The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-12-25
A Terrible Disaster.

NEW YORK, Dec. 20.-There was an
explosion at ten minutes past five clock
this afternoon in the immense candy
mandatory of Greenfield & Sons, No.
63 Barclay street, which extends to Col
lege Place. The boiler, which was in
the basement, burst, tearing away the
entire front and scattering the wreck in
all directions.
Within few minutes after the explo-
sion the wall, five stories high, fell into
the street, where was gathered multi
tude of screaming people, and flames
burst out in all directions.
With regard to the number of persons
in the building at the time of the explo-
sion, no definite estimate can be had to-
night, though the proprietor thinks there
were about 110. Those 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 work.
ing during the day and the other at
night. The force, which usually con-
sists of over hundred, is changed at
five o'clock, and the fact of the explo-
sion occurring at ten minutes past that
hour renders it still more difficult to
know how many fell victims.
Several girls were seen to jump from
the top of the building into the fire. The
greatest sacrifice of life, however, will
be among the young girls, many of
whom are from eight to fifteen years.
They were employed selling and assort-
ing and packing candies on the first floor
over the boiler. None of those escaped
so far as known, and at the very lowest
calculation there must be forty or fifty
dead bodies in the ruins.
The bookkeeper who was on the Bar
clay street side of the building was
blown out through the window to the
street and badly cut on the head. Sew
eral persons jumped from the second
story and escaped with slight injuries,
the fall being broken by policemen and
citizens on the sidewalk below. Thir-
teen wounded persons, of whom ten are
under eighteen years of age, have been
taken to the hospital SO far.
The flames spread rapidly, destroying
other buildings, and were not under con-
troll until $3.50 p. M.
Many persons having children or rela-
tives working in the factory sought the
scene of the disaster, the hospitals and
police stations, i'm search of missing ones,
and their anxiety and grief was very
touching. Mr.. French, who lived in
the frame building at Go Barclay street,
over thirty years, fled with his family in
time to save their lives, but afterwards
remembered having left $4,000 in
the third story floor. Mr.. Megill of en-
gine No. 32 and roundsman Coffee of the
First precinct police, volunteered to go
in for the bonds. The flames and smoke
bursting out of the building they climb
ed up on an awning and entered the
window, secured package of papers
and came out. The package was then
found not to be the bonds. A second
time they entered through the flames
and smoke and brought out the bonds in
safety.
Pete Stadmiller gives vivid descrip-
ton of the affair. He is employed with
Rogers & Co., and was within forty feet
of the doorway when the explosion oc-
CURED. 1t seemed to throw up the
whole sidewalk and the front of the
building fell. He believed there We're
nearly 200 persons employed in the
building at the time. There were not
more than dozen girls employed on the
ground floor, most of the boys and girls
being engaged on the second and third
stories. He says he is positive that not
more than six girls and one dozen men
! came out alive through the Barclay street