The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-10-11
BLOWN HIGH IN THE AIR.
4 RO-GLrCERINE EXPLOSION That
SHOOK THE TOWN or TELITIM


An Adonlshcd Detective Seeing Building
Vanish from Niuht-Tvo Men Making
Haste for their Lives suspicion Aroused.
For some time past the proprictOrs Of the
Neptune Powder Mill. in the town 81 Pelham.
near Barlow. have been in Il dispute with the
Neptune Powder Company who think that the
Pelham people have inirnscd upon certain OF
their rights. The company sent detective to
Pelham to watch the property OF the mill own
ers. Yesterday that functionary WAS relieved Of
n portion Of his responsibility by the blowing to
fragments OF the building in which the nitro
eyccrnc was Manufactured.
Nobody seems TO know who are tho owner Of
the powder mill. but II Nr. A. J. Parker of
bridgeport Conn. is the chief manager. He
wis not in Pelham yesterday. and. owing in
some indirect way to the legal complications.
mn extraordinary rcticcnce prevailed among
tho workmcn. -
Tic property consisted ot several buildings.
used for the manufacture Ot llu.tug powder.
aud among these was the frame house IN which
! the nitro-g yccrine WINS made. II was ono story
high. ana about thirty five inct long, by twenty
ilv" feet widc. 1t WIS heavily hult. hut wis not
1 of any great value. II contained platform siN
| feet high. and on this the glvcorinc was made.
| and poured. passing through water into the
ON Wednesday MI tho glycerlnc had boon oE-
| haustcd. and Il was necessary to manufacture u
| frc,h supply before any NOR powder could he
! the exception Of Oscar Coles. Israel Gore. and
! Samuel Brrriman. There were usually. about
! fifteen men employed. and ia" remaining twnlvg
| wore told To return To their work this morning.
II WIS Just noon. and tho three" men whose
| services had boon retained wcrr in Ia" gJcorinc
! house IL ~ said that the drtrrtyr employed
! by the rival company was standing outside.
| nppraising, with q practice. eye; the probable
! astonishcd gaze. tho entro fabric ros" into the
| air, and. with u roar that was heard at Harlem
| and Island City. burst into a Thousand pieces.
ia
length. The blazing fragments were hurled In
| NIL directions. soma OF them going hundred
| foot upward and falling Kissing into the winters
| Of the Sound. The shock WIS terrific momcn-
| tnrily stunning all in tn" region pi tn" eNpo-
sion. and smashing tho windows Of houses at
| A dense cloud Of smoke rosc into the mir.
| When il cleared away not yestige Of the glyce-
| rinc house wns to Do seen. though flaming
| particles 81 It lttcrcl tho ground whore two
| minutes before 1t had been standing.
LIT, Ihc three mon ls who YER SUPPOSED To- hive
and ono Of them told tho following story:
A few minutes before ~ o'clock Samuel Ber-
! riun went from tho house, which stood close TO
| the waters edge. and getting into II bogt, showed
| OIL His motive In going away could not be
lure oscar Coi"s and Israel Gore determined
! to move the tub Of glycerinu Just manufactured
into ancth"rbuilding, as WIS customary. There
was only one tuh ~ the material In th" house.
and II contained. probably. about hundred
pounds. II was on tho Moor near tho plat
| form upon which both mon were standing
! Their hacks had boon turned toward il for some
minutes. ami Just rs they turned around. pre-
| lurht1ry To- descending To- curry II awny. they
| were da7zlrd hy column NJ light which shot ul
| To- the roof. TIL" nitro glyccrinc WINS on fire.
| Il Thought AT ilr.i. said one 81 tho men, OF
| upsrtiiug tho tub. That might have saved tho
explosion; hut before | could got down from
| the platform the whole place seemed 10 be- in a
! hvZn. We both know that when tho nitro
| glvrrine got sufficiently heated It would ex-
| blodr. There WAS not "a second 10 spare. and
W. both jumped from the platform and ran out
ns inst n We could. I suppose we had sot
about forty or nity yards from tho door when
| the explosion cAine. Tho shock was tremen-
| dous. | WIS not knocked down. When We
! turned around the whole house WAS in the AIR
and had hnrd work 70 keep out OF the way Of
| tho ilying fragments"
The workmen say that the fire was duo &c
| some carclossncss In the Manufacture of the
| nitro glyccrine-puttin In certain acids in in.
| correct quantities. Thcre is. however. u strong
| suspicion in the neighborhood that an inccn.
diary was nj work.