The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-12-22
That Dreadful New York Acct.
dent.


The removal Of the debris, which wa
begun at 2 o'clock, has proceeded 30 ia
that the street is clear 10 the outside O
the sidewalk in front Of the ruins. o.
the opposite sidewalk, lying under blood
stained tarpaulins, are bodies Of MAJ
and boy which were taken from the ruin
on the sidewalk this morning. Whel
found the bodies were lying ia front o
the doorway. Both had evidently beeI
struck with heavy stone Gaping which
sIiIl lay across the boys face, and which i
was necessary TO remove before the body
could be removed. One body was recog,
nized as that Ot William II. Bradley, il
EckfOrd street, Brooklyn, and the other
is probably that Of William Bennett, .
newsboy. The mother OF the boy keep,
Il news stand at Barclay Street Ferry
and sent him yesterday evening, as usual
for the last editions Of the evening papers
lie did not return, and il is evident that
he waS passing the factory at the time ol
the explosion.
Two hundred workmen, besides the
tiremen, are now digging in the ruins
and strong police force is needed to keep
back the great crowd pressing down upon
them.
The ruins could not be more complete
than they are, for scarcely a fragment Of
a wall is standing, and indeed none what
ever on the ground occupied by the main
building, Il space Of about one hundred
feet square.
Early to-day the mothers, fathers, ais.
ters, brothers and friends Of the wounded
and missing beseiged the porters room
OF the New York Hospital, making in.
quiries for those whom they sought, and
pleading for admission. The physicians,
who have been on duty since Z o'clock
last night, deeming quiet necessary for
the newly arrived inmates, gave order to
only admit few Of the applicants, di-
recting others to call during the after
noon when the wounded would I've in
proper condition 10 converse. Three OF
the number have been enveloped, al.
most from head to feet, in bandages, and
their hair was burned no close to the
seal and with their swollen and black.
ened features, they resembled negroes.
Three mothers have been standing at the
door since o'clock this morning, max.
ing inquiries for their missing children.
AT last when one Of the stricken creatures
was on the point OF leaving in despair,
abe encountered her daughter at the door,
The meeting was touching. Alter long
embrace they separated, aud the Young
girl was afterwards pernlitted to go up TO
the Male Ward, where She impaired news
oil brother to one OF the manned patients,
who had worked with her in the shop.
The Ercniny Post says: In addition to
about eighteen. missing persons whose
names were reported to the police last
night, there were reported this morning
Josephine Shepard, aged 90, of No. Ii
Franklin street; Augusta Lindner, I25
9th street; John Durham, about 40 year.,
a widOwer without children, and lived at
North ID and Sth streets, Brooklyn.
Philip Elertzebach, the engineer in the
factory, has not been seen since the ex.
Plosion. Ills wife says that her husband
on his return from work on Monday eve.
ming told her that one Of the tubes OF the
boiler or some pipe connecting with il
lshe was not sure which) had bursted;
that he had spoken to Mr.. Greenfield,
saying that the break was dangerous and
might cause an explosion il il were not
fixed, and that Mr.. Greenfield told him
that they must try lu get along with il
NS it was until Sunday owing to the pres.
sure Of business.
Mrs. lterl1ehach says her husband was
greatly disturbed in his mind on account
OF this, often referring to it during the
week, and saying he was afraid every
moment to go to his work. Yesterday |
morning when he left home he told her |
that ho never expected to rec her again.
Hertzebrch was 81 years old and lived on
SD street. Two men, who rescued two
girls, say they had been told by work.
man in the starch room, on the second
hoor, that the fire was caused by the up.
setting OF Kerosene lamp in the room. |
They asserted that finely powdered
starch, used in the manufacture OF gum
drops, was explosive and that the explo.
sion was caused in this way. They did
not believe that the boiler exploded, AZ.
sGrtins that il il had il would have blown
up the sidewalk beneath which it was sit.
mated. A man named Stein says he went
down to the boiler room abont 5 minutes
before the fire occurred to obtain can Of
water. lIertzehach, the engineer, was
then ut hiS post and rNking out the fire.
The blowing summary includes the
names OF Gthe principal lOsGrS and the
insurance: Greenfield 4 Son $3.50, 900,
insurance $l27,00O; D. D. Tompkins
10000, insurance Sl2,0OO estate Of S.
W. Welsh Sl22O0O, insurance $4,000;
ircen ~ Scherer 81 900, insurance $4,000;
a. " W. Little $4,000, insurance $1,000;
U. ). pessicating Company $4,000, in.
7hrance s, 200; LisComb Mills q 900, in.
+urance unknown; W. A. Montague &
Co. $1,000, insurance unknown; A. Ryeh
$4,000, insurance 100000. Buildings
I'll, 63, 10 and G7 are entirely demolished
and atotal loss. The bodies of two girls
and boy were taken from the ruins this
forenoon.
INSPECTOR Horizons REPORT.
Boiler Inspector Horton, Of the SAM
tary Squad, made report to Superin.
tcndent Walling late this afternoon; the
pnrPort of which was that he wen, 10 |
the building, GS Barclay street, and suc.
cceeded in finding the steam boiIers, and |
lonnd that they were intact; and, also,
connected with the steam an.
pNrntnS in good order. The Inspector |
said that one of the copper tanks, which
was filled with material for making can. |
~, must have exploded, breaking tho
Kerosene lamps, with which tho building
VIVA lighted, and scattered the fnid in aII |
directions.
The total loss ia S49S,OOO; insurance
well distributed among thirty
seven Eastern and foreign companies. A
legal point has been made by tho rcpre.
sentativcS Of some OF the insurance com.
pAnies which have risks On GreenGieltVs
buildings They hold that inasmuch n.
by tho terms Of the pOliCieathe Compunie.
are fpgnODHihln nnlv fnr ,ha Ia,,.',, 80,