were crowded with pcdes.
TRANS and persons looking ut the operation
of moving the boiler. At One Hundred and
Twenty-eighth street and Fourth avenue
was Il temporary bridge over the railroad
cutting, across which people were constantly
passing. An awful report, screams oi hor-
ror and pain, an ominous cloud OF dust,
steam, and smoke, and rush of excited II.
borers and spectators followed in quick sue
cession and amid scene OF the widest
confusion the police and ambulances were
summoned, and seven corpses, so horribly
disfgured that they were carefully screened
| from the gaze of the public, were dragged
| from the debris, while number OF V0lun'
| teers conducted the wounded to the station
house. Every house IN the neIShpoIiloou
| had windows, doors, and roof wrecked
trees aud fences were torn to pieces, and q
| number of stores had goods badly damaged
The Times says:
"Ihe scene in the station-house on the
reception Of the killed and wounded was OF
a very affecting and exciting character. a.
each body was brought in persons in the i'm
mense crowd, which fairly blocked up the
streets, would fancy that they recognized
some dear friend or relative, and an inde
scribable expression of grief and pain, gen
eIal among all, would follow. The bodies
were taken back to the prison i'll the rear OF
the station.house and placed on the Tagged
floor of the corridor. Each one had the head
battered almost beyond recognition, ana IL
many cases half the skull carried away
| Their limbs and bodies, too, were mansled
and cut to pieces
The young lady killed was Identified as
Miss Barstord, the daughter of u cigar man
ufacturer, and the body of the schoo-Doy
Britt was taken home to his parents. The
harp girl's name was Irene Bellfre. The
affair is being investigated, and all the New
York papers unite in expressing the belle
that there was criminal carelessness on The
part of some one connected with the railroad
Improvement work.