New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-04-27
DETAILS OF THE DISASTER.


cred more than block. On the other side of Oak
land-ave. is +. Church e. Co.'s soda factory. and
few PAGES to the right stands the Brooklyn Oil Re
iinery The box factory which three stories IN
height and afforded employment to about $50 men,
contained large quantity of infammable material,
such as shavings, sawdust and dry timber.
On the ground floor in the northeast end were
the machine shop and furnace, the latter beng con-
tinually fed with the chips. part of this floor
was also used for resawing the lumber used in box
making. On the second floor smaller boxes wero
made by hand, while the top floor larger ones
finished with machinery frame sawdust-
house stood the southeast side of the factory,
abont fifty feet away. The two buildings con-
ncctcd by an underground fiue, through which tho
sawdust forced by ar-pressure.
Monday being the payday of the factory hands,
most of them tarly in appearing at their posts
yesterday morning, and of those who came
had not entirely recovered from the effects OF
the previous nights drinking One OF these,
George Bloomfield, who worked in the second
story was 50 intoxicated that lrs comrades had TO
help him into the stable the Asl-st. side Of the
building where he soon fell into sound sleep upon
bed of straw.
| At noon, when the foreman and some OF the hands
went out 20 their dinner, about 100 of the men re-
mained in the building and the food which they
suddenly noticed smell of fire in the direction Of
| the gachine-room. 1t was not more than tel min
utes past II when the first sign of fire became Wis
ible and five miuutes later smoke was pouring
| up the elevator shaft. A panic then seized
| the inmates Of the building, and gem
eral stampede ensued. The men on tho
top floor were greatly alarmed. number
of them made IA rush for the windows and Jumped
into the street or upon shed which ran along Oak
| and-ave., reaching up to the second floor Several
of them were severely injured. Two or three bow
ever, managed 10 grasp the elevator cords and
climbed safely down to the bottom. The last man on
the top story, an elderly Frenchman growing des-
perate jumped down the shaft and was picked up ID
| All insensiDlc condition.
| In the meanwhile an alarm of fire was sent ont,
and il was quickly followed by second and third
! ALARM Shortly afterward two ambufanees were
| summoned Before half an hour had elapsed Chief
! Engineer Nevins of the Fire Department, and
| eleven companies from the Eastern and Western
Districts were their way to the scene OF the hre
The flames had been rapidly gaining ground, de-
| vourinc all within their reach and the lower part
of the building one vast furnace. r.
Church & Co. were not backward in lend
ing aid to subdue the fire. They have fire extln-
gushing apparatus. which they immediately APP
plied and it is due TO their efforts largely that
|
the neighborng stores of chemical products and tho
| oil rcfineries.
| ONE MAN BURNED To DEATH.
Inst as the last If the men rushed out of the fac
tory by the Office door on the Box-st. side. of
them driver named Morford, remembered that tho
| boxnaker Bloomfield, was still in the stable. fie
at once called the attention of his comrades Ia tho
| fact but none of them dared 10 return To rescue
him. Morfori then rushed TO the door of the stable,
although half sufocated by the smoke. iio
heard Bloomfield crying piteously for help
| and tried to force open the door. But in
vain falling log had eilectually blockaded the
| door and Morlorl was obliged to renqnish his
| effort When the first two fire COMPANIES arrived,
under Engineer Ford and Foreman fanning Bloom
fields remains were dragged out. The legs and arms
| were broken of, the head was smashed III and tho
flesh was burned 10 crisp.
| The fire caused much excitement ~ "r"lp2lhI,
and thousands of persons hastencd Ia the ncipbor-
hood of the burning bnilding The hrst reports OF
the fire were of startling natnrc; II beng .aid
! that scores of employees had been Killed. captain
| Rhodes of the Seventh Precinct, arrived shortly
| after o'clock with all his available men, besdea
the reserves Of the flh and sMdh pr'rln"s cr%xJ ~
safe distance from the fire, and GORDON of i"icc
| was drawn around Il. A. A.. -.
| were entertained for the safety Of the sawdust,
house. which was filled with sawdnst. To prevent
This from taking lire two hreinen OF Engine No. ID
were ordered to post thcmse Yes on the roof Of tho
| threatened building for the purpose OF hois,.
| ing the hosr. At the same tme 9
| was proposed to transfer the sawdust still remain-
ing in the eastern part Of the factory TO the aoiD-
| ing building For this purpose man was sent INTO
the cellar TO open the hatehwsy oi the coHnecung
rushed through il into the sawdust house with great
force and what seemed o be an explosion occurred,
| Which tore open one side of the building. Tho
two fremen Who were in the act of scaling the
| ladder were hurled violently 10 the ground ana
| seriously injured one OF them having nus Jaw ana
| thigh broken and seven or eight boys, varying in
aon from nine 10 fifteen, who had been allowed to
stand near BY were severely burned and lacersted.
| Two of them are said TO be beyond recovery. Tho
ptire ambulance force of the city having arrived
| nromptly no time was lost in transferring all tho
Injured persons to ST. GATHERINGS Hospital.
| OTHER BUILDINGS IN DANGER.
| The wind was blowing slightly from the north
east and only with the greatest difficulty could tho
row of tenement houses in Oaklandst. and cooper
shop belonging to J. Cooper, he saved. Just a. tho
| fremen supposed that they had the fire under con-
troll the wind changed, and the flames shot up again
and soon after the entire building, roof and ALL fell
in with loud crash. Fifteen yards from the fac
tory stood an old brick building, called the
| American Flag which was built about
seventy years ago, and was regarded as
| landmark 1t now became prey OK
| the flames almost before the inmates whG
had stubbornly refused To move their furniture az
Shortly afterward frame building few PAGES
| away, Inhabited by two families, also caught hrc
and was burned in less than quarter OF an nourS
At o'clock the factory hands were mustered and
| then IL was noticed that two men were missing
These were Patrick Mclaughlin who was last seem
shortly after the first ALARM the second story an
Joseph Brackenbury, q stamper Diligent seaicis
was set on foot for their bodies by the nreaSm, % -
well as the uninjured factory hands and some men,
1 bers of the Greenpoint Freemasons Lodge ana ohsa
| Lodge of Oddfeliows, to which brackehDu'' W
| longed. ..,h. s.so to withdraw
any Of engines one Of which orSsp Sp any Of I'D
Ra,non h.,sides the two mentioned, were uioto "
nrcinci, poS N III hu med one Of them being pe1N