The New York herald., 1876-09-08
THB HE'LL GATH DISASTER
Story of a Person who Witnessed
the Explosion.
BURIAL OF THE VICTIMS.
Fearful Record Of the Effects Of
Nitro-Glycerine.
The INQUEST CONTINUED TO-DAY.

Yesterday was unusually quiet a, tho government
but tho stunning effects OF Tuesdays catastrophe
seemed still 10 pcrvade tho place On the where
the accident occurred work suspended during the
cntirc day. as the workmen had sbsented themselves
| 10 attend tho funerals Of tho three killed. A
| solitary watchman board, who busted
himself removing the uaOos Of tho accident Tho
| scow lay in the same position sho did when tho
event took plaoc, and her decks piled up tho
| fragments Of what had been the diving house.
So far Is known Of the uninturcd who have
been employed upon her have declined to continue
| work Said OF them to q HERALD reporter ycs-
terday afternoon .we lot Of cowards to run
away for something witch may not occur again In
hundred yearA" In the shafts work carried on
usual oi the workmcn, the nine oil Wednesday
morning, having struck or Tho Coroners jury, which
adjourned over to-day account Of the funerals will
again this morning the old Jerry house Now that
u has been determined In what manner tho deceased
Doyle, transported tho gyocrne the scow, there will
be n.,le for the jury 70 do. The wounded all
believed TO be doing we'll Jake Peterson, who mar
rowly escaped with tow flesh wounds says that he
stood close by the explosion, but give idea Of
the manner In which u happened
AN EYx.wIrXxss' STORY.
II has been question Of considerable interest and
Importance TO know'the exact means by which the
explosive material ignited Various theories have
been offered and discussed, but yesterday . HERALD
reporter received the Of who witnessed
the circumstances Of tho catastrophe. This Fran
cis Coty carriage painter, who resides in Astoria
| HIS story runs follows:-
Was standing Tor quarter Of hour previous to
the accident upon the new derrick, about seventy
fcet away from the scene. l idly watching tho
carrying brown paper package stop before tho door
OF the diving house. did not know who the man
opened II, Then saw him take ou, ono Of the cans Of
giycerine and hold IL In both hands, examining II
He then took II IN MS lett hand and with his right
exactly what he did to II, but upon tho instant
heard terrific explosion and was stunned by the
shock. II seemed about two minutes before realized
what had taken place: thon heard men calling for
boat, and the rest Is pretty we'll known everybody
This appears to be satisfactory explanation Of the
method Of tho accident There be doubt that
tho who directly caused It was Lurson, that
ho was at tho timc making some examination OF the
explosive. His right arm with which he operating
in way upon the stopper, was blown on entirely
and afterward found adjacent blacksmith shop
Tho lower portion Of his body In close vicinity
to tho package lying upon the dock and terribly
mutated Beyond the facts above recItcd It Is i'm.
probable that any further particulars will be known
70 the immediate OF the explosion. Cony states
however, that an unknown gentleman and lady stood
near by him and must also have witnessed the affair."
DEAD.
Yesterday the last rites were performed over the
OF the deceased workmen In tho presence Of
row.strcken relatives and sympathetic fellow laborera
The of John Doyle conveyed At two O'Clock
from his late residence, at No 1877 sscko,t street,
Brooklyn to ST. Stephens church, the corner OF
simmons and Hicks streets, where requiem high mass
was performed by Father O'Reily. he was aferward
buried 70 asouSn S onSs %e ana sS s sn
mains 10 the grave
place at half-past ten O'Clock, In hts house. No. 139
South Second street. Williamsburg The pastor OF the
Dutch Reformed church ofllc,aed, and the remains
inferred in Cypress Hills Cemetery, East New
York Tho funeral OF Henry Lurson took place at ono
O'Clock, from his lato residence in First avenue, be-
tween 106th and 10Th streets, New York city.
RECORD OF FORMER ExPLosIoxs
Ever the advent Of that destructive compound,
n.roslycerine, into this country in 1865 tho HxRAID
dangers, described It's properties fully and urged
repeatedly .ns nocossity Of the greatest caution It's
day, November 1865, that the explosive properties
Of ni,rogycerine wero made known 10 tho people Of
New York. Early that morning John 0. Mereereau,
brother guest Of the Wyoming Hotol In Greenwich
street, Jay called the barkespers John Groeans
and from which smoke and flames issuing.
Together they managed 70 get the box out on the
hotel when terrible explosion heard. A decp
hole made in the sidewalk where the box
The street. Every pane glass in the wyoming Hotel
shattered and about twenty persons in the hotel
and It's vicinity were more or less injured by fragments
Of glass and stones thrown up BY the e1
plosion. The box that caused this terrible
commoon contained several jars Of nisro-glycerne,
but II not TIL the following day that
the people who wounded or the general public OF
New York knew Of the existence Of any such deadly
compound I'LL enlightened BY the HERALD Novcm-
Der l. The box had been lett IN the hotel by
| guest named Theodore zecrs, who lett II under the
counter when went away, and It had boon used n
loot rest on which 10 black boots for some tmc and
actually in for that purpose by Mr. Mcrsercau
| on The morning of the explosion
| Nil Ia hv
time, Is q compound OF seventy five per cent nitro
acid and twenty-five per cent glycerine oil, Its
claimed bor IL by its discovcrer Mr. Alfred Nobel an
engineer In the copper mines Of Swcden-First that II
be ignted by simple contact With fro; second
sulphurc acid, phosphorus, and even metal potassium
will not decomposc st the ordinary temperature;
third bear 2l2 degrees Of heat, but expodes ai
thirteen to flecn times greater than runpowder nh
having specific weight OF l50, 1t can be used undor
water
great many Of claims especially as to It's gni-
ton by contact With fire, have been disproved Of te
~ In many instances workmen near where u
stored have becn smoking and no other cause could
DO given for some of these explosions than the
lcssncss OF the workmcn in throwing Lighted matches
or allowing the sparks IRON their pipes 10 scatter
about Careless handling however. has been tho pr,n-
cpal cause OF all 'hc explosions On April II, 1866
|
OF. nitro glyccrnc occurred at quarter pas, one
o'clock In San Francisco, near Wells, Fargo CO. q
building which shook tho earth like an earthquake for
| . circle OF quarter OF mile Ten persons
| killed, among them Samuel Knight, superintendent
Of Wells F..so CO..: -. E1prsws. w,s Sel super,
Co assayer, and twenty other persons we're seriously
injured. This explosion also destroyed the greater
part OF block Of buildings and resulted In tho damage
Of property 10 the amount OF $500. 900 On this
| casion the explosion was caused by conclusion in
| opening a leaking box OF the compound. which the
owner refused receive damaged condition. Pre-
vous 70 this date, on Apri however, far moro ter
ribc catastrophe took place ~ Aspinwai, when
| seventy cases Of nitro glyccrine were
pioded Over seventy persons we're killed and
wounded and over 81, ,oOO, 900 worth OF properly
destroyed. The steamer European arrived ~ Aspn-
wall with large cargo for all parts OF tho Pacnc and
Isthmus on the following morning al sovcn O'Clock,
when, had the train for Panama started on time-hs
past six A. Nall OF those employed the wharf and
the freight house would have been attending To thor
respective duties, the explosion occurred Tho deton
tion Of the train the salvation OF many lives
but as II the loss OF life fearful, nearly all in
tho vicinity OF the explosion being killed outright