St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-12-28
Our New York Letter.

WAY MONSTER.
NEW YORK, Dec. 81, 1877.
To the Editor Of the Caledonian:
Had success attended the famous Guy
Fawkes conspiracy to blow up the Eng
lish Parliament, the Illustration of which
plot has ever since been the occasion of
an annual holiday in that country, the
results might have been hardly more
terrible than those of the catastrophe
which startled New York on Thursday
evening. Shortly before five o'clock on
that day an Immense five story brick
factory on Barclay street, occupied by
one of the largest confectionery manu-
featuring firms in the country, was filed
from roof to basement with light and
the hum of industry. Nearly two hun
bred operatives were hard at work upon
holiday orders, and all was cheerful and
orderly activity. Suddenly, without
warning, there came an explosion that
stunned passing pedestrians and broke
windows and extinguished lights for
hundreds of feet around. The whole
front wall OF the factory rose thirty feet
into the air, and in another minute a
vast mass of iron, brick, machinery,
men, women and children crashed down
together in shapeless and horrible con-
fusion. Almost simultaneously with
the fall of the building, the tons of su-
gar which it contained, and which were
scattered in its fall caught fire and
wrapped the ruins in inextinguishable
flames. The scene for the next two
hours was as imposing as it was terrible.
The efforts of the firemen were render
ed of little avail by the blistering heat
which forced them to confine their at
tentiOn, after the first few minutes when
with gallant recklessness, they succeed
ed in. saving few lives, to preventing
as far as possible the spread of the fire.
The flames from the sugar saturated
rubbish mounted high in air and il
lumined the sky for miles around turn
ing to siclSly faintness the light of the
moon which had just risen. Fears we've
at one time entertained that the con-
migration would become general but
the timely aid of the wind which by a
rare and lucky chance was for instead
of against the FIRE brigade, enabled the
latter to get control after about $780,
600 worth of property had been de-
stroyed.
The cause of this shocking disaster
was the explosion of high pressure
steam boiler which furnished power to
the factory, and was located beneath
the sidewalk and front wall of the build
ing. The loss of life has not yet been
accurately ascertained owing to the
difficulty of thoroughly examining the
hot rubbish, but is variOusly estimated
at from so to 100. Beside those killed
outright, almost as many more were
burned, scalded or manned in all hor-
rlble forms. An immediate investiga-
ton will be had.
In the course of the Vanderbilt will
trial this week, the testimony of prom
inent architect was introduced by the
contestants to show that the Commo-
dore desired to build, and expressed his
intention to build, "the tallest mOnu-
ment in the world" to the name of
Washington. He caused witness to
prepare several sketches for such
structure to be erected in Central Park,
and was particular to enquire the exact
heights of the Cologne Cathedral, the
Pyramid of Cheops and st. Peters in
Rome, to make sure that his proposed
monument should overtOp them all.
He was told that it would have to be
GOO feet high, and would cost him about
$75O,OOO, which price did not seem to
trouble him in the least.
This testimony was adduced to prove
the Commodore insane though just
how the insanity comes in, it is difficult
for the ordinary mind to perceive. 1t
is only pity that he changed his mind
and failed to carry out this grand
scheme.
Some of our prominent churches have
been having a novel experience for the
last two weeks. Mr.. E. P. Kimball as
your readers have doubtless heard by
this time is a gentleman who devOtes
his time, talents and energies to lifting
the load of debt from churches by a
process which may be most accurately
described as 'main force" He has
worked eastward from San Francisco
doing an extraordinary work at various
places on the way and came to this city
full of strange kind of momentum
which has produced some marvellous
effects, notably in the case of DIR. Tyng's
church of the Holy Trinity episcopal
which labOrs under debt of $3.50, 900
which threatened its very existence.
One month ago Mr.. kim ball attempted
to raise the debt of an uptown Presby-
terrain church amounting to $I1 900 and
did it in two Sundays work. Thus en-
couraged, he undertook the great work
at DR.. Tyng's on Sunday morning the
10th. A large congregation was pres
ent no warning having been given of
the proposed operations of this colossal
beggar, who went at it at once, and by
holding the congregation in church from
1896 till 5 o'clock, 6ullied them into
subscribing $3.50, 1000 toward the object
in view. Several meetings have since
been held, but l believe the whole
amount is not yet made up.
This work is curious and cratic one.
1t is nothing but "bull-dozing," pure
and simple, and is open of course to
good deal of criticism but that which
it accomplishes so useful that l imagine
Mr.. Kimball will be welcome visitor
to the pastors and financial committees
of debt-ridden churches as long as he
chooses to remain in his novel business.
The iron horses of. the New Jersey
Central road seem to have become a
FESTIVE set of steeds since the financial
troubles of the company. Some months
ago l noticed the case of one engine