The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-12-22
BARCLAY STREETS RUINS.
rrrsDir ErENTNG's CdTAsTRoP oPHE NOT
A MERE ROLLER ENPLOsfON.
mai, Tvc known to he Dead. and Proba-
b,,,,, that Few Perished Digging In the
Wu,r. Dangerous Gases In Horizontal
nine. The Extent of the Disaster.


"Thc cause Of the cxplcslo, is an incxpll-
csblc mystery Such was the conclusion OF the
orcenncll-. 90 published in THs stN OF yes
,erlr. 10 the lace Of the generally accepted
.,,,,Ait,nn that there had been a boiler eXplo-
slon on the Barclay street side The Green
eeiia' conviction now seems 20 be- borne out
by tho facts The boilers it was said.
wore built hy Fletcher Harrison Co. Mr.. An
drew Fletcher visited the ruins only yesterday.
and explored the boiler vault. He found all
thincs I'm order. and the boilers were undis-
hrhed Even the engineers lamp. frail
hing hung UP in It's place. and there was not
iherlightrs evidence anywhere IN the vault that
there had hocn an explosion. MrssrS. Fletcher
uarrIeon 4 Co. say that II their boiler had eN-
ploded it would have blown w IN" Nslor House
TN, firm say that Nr. Greenfield was not only
not niggardly. but he was generous ia EoUlhg
the very best appointments for the boiler tla'
they built lie even went to the extra expense
OF having locked box Put around the safety
yalyo and kept the key in his pocket. and was
In every way careful 10 have the utmost precau-
ton observed The story IN relation to n third
boiler probably had It's origin in the fact that
the large boiler built by Fletcher Harrison X
Co was made in two sections. 80 a. TO look like
two boilers to any ono unacqudntcd with their
fields premises were the ones under the Bar
clay street sidewalk and they are intact.
What, then. was the origin Of the explosion
The answer will probably develop necessity
for new precautions in a dircctiun in which
danger has not boon suspected One theory is
that the xllnsion was occasioned 10y the igni-
ton Of gas in tho fue that CONNECTS tho boilers
with the chimney. This nue was necessarily
lsteral one. and II is conJecturcd that by some
unknown accident air was admitted to this Hue.
and thai II oecasioncd the explosion. An Illus
tration Is the sas in an ordinary stove. from
which Kind OF explosion is often seen when
the stove door is opened.
President King Of the Fire Department says
that his attention has been cal ed to these gases
frequently tina, his furnaces In the factory have
given him trouble repeatedly and that he has
been Obliged t. correct the draft.
Mr. Stevenson Taylor. an intelligent mecheni-
cal drauehl-man. employed hy Fletcher Harri-
sou S Co.. snys TINT it is d'-iruni. in erecting
the cA.mncys Of boilers TO have iAem a., nearly
perpendicular IT. possible
Before the theory of explosion in the lateral
fue can br determined. it viii he necessary to
have the ruins thoroughly overhaulcd. II the
fue Is found shattered. there will be good
reason 10 rhnrgc the explosion 20 an accumulH-
ton Of gases
Mr. Jordan. of jordan 4 Co.. Photographers
al Greenwich and Barclay str 'ets. WIS standing
at his desk ai the time Of the explosion. At
first he thought that his own house was about
10 fall. so violent was the shock. but soon the
tremor ceased. Then he ran to window from
which he had full view of III" Greenfield
premises. Towering far above the building
was tongue Of fire which Mr. Jordan thinks
could not have be II less than 100 feet high He
plosion 10 the time Of his seanc the flames Of
fire could not have been more than ton ortwenty
seconds. as he was within five PAGES Of the
window. This is regarded as a strong indir,-
ton that tn explosion emanatrd from gases or
chemicals. and not from the boiler.
DR.. 7. IL. Wander Wcylc the weil-known
chemist. saws thni 1t is not only possible that a
terrific explosion m ight bc oocasi iou-d by hori-
tonta hues such as these boilers had. but that
such an explosion actually occurred in the
BeSsemer steel works in Troy q few years ago
In that chSo it was found that in the horizontal
Gucs therc was an accuuuati IA ~ carbonio
pIide. which Is highly inhammahe when COM
binei with common air in the requisite proper
Hons. This gas is formed by imperfect COM
tustlon. and is created when the draft is not
sufficient for the amount Of coal in the furnace.
In the Troy cAse the fires had been banked ami
that the moment the furnace doors were opened
lhe explosion took place. similar effect Is
oiten seen ia all self-ieedng furnaces. Tho
gus Nolle'., at the top Of the bank Of ronl and
the moment the top is taken on To- put on more
coal the oxygen Of the air PUSHES In and fur
nishes the conditions - an .Nilu-.ln. When
the fire., of steamboats, arc covered too thiekly
with coal. the carbonic oxide rises to the top o.!
the chimney. and therr. combining with the air.
makes the hlnze which is frequently seen at the
top of the pipes. When the combustion Is per
fet there IS only carbonic aid gas formed.
which IL not nfammable. The Doctor says
that the power Of carbonic oxide Is tremendous.
and it is not nj all surprising that il should be
mistaken iOr dynamite or u glNctrile.
1t Is the opinion ~ the whoirs .lr cunirrti"n-
trs with whom a SUS reporter oanser-el yos-
lerisy that none of the uni,r.sl- or Hppllan '"a
used In the business could have caused thc "a
plosbn And yet, under ccgt.,n nditons q
drying room will explode Nj Slaw-on. of
blawspn & Co.. College place aui ley street.
Eurrny htre't AMI Cnll"," f'.. WAS iurued.
md that when the nr- 20. .A0-i 10. drying
room Whrrp there werrt ..i.... ; O' bounds flf
starch II turrt and f,rr fIc az ii"i story rni the
root to pie - Explaining i. 80" al U.s.
o. tho dDins rlnn a. snld Nni thiu hIN"-,
AbJri innt ana haii Ions Nnl % - ip!i widr
arc nllni with starch. Ih,u 10 mouhls hfn
male som whn' - in tlf, ,.iii iron lNuulrl"-.
and not syrup Is run lniotiH inoN'.la Ihowpth
l. done Tnpld4g. and the worn Ntu rriIoNr,, the
BOXES ana contents H. the lrvIh- roam. Hero
slt,kn ON Hncks ~ the bpNoS tiN } .lHd. l. tiprf
Il dying room can be kpol,i tt' room mus
b. closed 50 1tigt ns to keep iu th it'nt nu tho
gases generated from the starch. and th"n 1lamc
must be- communicated t. The .i.ri 10 prndu 'o
m explosion. COMO tiOneI1 aNpN 40 smoking,
Is employees. a. sugar barns uni -tlrfh burns
readily wucn fired. star b. 90 explode must
h. heated You could huild n fire on II pile OF
starch and Il would turn. ro' cAp.ode. lien'o
90 amount ui "A ~ in store oDisluc oi the dlJ
ing r0Ois could hl1w up.
The only inquiry made ~ th'ruln7 yesterday
was ly Mr.. PniLp NerIbtrr'r. the wiir ol
treeuiinll's 'ngln srr. she c4.iol upOn Mr.
Ross. who k"DIs a luErr beersniYou IN The hilso-
nHnt nc i3 Blr.'ay street and riil that IL, her
nnslhhl hhd moi r~iurntu lDll. -I" lUArri llli
le htl been kU'I. Sht said UN' on Npu0H y
~ Ilorz +rerr told her that l.i,s "a the ipr-
try waa out Of order Shot Ir-.. he mrlni q
ti'Ain nlr..N1 hr WIZ an rheiuN'l; hui d" ull
not explain, nor did she H,k hiiu 10. H. -Hii
that he hnd aaNrd Mr. Gre uii 'i foo hnNr thD
pI"NNDi. Fat tIut that gent. .'u..n had !Dicrr d
the rel1lrs on account oi press . - u- nNH" ON
h'A lnptrlnrH from hnmr ou 'iuur-dny morn.
lnr hrHniI. | may not come hY.lc -nigih'
mi frequently puor 10 tlHt tln' hr hni rN'
pie'-a'd hlbreurhriuus Ol tHD iuf1,ue ni tli'
ppn, al liuE. " II IT does burst N' ui" all gunt
np' Mr.. licr2lerg"r's nrlgi. fOrs Also have
h'Nri her husIind express hi- NpprcnNn-inf
.. Il1r from - pipe IA the i" it0l> Ih"i Wa
oui Of order.
10 Cla MI 0ll- have opened omIprnri
tii 90 Nt iiNr % NtlfDi ami Nrfh lNtfr. Mf