New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-05-08
TIE BERGEN HILL EXPLOSION.


Nature has exempted us from volcanic erup-
tions and almost entirely from earthquakes
Int the invention of the "rend-rock powder "
promises to supply us with something ike
these tropical excitements. No ascertalned loss
of life followed the explosion on Saturday nlght
at the new Bergen Tunnel, but 1t Is easy 10 see
that this immunity is due rather to good Tor
tune than to public prudence. Another sus-
pestion n that if we would be safe in the city
wo must look to tho suburbs, even when they
extend into a neighboring State The immense
and widely spread force of the detonatioh Is
shown by its effects in West, Spring WASH
inpton. and Greenwich sts., and their vicinity,
in which houses were shaken as by an earth
make. much glass was broken, and In some
cases the gas in the shops cxtlngulshed.
The conclusion was felt even IN the
tbeaters: at tho Fifth Avenue Hotel
it seemed to be very near, and the same was
true in Jersey City, Ioboken, and Brooklyn
The peculiarity of this catastrophe is that its
effects extended over so large territory, ana
occasoned an alarm so far away. AS the
force of the explosion must have diminished
in eeOmetrical ratio with distance from the
center, il is easy to see what long string OF
figures would represent it. If we start with
q suppositiOn that it struck windows with
one pound weight two miles away. 1t Is not
strange that nearer to the scene OF the explo-
sion the widest terror should have prevailed.
The destruction of property was very great !;
that of life wonderfully small the mystery Is
that both were not enormous. Thus few
hours after Chicago, Leavenworth, and other
Western cities had been shaken by tornado,
our own with the towns i'll its neighDorhood
was subjected in certain places to similar
alright.
Tornadocs in the present state OF natural
science we cannot prevent, but 1t is possible
IN prcvent the accumulation in one place OF
large quantities of explosive material, espe-
cially in the close vicinity of a largo number
of dwellings. In this case the magazine was
near enough to some of the finest houses IN
tbe country to shake them to their foundations.
If some of them had tumblcd down, as they
might have done, we should have published
this morning a melancholy catalogue OF the
killed and wounded If those who stored
such dangerous amount OF this unsafe ma
terial where its explosion might have leVelen
houses and destroyed whole families violated
no law of New-Jcrscy it is time to enact one
of the most stringent character to meet
inst snch cases of foolhardy ca.elcSsDcSs. I'm
donb.edly the corporation which was using this
powerful and dangerous powder will he called
upon To make good the damages of Saturday
evening. This. however, is IA private matter.
What the public has right tn demand y gen
cral protection from "a reckless carccssneSs
which may thus put in peril and even destroy
human life. The population may he and I'M
doubtedly is Interested in the building of new
railways, but it can better afford to do without
RAILWAYS altogether than to have its buildings
tumbling down mt midnight. We have had
remarkable escape from sudden and great NOR
tality. II is now the duty OF the authorities
to inquire thoroughly into the affair and to
mcte ont Justice to all who deserve it. The
rrmor that the powder was prrposcly fired by
the enemies OF the corporation, even If well
founded. makes the matter no better The ac-
cumulation of the material none the less
afforded the opportunity for the crime, if there
WAS one Nor can there be any good reason
offered for leaving this mass of explosive ma
terial nsuilicicntly guarded, As it appears to
have been.
The lesson, we trust, will not be lost We
have new and most powerful agents of de-
struction, requiring new and peculiar precau-
tons. Already we have had more than one
warning. The peril il perfectly well uHder
stood II will be the fault of the public if this
danger is not met by wise and rigorous reg
II.