Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-12-28
PROM NEW YOIsH.
TERRIBLE CATAsTgOPHE-BOIL ESPLosIoN-
GREAT Loss OF LIFE

TERRIBLE CATAsTgOPHE-BOILER ENPLosIoN-
GREAT Loss or LIFE
NEW YORK, Dee. 20-An explosion OC-
CURED at five minutes past five, this alter
noon, 10 the immense candy mandatory of
Greenfield x Strauss, 63 Barclay street,
which extends in the shape OF an l. to Col
lege Place The boiler, which was under
the sidewalk on the Barclay street side,
burst, tearing away the entire front and
scattering the wreck in all directions. The
ruins took fire immediately, and the flames
spread with great rapidly. Over $50 girls
of all ages were employed at the time In the
building. The walls fell within few min
utes after the explosion. A policeman who
was on duty near the building says he saw
the front of the building five stories high
fall into the street. The street was filled
with screaming people. There were about
200 at work Rushing to the police station
he gave the alarm Several girls jumped
from the top OF the building into the fire.
Several boys were
BLOWN THROUGH THE ROOF.
Flftv-six wounded and one dead were re-
ported at the Chambers street hospital at
6:45. Numbers were also sent to Bellevue
and other hospitals. IL is estimated that the
wounded will reach l25. OF the 275 per-
sons employed in the factory but few
escaped unIrjured Inc number OF dead is
uncertain, and VIII be until the wreck is
cleared away. The FIRE was under control
at $50 and by Gas only a dense smoke sur
rounded the ruins.
SCENES, INCIDENTS, ESCAPES, ETC
Mr. Greenfield, owner of the factory.
could give no idea Of how many were in
the building at the time of the explosion,
but thought about ITO. OF those about
fifty escaped by the College Place entrance,
and small number got ont through the
skvlights and %alked over the roofs and got
down the skylights of other buildings. The
bOOk-keeper who was on the Barclay street
side of the building was blown out through
the window to the street and badly cut on
the head. Several jumped from the second
story and escaped with slight injuries,
their falling being broken by policemen and
citizens on tine sidewalk below. No fair
estimate of the loss of life can be given
tonight, but it must be very large.
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 during
the day and the other at night. The force
is changed at > o'clock and the fact of the
explosion occurring 1T five minutes past
that hour renders 1t still more difficult to
know how many or who are victims
Barclay street angle of the building ha.
fallen to the ground. az has also Nos IS
and 81 Barclay street On the lower side, and
No. 81 on the upper side. No search can
be made for those buried in the ruins
until tomorrow. The factory building
was in the form OF Il letter L. having
entrances at No. is Barclay street
and No. College Place. In the
angle were situated the Grocers bank
building, and TOmpkius's brown paper ware
house, both five stories. The latter is also
fallen TO the ground, leaving the bank
building on the corner looming up alone
over the ruins The bank building is only
injured on the fourth and fifth floors, used
as dwellings by the janitor and several fam
lilies. who lost ali their furniture and effects.
the third floor, occupied as law and other
offices, was slightly injured by water. but
the Offices of the bank on the ground floor
suffered no injury. TOmpkins's loss could
not be ascartalned tonight. The loss OF
Greenfield & Sons mot Greenfield x Strauss)
Is estimated at 100000. No. 65 Barclay
street was frame building, with cigar
SURE Ou tue HEsl uuUEs
ing occupied by Col. French tor the last 80
years.
LEFT HIS L. :. BONDS BEnIND-y0LUNTEERs
BRAVE FIRE AND SMOKE AND SECURE
THEM.
French and family got out safe, but
the former lamented that he had lett ten
thousand dollars in United States bonds in
the book case on the second floor. Foreman
McGill and Roundsman Coffee volunteered
to 90 in for the bonds. The flames and
smoke were bursting ont of the building.
They climbed up an awning and entered the
window and secured package of papers
and came out. The package was found not
to be bonds and second time they entered
through the flames and smoke and brought
out the bonds in safety. A number of per-
sons who escaped from the factory with
slight injuries had their wounds dressed in
the drug stores and went home. Some of
the girls had their nair burned completely
off their heads.
SEARCHING THE RUINS FOR THE DEAD-THE OLD
STORY-A DRUNKEN ENGINEER.
NEw YORK, Dec 3l-There is continued
excitement relative to the horror of last