The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-01-09
,OMM1ssION OF APPEALS CALENDAR.
A HUGE JOKE.
An Explosion That Sounded
Like an Earthquake.
ANOTHER GREAT SCARE.
The Shock Felt at Distance, but
UnnOticed on the Scene.

UnnOticed on the Scene.
One OF the best jokes OF tho season was Played
on thousands OF people yesterday by their own
fertile imaginatiOns. ntrr0.glycerlne explosion
occurred on Thursday night at twelve O'Clock In
Pequannock q little village some seven or eight
miles beyond Paterson, n. j., and about two miles
from the Delaware and Lackawanna Railroad.
Thousands and thousands OF people heard 1t,
many were violently aroused from their sleep.
and yet. strange to say. while the shock was dts
tinctly ielt at HOb0ken, at Paterson at Nyack, at
Spring Valley, at Passaic, OF Rdgw0od. at Engle-
wood and even In Westchester county. most Of the
residents Of the very place "a which the explosion
occurred did not hear the report. ana knew Moth
ing Of 1t until they saw, yesterday morning. the
debris on the ground. This 10 q most remarkable
circumstance. although 1t Ia not without parallel
There have been explosions before this which
were felt at considerable distances more plainly
than right at the scene OF the accident but there
probably never was one which grew to such enor-
nous and preposterous proportions in the minds
OF the people. The evening papers yesterday con-
tanned vivid and circumstantial reports OF the
earthquake" which had startled Westchester
county, Jersey ana Rcckland county, and this
earthquake was no more and no less tnan the
shock OF the explosion which was scarcely felt ct
Pequannock.
THE EXPLOSION.
The earthquake" which visited the classic VII.
lage OF Peuuannock occurred in the powder mill Of
Messrs. ]. A. Rand q Co., No. 81 Park row. They
manufacture the so-caled "Rendrock" powder, In
little frame building about ten feet HIGH situated
In hollow and built against the side OF bill.
The nitro-gycerine which exploded was TO be
used in the manufacture OF the Rendrock powder,
which Is mainly employed for blasting purposes.
On Thursday night, at twelve O'Clock, the watch
man, 30 he states, discovered that the tank con-
tanning some eight hundred pounds of nitro
glycerine was On fire. He became heightened and
ran at once toward the boarding house OF tho
other workmen in order to arouse them. He bad
scarcely started, however, when the nltro-glycer-
inc exploded with loud report, and this made all
further efforts useless. The frame house was
blown into the meadow below the hill and was
torn into splnters which were scattered Tor two
hundred feet round. Yesterday morning all that
remained OF the frame house could be seen In
these spinters and the only other visible marx OF
the explosion was hole OF about six feet depth In
the ground.
LUCKY ESCAPE.
The packing room across the way and standing
only at distance OF about $50 feet was perfectly
intact. There Q considerable quantity OF the
powder is stored, yet was not damaged In the
slightest degree. The. boarding house, about 200
feet distant, shows no marks OF the explosion
beyond few broken panes OF glass. man who
stood about $50 feet from the mill was not in the
least injured, although, OF course, he was thor.
oughly frightened Tor the moment The superln-
tenaent's house, which Is nearer than any other,
being only about fifty feet distant sustained no
damage Deyond hall dozen broken panes OF glass,
ana tns was an tne r WaS .ee Ws
about 300 pounds; the amount OF damage was
estimated by the agents yesterday at about $4,000
In hinkf nor tha
replaced by new one IN week, so that the
thirty men employed will not be thrown out OF
sion which assumed yesterday the terrifying pro-
pOrtions OF q vast earthquake and OF huge scare
generally.
Pequannock ia such an out OF the way place thar
no reliable ne VS. had been received N regaraing the
IN Paterson, which Is only about eight miles dis
tant, people circulated ana readily believed the
tell Of the great explosion which had awakened
him from his sleep, but NOBODY happened to tell
was unknown. The nrst report that reached the
city in the morning was that an explosion had oc-
for Paterson, people we're decided In their opin-
ions OF the nature OF the calamity. Some said 1t
casea Z wss PosGor explosion at Tesdss
Basin, and there were others still who were In
Srso1 Of the earth sucs as had recently visited
Westminster county. One OF me most laugnaole
INCIDENTS was that the superintendent OF the mill,
the shock, but he thought II 80 slight that he told
his wiie the stove In the other room must have
tumDled downl So little was the shock Ielt at the
very scene OF the explosion.
THE EARTHQUAKE SCARE.
In Westchester county as well as In ROckland
county, where peoples nerves were Jet sensitive
from the recent earthquake, The shock was felt
distinctly, and they were thoroughly frightened.
One OF the county papers, IN speaking OF this up.
heaval OF subterranean forces, said 1.-THE shock
was described as one similar to hat produced BY
the explosion OF large quantity OF gunpowder.
and the nrst impression was that some dreadful
accident mad occurred at ne OF the large powder
mills IN that section OF the country Careful in.
vesligation, however, ana inquiry among persons
woo live IN the neighbOrhoOd Of the places wnere
the shock was let Indicate that 1t really was the
result OF an earthquake more OF less Violence
the earthquake at that peaceful village.
Mr.. John Cruiksbank, Secretary Of the National
Trust Company, at No. 2el broadway, who lives at
Spring Valley SAID Dis house shook violently, las
IL SOMEBODY had Knocked the ro0i 0n.". The
clock was striking twelve, and he thought some.
himself and aroused his servants. The report
sOundea to him as though q cannon had been nred
on near his front door, He said 1t o. not accom-
which usually accompanies earthquakes" and
thought y was evidently some mysterious phe-
nOmena OF nature"
say that "at first the theory That an explosion had
occurred was entertained, but 1t was alterward
found by comparing notes that the disturbance
had oeen felt over so large section Of the country
The shock was ,eIt not only at Nyack, Spring VAL
ley and Little Falls but also at Paterson, Enge-
wood. Tenany, 1allman's and Monsey and seems
to have been OF almost equal violence In all places
No additional Information on the subject has a.
yet been received by telegraph, and 1t Is probable
that many persons who lelt the shock aecrtbed 1t
In Paterson the policemen were rushing about
frantically, thinking that some great boiler ex-