The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-12-27
AN AWFUL CATASTROPHE.
Fearful Scene in the Streets of New York.
New YORK, December 20.

New YORK, December 20.
An explosion occurred at ten minutes
past 5 o'clock this afternoon in the i'm
mense candy mandatory of Greenfield
& Strauss, at 63 Barclay street, which ex-
tends in the shape of an L to College
Place. The boiler was under the side.
walk on the Barkley street side and burst,
tearing away the entire front and scatter
ing the wreck in all directions, Over $50
girls were employed at the time in the
building. The wall fell in few minutes
after the explosion. A policeman, on
duty near the building, says: "I saw the
front Of the building, five stories high,
fall into the street. The street was filled
with screaming people. There were about
two hundred at work. I rushed to the
police station and gave the fire alarm.
Several girls jumped from the top of the
building into the fire, and several boys
were blown through the roof" Fifty-six
wounded and one dead were reported al
the Chambers Street Hospital at 6.45 p.
m. A number were also sent to the Bel
leveu and other hospitals. 1t Is esti-
mated that the wounded reach one hum
dred and twenty-five. OF the two hun
dred and seventy-five employed in the
factory but few escaped uninjured. The
number of dead is uncertain until the
wreck is cleared away. The fire was
under control at $50 p. M, and by 6.45
p. m. only dense smoke surrounded the
ruins.
Mr.. Greenfield, owner of the factory,
could give no idea how many were in the
building. He thought about ITO, and
that of these about so escaped by the
College Place entrance, and small num-
Der got through the skylights and walked
over the roofs and got down the skylights
ofother buildings. The bookkeeper, who
was on the Barclay street side of the
building, was blown out through the win
dow to the street and badly cut on the
head. Several jumped from the second
story and escaped with slight injuries,
their fall being broken by policemen and
citizens on the sidewalk below.
No fair estimate of the loss of life can
be given tonight. The parties employed
in the factory were principally young
girls and boys from eight to twenty years
of age. Owing to the approach of the
holidays double force was employed,
one working the day and the other at
night. The force was changed at 5
o'clock, and the fact of the explosion oc-
curing at ten minutes past that hour
renders it still more difficult to know how
many or who are the victims.
Greenfeld's loss is 100000 No. 65
Barclay street was frame building with
cigar store on the first floor, the upper
floors being occupied by Col. Franch for
the last thirty years. Mr.. Franch and
family got out safe, when Franch remem-
bered having left $4,000 in United
States bonds in bookcase on the second
floor. Foreman Joe McGill, of engine
80 and Roundsman Coffee of the first
precinct police, volunteered to 60 in for
the bonds. The flames and smoke were
bursting out of the building They
climbed up on the awning and entered
the window and rescued package of
papers and came out. The package was
found not to contain the bonds. A Sec
ond time they entered through the flames
and smoke and brought out the bonds in
safety. Some girls had the hair entirely
burned off their heads. The greatest sac
ri6ce of life was among the young girls
employed in selling and asserting and
packing candies on the first floor over the
boiler. None of those are known to have
escaped. The total loss will probably be
a.quarter of million, and there must be
fifty bodies in the ruins.