New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-04-28
THE GREENPOINT FIRE.

ANOTHER BODY FOUND IN THE RUINS.
rvo MORE MEN SAID TO BE MISsING-PIRKMEN
srARCHrNG AMONG THH DEBMs-OPINIoSs AS
To THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE-wHAT TIE SUPER
ISTENDENT SAYS
The ruins of Edward c. Smiths box factory, IN
(Yr,enpoint which was burned Tuesday afternoon,
we've still snonldering Yesterday morning waeh
Visited by TRIBUNE reporter. The place was
surrounded BY several hundred excited men. women
and children, attracted to the spot by curiosity
or nv the fact that relatives of theirs had been
Killed or injured in the tire. force of forty r men
had been at work during the night subduing the
flames which from time tn time Starte up 9iIesl.
NOT until an early hour yesterday morning ana the
heat subside sufficiently 10 allow the runs 10 he IN
spscted carefully. Fireman flaming, of Engine No
10 was the frsi t. penetrate 10 thr hlddir OF ne
against an almost Shapeess mas, oil bac kened ht>i
and bones. From its size and iTom s"m9 Keys ana
studs Wing near the body was dentlhr by some of
the factory hands that Of Joseph j. BrackenhuTy
\ stamper who was a man OF small stature. AS ne
about to leave the prlntlngro9 IL was S-d 20
escape the flames, lac reIneIu ered that ne door "i
the iron safe, in which were valuable papers,
hsa been left OPEN lie turned TO shut IT,
and while so doing was suiiocatrd Two
hours after the finding of the body Coroner Parker
sent an order tO have it removed t. the Morgue and
this was done. The dead mans wife, who had ar
rived meanwhile tainted at the sight of the rough
deal coffin into which The remains were temporarily
Il Was also claimed that, besides Patrick McI.augh
Hin q boxmaker, William Angcvine, OF No 40
Meserule-ave. "A sawyer employed ON the third floor
of the building, is one of the missing. Augcvine is
known TO have climbed out on tie roof a. soon ~
the first signs OF hire became NlSiDIc, anu oIhco theh
he has not been seen.
Later in the day an extra force Of frcmen and po-
Gcemen was dispatched to the srene OF the c91 i
ration for the purpose of prosecuting the search Tor
the bodies of the two missing men. But all efforts
were in vain, and the general opinion seemed to ne
that the re had done its work too completely To al
low of the Distinguishing the charred remains of IN"
employees from the debris of the factory itself. Two
large safes, however were found under pie OF
,l.ot ,,otl. hon I'D 1NeugnpIts
books in them in nearly a. good condition as
they were prior to the disaster The new mae hnery
in the northeast corner of the factory, valued al
$50 900 contrary To the owners expectations was
hopelessly ruined.
The origin of the fire seems TO be mystery, a,
though various opinions are expressed some Oh
the factory hands saw man named Milligan entered
the shaving room, NhICh was IN the main DulIdlie
to collect some fuel for feeding the furnace
lighted pipe was in his mouth, and without his
knowledge spark may have fallen ont OF II
and iguited the shavings. boy named jameson
who ent t. the shortly after tins tabout
10 O'clock, claims Ia have seen smoke issuing ou'
OF D heap of shayiugs. and says that ne lIihedl-
ately ran TO the nearest fre-aiarm box, "mch ~as
IN the Office of the Brooklyn CrOSstown Company
The men there refused to sound the aiarIn and by
the time the boy returned the fire was apparently
out Two hours later fresh flames were seen lSsu-
ing from the same ROOM aud many think that the
first fro had not been cntrtly eNtlngushcd. super
intendent TDkham, who has interr0gat"d All the
employees beside, making a personal Inspection oi
THE ruins expressed himself follows to TRIBUNE
reporter yesterday .
81 do not believe the fire originated III the care
lessness Of any of the hands On the contrary from
careful investig tiOn of the facts am satisfied tit
the conflagraton started in the sawdust house with
in the factory itself mot the isolated saw dust build
ing twenty yards away.l Tie sawdust accumulated
there had evidently got damp III consequence OF
which combustbe gas had been formed, which
only needed little extra heat ignite It. The first
sgns Of fire early yesterday morning evidently came
from the same source For all know the damp saw
dust may have caught fire two or three weeks ago
Rnd been snouldering ever since. Nobody can lie
blamed foi an accident of this description"
The seven injured men taken to st. Catharne's
Hospital all doing comparatively we'll. not
cspting William Sweeny the fourteen years-Od boy
who YVES badly burned about the body face and
lmhs and whose life was at first despaired Of
August Friskey, the boxmaker. who WAS also terribly
burned all over his body. is lying IN very
critical condition at his house No. POS Grcenst. II
10 feared that he will not survive his injuries John
Rennert, of No. l12 Eagle-st., was also very low
Yesterday afternoon. Coroner Parker empaneed a
Jury Last evening and made arrangements for hold
Ing inquest the two bodies found IN the runs.